Intellectual

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The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act defines an Intellectual Disability as “significantly sub-average general intellectual functioning, existing concurrently [at the same time] with deficits in adaptive behavior and manifested during the developmental period, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance.”

Intellectual Disabilities are typically caused by complications during birth or pregnancy, genetic conditions such as Down Syndrome and Fragile X Syndrome, or health problems during infancy and early childhood. There is a wide range in which an intellectual disability may manifest. However, some symptoms of an intellectual disability include:

• Delay in reaching developmental milestones (sitting up, crawling, talking, etc.)

• Issues with retaining and applying new information

• Difficulty understanding and adapting to social norms

• Trouble solving problems independently

• Possible Challenges:

• Difficulty learning and applying new material

• Difficulty communicating with peers and teachers

• Trouble following multi-step directions

• Inappropriate Behavior and lack of social awareness

Sensory: Hearing

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According to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), a “Hearing Impairment” is defined as “an impairment in hearing, whether permanent or fluctuating, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance but is not included under the definition of ‘deafness.’” A hearing impairment is a hearing loss that is less than 90 decibels.

A hearing impairment can fall under the following categories:

• conductive

• sensorineural

• mixed

• centralPossible Challenges:

• These categories indicate where in the body hearing loss is located. In addition, hearing impairments are also categorized by severity.

• grammar, spelling and vocabulary

• taking notes while listening to lectures

• participating in classroom discussions

• presenting oral reports

Communication

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The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) officially defines a speech and/or language impairment as “a communication disorder such as stuttering, impaired articulation, a language impairment, or a voice impairment that adversely affects a child’s educational performance.”

Typically, Communication Disorders are recognized at a young age. However, other conditions, such as Autism, Emotional Disturbances, Hearing Loss, etc., can appear as a Communication Disorder and be misdiagnosed. It is important to have a trained Speech-Language Pathologist assess a child in order to receive an accurate diagnosis.

Possible Challenges:

• Communicating effectively with classmates and teachers

• Understanding and/or giving oral presentations

• Participating in classroom discussions

• Attaining normalcy within a group

Sensory: Visual

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The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) officially defines the category as “an impairment in vision that, even with correction, adversely affects a child’s educational performance.” Though there are many different kinds of visual impairments, many share the same characteristics. Here are some common traits for visual impairments:

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• Irregular eye movements (for instance, eyes that don’t move together or that appear unfocused)

• Unusual habits (such as covering one eye or frequently rubbing eyes)

• Sitting abnormally close to a television or holding a book close to the face

• Possible Challenges:

• Safely maneuvering around the classroom

• Conceptualizing objects

• Reading

• Operating standard educational tools such as calculators and word processing software

Emotional

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The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act defines an “Emotional Disturbance” as “a condition exhibiting one or more of the following characteristics over a long period of time and to a marked degree that adversely affects a child’s educational performance:

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(A) An inability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, or health factors.

(B) An inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships with peers and teachers.

(C) Inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal circumstances.

(D) A general pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression.

(E) A tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or school problems.

The term includes schizophrenia. The term does not apply to children who are socially maladjusted, unless it is determined that they have an emotional disturbance.”

The category of Emotional Disturbances mainly refers to mental and behavioral health disorders as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V). Some examples of mental health disorders that may be included in this category are:

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• anxiety disorders,

• bipolar disorder, conduct disorders,

• eating disorders,

• obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

• psychotic disorder

• For more information about any of the aforementioned disorders, or for any similar disorders not listed, check out the DSM-V Library here.

Physical

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The Individuals with Disabilities Education (IDEA) defines a physical disability, or “orthopedic” impairment, as “a severe orthopedic impairment that adversely affects a child’s educational performance.” This category includes, but is not limited to:

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• impairments caused by a congenital anomaly [birth defects]

• impairments caused by disease (e.g., poliomyelitis, bone tuberculosis)

• impairments from other causes (e.g., cerebral palsy, amputations, and fractures or burns that cause contractures)

• Though challenges may differ case to case, here are some possible common challenges experienced by those with a physical disability:

• Non-accessible transportation

• Trouble maneuvering around the classroom

• Difficulty navigating school hallways

• Earning mandated physical education credit

• Communicating effectively

Health 

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The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act defines a “Health” Disability, or “Other Health Impairment” as “having limited strength, vitality, or alertness, including a heightened alertness to environmental stimuli, that results in limited alertness with respect to the educational environment, that— (a) is due to chronic or acute health problems such as asthma, attention deficit disorder or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, diabetes, epilepsy, a heart condition, hemophilia, lead poisoning, leukemia, nephritis [a kidney disorder], rheumatic fever, sickle cell anemia, and Tourette syndrome; and (b) adversely affects a child’s educational performance.”

