1. Carolyn M. Shivers, Mary McCarron, & Philip McCallion
Literacy and Numeracy in an Ageing Population with Intellectual Disability in Ireland
Carolyn M. Shivers, Mary McCarron, & Philip McCallion
INTRODUCTION
METHODS
Literacy and numeracy skills are key components of independence for people with intellectual disabilities (ID). However, many individuals with ID struggle with various aspects of reading, writing, or using and understanding numbers. The present study examines patterns of literacy and numeracy skills among older adults with ID in Ireland.
701 participants over the age of 42 completed Wave 2 of the Intellectual Disability Supplement to The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (IDS-TILDA).
A total of 138 intellectual disability service providers throughout Ireland were involved in supporting people with ID to take part in this study.
RESULTS
Figure 1: Total number of difficulties with reading, writing, numbers,
and/or handling money
Figure 2: Number of difficulties with reading, writing, numbers,
and/or handling money by level of intellectual disability
Two-thirds of the sample reported that they had trouble with all four
skills listed: reading, writing, understanding numbers, and handling
money. Only 8.5% (n=59) people reported no trouble with any of the
categories.
People with severe or profound intellectual disability were far more
likely to report difficulty in all four areas, while only one third of
individuals with mild intellectual disability reported the same. There
were no significant age differences in the number of problems reported.
Finally, living situation seemed to relate to trouble with literacy and
numeracy. Individuals living independently or with family were more likely
to report no problems, while individuals living in a group home or
residential care were far more likely to report problems with all four
skill areas.
Figure 3: Number of difficulties with reading, writing, numbers,
and/or handling money by age
DISCUSSION
The results from the current study show not only that a majority of aging individuals with ID have trouble in most or all areas of literacy and numeracy, but that such troubles are related to both level of ID and the individuals’ living situation. These results are particularly troubling, as most participants report that they are unable to identify different denominations of money, tell time, fill out forms, or read common environmental words. All of these skills present significant barriers to independence. Therefore, it is important to provide classes for aging individuals with ID to increase their functional levels of literacy and numeracy.
Figure 4: Number of difficulties with reading, writing, numbers,
and/or handling money by residential status