Cognitive Algebra Underlying Special Education Teachers’ and Psychology Students’ Attitudes Towards School Inclusion of People with Intellectual Disability
Pages 33-41
Guadalupe Elizabeth Morales, Ernesto Octavio Lopez, María Guadalupe Villarreal-Treviño, Emily Samantha Montalvo, Yanko Norberto Mezquita-Hoyos and Marcela Estefania Castro-Sanchez
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.6000/2292-2598.2013.01.02.4
Published: 06 May 2014 

Abstract: Attitudes towards regular school inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities (ID) are affected by factors such as disability severity, educational level, and teacher experience. Nevertheless, the ways that teachers integrate these factors to form inclusion judgments remains unclear. The current paper explores what systematic cognitive algebra rules are used to cognitively integrate this set of inclusion factors by special education teachers and psychology students. To do so, 469 special education teachers and psychology students were asked to take part in two experimental cognitive algebra studies. In each study, participants had to read a set of school inclusion scenarios and rate the probability that a scenario actor with ID could be successfully integrated into a regular school program. To this purpose, factor effects on successful school inclusion and ID related to individuality, situational aspects, and contextual considerations (e.g., school environment, grade level taught) were explored. Results suggested that participants showed attitudes to school inclusion ranking from light to moderate positive values. Situational factors, as well as context factors, were judged to be more significant than other factors in elementary education. These factors were integrated by following a cognitive summative rule. Overall, judgment for successful school inclusion follows a summative rule to integrate sources of information. This rule is maintained irrespective of the disability under consideration. However, valuation of each source of information does depend on the type of the current study sample. Implications of these results for inclusion of people with disabilities in regular schools are discussed in this paper.

Assessment of Vitamin D Supplementation in People with Intellectual Disability
Pages 46-53

Ramón Zabalza, Iñaki Múgica, Fernando Sistiaga, Adolfo Garrido, José Ignacio Emparanza and Paul Zubillaga

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.6000/2292-2598.2013.01.02.6

Published: 06 May 2014

Abstract: Vitamin D levels are often lower than recommended among certain groups, and these so-called at risk populations include institutionalised people with intellectual disabilities. The administration of vitamin D supplements does normalize these levels, but they tend to fall again when treatment is discontinued. The objectives of this study were, first, to assess whether the administration of 20,000 IU of cholecalciferol monthly and 60,000 IU quarterly over a year provide similar satisfactory results, and second, to explore whether the results are associated with following variables: sex, antiepileptic medication, being a wheelchair user or able to walk, and being a resident or day care user. The study population was composed of 204 individuals of both sexes cared for in four centres of the same institution. There were no differences between the levels reached with monthly and quarterly administration. The overall results show that, at the end of the test period, total 25(OH)vitamin D levels were <30 nmol/L in 3.5% of participants, 30 to < 50 nmol/L in 34%, 50 to <75 nmol/L in 41% and ≥75 nmol/L in 21.5%. There were significant differences between centres. We did not observe any harmful adverse effects attributable to the treatment. To conclude, we propose the continuous systematic administration of 60,000 IU of cholecalciferol every three months in this at-risk population.

Intellectual Disability and Psychiatric Diagnoses of Children and Adolescents with a History of Stressful Events and Social Deprivation in Brazil: Preliminary Results. IQ, Depression and Stress
Pages 42-45
Paula Approbato de Oliveira, Carolina Fuentes Moreira, Sandra Scivoletto, Cristiana Castanho de Almeida Rocca, Daniel Fuentes and Paulo Jannuzzi Cunha
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.6000/2292-2598.2013.01.02.5
Published: 06 May 2014

Abstract: Background: Studies have shown that stressful events in childhood are associated with impairments in cognitive functions and intellectual disability.

Objective:Compare the intellectual functioning in groups of Brazilian children and adolescents with a history of stressful events with lifetime history of depression and without lifetime history of depression.

Method: 30 children and adolescents underwent psychiatric evaluation and neuropsychological assessment of estimated intellectual quotient (EIQ), verbal knowledge, and visuospatial skills.

Results: 15 patients (50%) had EIQ within the average and 6 had EIQ in the lower average (20%) for Brazilian standardized norms. The other part had at least some degree of intellectual disability and they were classified as: 2 mild mental retardation (6.7%) and 7 borderline (23.3%). Also, half of the sample had at least one lifetime depressive episode, and the performance in EIQ and visuospatial skills was worse in this group.

Conclusion: 50% of the children and adolescents with a history of early stressful events and social deprivation had at least some degree of intellectual disability. In addition, a subgroup with history of depressive episodes had worse EIQ performance when compared to those without depression, possibly due to a greater impairment in visuospatial skills. The specific role of impaired right cerebral hemisphere, corpus callosum, and prefrontal cortex associated with depressive disorders and maltreatment should be investigated in further studies.

Use of a Brief Screening Tool to Assess Intellectual Functioning in a Forensic Population
Pages 54-58
Andrew Donohue, Jack Samuels, Robert Thompson, Clarence Watson and Gerard Gallucci

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.6000/2292-2598.2013.01.02.7

Published: 06 May 2014 

Abstract: Individuals with intellectual disability are over-represented in forensic settings, including jails, prisons and forensic psychiatric treatment units. Identification of intellectual disability is important in such settings, especially in light of the implications of intellectual disability in legal issues including competency to stand trial, criminal responsibility and capital sentencing. We examined the utility of a brief test of intelligence (PROFOKS), assessing knowledge of proverbs, fund of knowledge and similarities in a series of 29 inpatients residing in a forensic psychiatric unit. PROFOKS correlated strongly with performance on the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (WASI), including the full scale, verbal and performance IQs and WASI subscales. The PROFOKS appears to be a useful screening tool in identifying intellectual disability in a forensic psychiatric population.