Because this category contains a wide range of conditions, it is difficult to identify common symptoms or challenges to discuss in this section. If you would like to know more about a specific condition listed under the category of “Other Health Impairment,” we encourage you to contact us directly for additional information.

Specific Learning

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The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) defines a specific learning disability as “a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, that may manifest itself in the imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or to do mathematical calculations.” Disabilities included in this category include (but are not limited to):

• brain injury

• minimal brain dysfunction

• dyslexia

• developmental aphasia

Typically, a specific learning disability is identified in elementary school. However, a specific learning disability can also manifest or intensify as a young person grows and enters new stages of development. Challenges for a young person with a specific learning disability are predominantly academic (i.e. difficulty learning to read), but can also impact the development of other life skills.

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Deaf-Blind

The Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) defines the term “Deaf-Blind” as “concomitant hearing and visual impairments, the combination of which causes such severe communication and other developmental and educational needs that they cannot be accommodated in special education programs solely for children with deafness or children with blindness.”

The name of this category can be misleading as one does not need to be totally blind and deaf to qualify. Rather, this category was created to address the condition of having some degree of simultaneously occurring hearing and vision impairments. This condition can manifest for a variety of reasons, including (but not limited to) certain illnesses such as Usher syndrome, injuries or complications during birth.

Possible Challenges:

• Reading and writing

• Communicating

• Navigating unfamiliar environments

Multiple Disabilities

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 The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act’s (IDEA), defines “multiple disabilities” as “concomitant impairments (such as intellectual disability-blindness, intellectual disability-orthopedic impairment, etc.), the combination of which causes such severe educational needs that they cannot be accommodated in a special education program solely for one of the impairments. The term does not include deaf-blindness.”

This category refers to those who require supports for two or more simultaneous disabilities. Because of the purposely broad nature of this classification’s title, it is difficult to identify specific conditions or challenges one may face. If you have questions regarding a young person who meets the criteria for “multiple disabilities,” please feel free to contact us for more information.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

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According to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Autism is defined as “A developmental disability significantly affecting verbal and nonverbal communication and social interaction, generally evident before age three that adversely affects a child’s educational performance.” (Though IDEA notes symptoms as being evident before the age of three, it is worth mentioning that children can also receive an autism diagnosis after three years as well).

It is important to note that Autism now refers to a spectrum (Autism Spectrum Disorder or ASD) with many specifiers that help identify individualized needs. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V), an ASD diagnosis must also include a severity rating (which indicates the level of support an individual needs) and an indication of whether or not one’s diagnosis includes an intellectual impairment, a language impairment, another medical or genetic condition, a contributing environmental factor, catatonia or a neuro-developmental, mental or behavioral disorder. In addition, the Autism Spectrum Disorder umbrella now includes, or overlaps with, diagnoses such as Asperger syndrome, Rett syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder and Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (PDDNOS). Some common traits of Autism Spectrum Disorder are:

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Some Common Traits of those diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder are:

• Unusual fixation (for instance, only playing with round toys)

• Inability to focus without first completing a routine

• Disruptive behavior when ordinary schedule is interrupted

• Unusual communication habits (from not talking at all to repeating certain phrases)

• Difficulty understanding social interactions

• Possible Challenges:

• Difficulty maintaining attention during lessons

• Difficulty communicating with teachers and peers

• Disruptive behaviors

• Coping with changes in a routine

Neurological

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Per the Massachusetts Department of Education, a “Neurological Disorder” occurs when “the capacity of the nervous system is limited or impaired with difficulties exhibited in one or more of the following areas:

1. the use of memory,

2. the control and use of cognitive functioning,

3. sensory and motor skills,

4. speech,

5. language,

6. organizational skills,

7. information processing,

8. affect,

9. social skills,

10. or basic life functions.

The term includes students who have received a traumatic brain injury.” (The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act has a specific category devoted to “Traumatic Brain Injuries” that would be included in this category in the state of Massachusetts).

A neurological disorder can manifest in a variety of different ways, often impacting one’s physical, academic, social-emotional and behavioral competencies.

Possible Challenges:

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• Learning new material and skills

• Regulating Emotions

• Social interaction

• Maintaining Focus

Developmental Delay

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The Massachusetts Department of Education defines a “Developmental Delay” as a condition where the “learning capacity of a young child (3-9 years old) is significantly limited, impaired, or delayed and is exhibited by difficulties in one or more of the following areas:

1. receptive and/or expressive language

2. cognitive abilities

3. physical functioning

4. social, emotional

5. adaptive functioning

6. self-help skills.”

(The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act’s definition refers to each state having their own qualifications for Developmental Delay.)

Developmental Delays are usually the result of risk factors that are either genetic (inherited from biological parents) or environmental (conditions present in one’).

Possible Challenges:

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• Identifying age appropriate behaviors

• Forging peer relationships

• Communication

• Learning new material