What is a likely reason a child with an intellectual disability struggles to put on snow clothes?

The correct answer centers on the challenge many children with intellectual disabilities face regarding the transfer of learned skills from one context to another. When children engage in play activities, such as dressing dolls, they may learn specific actions and sequences involved in putting on clothing. However, applying these skills to themselves can be a different task altogether.

Children with intellectual disabilities may struggle with the cognitive processes needed to generalize skills learned in one setting to another, particularly when moving from a play context to a real-life scenario. This can result in challenges when trying to put on snow clothes because the child might not easily make the connection between the actions they practiced with dolls and what they need to do for themselves.

While motivation and assistance from peers or parents can be beneficial for many children, the specific difficulty in transferring skills is a foundational barrier. Similarly, following sequences from a picture chart can help, but if a child has not been able to grasp or practice the relevant dressing skills in different contexts, they will still face difficulties. Therefore, the emphasis on the challenge of transferring those skills effectively addresses the underlying issue that can affect their ability to dress independently.