IDEA's 13 Disabilities

Deafness Ans- a hearing impairment that is so severe that the child is impaired in processing linguistic information through hearing, with or without amplification that adversely affects a child's educational performance. Autism Ans- developmental disability significantly affecting verbal and nonverbal communication and social interaction, generally evident before age three, that adversely affects a child's educational performance. Other characteristics often associated with autism are engagement in repetitive activities and stereotyped movements, resistance to environmental change or change in daily routines, and unusual responses to sensory experiences. Deaf-Blindness Ans- 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. Emotional Disturbance Ans- 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: (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. Hearing Impairment Ans- impairment in hearing, whether permanent or fluctuating, that adversely affects a child's educational performance but that is not included under the definition of deafness in this section. Intellectual Disability Ans- significantly subaverage general intellectual functioning, existing concurrently with deficits in adaptive behavior and manifested during the developmental period, that adversely affects a child's educational performance. Multiple Disabilities Ans- concomitant impairments (such as mental retardation- blindness or mental retardation-orthopedic impairment), the combination of which causes such severe educational needs that they cannot be accommodated in special education programs solely for one of the impairments. Multiple disabilities does not include deaf-blindness. Orthopedic Impairment Ans- a severe impairment that adversely affects a child's educational performance. The term includes impairments caused by a congenital anomaly, impairments caused by disease (e.g., poliomyelitis, bone tuberculosis), and impairments from other causes (e.g., cerebral palsy, amputations, and fractures or burns that cause contractures). Other Health Impaired Ans- 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-- (i) 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, rheumatic fever, sickle cell anemia, and Tourette syndrome; and (ii) Adversely affects a child's educational performance. Specific Learning Disability Ans- 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, including conditions such as perceptual disabilities, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia. (ii) Disorders not included. Does not include learning problems that are primarily the result of visual, hearing, or motor disabilities, of mental retardation, of emotional disturbance, or of environmental, cultural, or economic disadvantage Speech or Language Impairment Ans- a communication disorder, such as stuttering, impaired articulation, a language impairment, or a voice impairment, that adversely affects a child's educational performance. Traumatic Brain Injury Ans- acquired injury to the brain caused by an external physical force, resulting in total or partial functional disability or psychosocial impairment, or both, that adversely affects a child's educational performance. Applies to open or closed head injuries resulting in impairments in one or more areas, such as cognition; language; memory; attention; reasoning; abstract thinking; judgment; problem-solving; sensory, perceptual, and motor abilities; psychosocial behavior; physical functions; information processing; and speech. Does not apply to brain injuries that are congenital or degenerative, or to brain injuries induced by birth trauma. Visual Impairment Ans- an impairment in vision that, even with correction, adversely affects a child's educational performance. The term includes both partial sight and blindness. Accommodations for Other Health Impaired Ans- A.D.D If child: Is unable to keep up during classroom discussions and/or note taking Try: Providing peer assistance in note taking and ask student questions to encourage participation in discussions A.D.H.D If child: Is constantly engaging in attention-getting behavior Try: Ignoring minor inappropriate behavior DIABETES If child: Cannot partake in a lesson using food or candy Try: Finding out if there is anything that he/she can eat (sugarless candy or different treats that can personally motivate them) page 1 2 next » Accommodations for Deafness Ans- Provide Closed Captioning for Visual/Auditory entertainment Captioning or scripts for announcements, television, videos, or movies Provide supplemental materials to reinforce concepts Sign language instruction Accommodations for Emotional Disturbance Ans- If child: Had long pervasive bouts of being sad and has low self-confidence Try: Complimenting positive behavior and work; give student opportunity to act in leadership role Accommodations for Intellectual Disability Ans- If child intellectually functions subaverage in behavior and development Try: Work with fewer items per page or line and/or materials in a larger print size Record a lesson, instead of taking notes Have another student share class notes with him Be given an outline of a lesson Accommodations for Hearing Impairment Ans- Obtain student's attention prior to speaking Reduce auditory distractions (background noise) Use of visual supplements (overheads, chalkboard, charts, vocabulary lists, lecture outlines) Buddy system for notes, extra explanations/directions Accommodations for Autism Ans- Have a set routine for the school day. For younger students, provide a picture schedule. The schedule can be posted for all students to use or a small, desktop version can be created. Some students may do well if tasks are held with Velcro so they can remove them as the task is completed. Provide adequate notice for any change of schedule, except in cases of emergency. Provide lessons by giving a short summary of what will be covered, a detailed explanation and finish with a summary of the lesson. Provide an area of the classroom the student can retreat to in times of high stimulation or when overwhelmed. Identify distractions and take steps to minimize them. For example, if a child is sitting close to the heater, is it making noise that is distracting to the student Speech or Language Impairment (Expressive Language Impairment) Ans- Inability to express one's thought's or needs to others. Speech of Language Impairment (Receptive Language Impairment) Ans- Inability to comprehend what other's say. Accommodations for Visual Impairment Ans- Adjust lighting for alternative source and illumination type (natural, incandescent, halogen, fluorescent) Use large print in communications and documents; also use electronic and braille communications Use large print, braille labels, or tactile dots on equipment, tools, facilities, and documents Provide magnification devices (e.g., magnifying glasses) Modifications for Students with Autism Ans- Let him/her write about his favorite topics. Use semantic maps, diagrams, story webs to help him/her create a clear path for his writing and what information is important. Most students with ASD find any and all facts to be important so have difficulty with main ideas and supporting details. This would be a good area to focus your instruction beginning at a very basic level. Use a template at the beginning to get the student started. This strategy also gives him/her concrete information about what your expectations are for his written work. A Daily Journal template for a 1st grader may look like "Today we _________ at school. I learned about _______. I liked ____________." Orthopedic Impairment (Neuromotor Impairment) Ans- abnormality of, or damage to, the brain, spinal cord, or nervous system that sends impulses to the muscles of the body. These motor problems can include limited limb movement, loss of urinary control, and loss of proper alignment of the spine. The two most common types are cerebral palsy and spina bifida. Orthopedic Impairment (Degenerative Diseases) Ans- various diseases that affect motor development. The most common found in the school population is muscular dystrophy. Muscular dystrophy is a group of inherited diseases characterized by progressive muscle weakness from degeneration of muscle fibers. Orthopedic Impairment (Musculoskeletal Disorders) Ans- various conditions that can result in various levels of physical limitations. Two examples include juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and limb deficiency. Accommodations for Orthopedic Impairment Ans- Special seating arrangements to develop useful posture and movements Instruction focused on development of gross and fine motor skills Securing suitable augmentative communication and other assistive devices Awareness of medical condition and its affect on the student (such as getting tired quickly) Speech recognition software screen reading software augmentative and alternative communication devices (such as communication boards) academic software packages for students with disabilities specialized exercise equipment specialized chairs, desks, and tables for proper posture development Modifications for Visual Impairment Ans- When there is a blind student in the classroom, remember not to use phrases that require sight to understand, like "this and that." However, words and phrases that refer to sight, such as "I'll see you later," are commonly used expressions and usually go unnoticed by visually impaired students. Don't be self-conscious; students with vision loss can still "see" what is meant by such expressions. By using enhanced verbal descriptions in your class, blind students as well as sighted benefit. In making comparisons or analogies, use familiar objects that don't depend on prior visual knowledge. Foods or objects found around the house are useful. Accommodations for Multiple Disabilities Ans- Services and supportive materials depend on the needs of the individual child. Most likely will receive more than one service through special education, para-professionals, speech-language pathologist, occupational therapists and also possible technology support, therapeutic equipment or individualized learning materials. Accommodations for Speech or Language Impairment Ans- Allowing the student time to speak Creating a safe and nonjudgmental environment Extra help/emphasis teaching students listening skills Teaching students how to appropriately speak and communication skills through meaningful contexts Accommodations for Speech or Language Impairment (Expressive Language Impairment) Ans- Modeling and adding to what students say to encourage/expand their language Specific Learning Disabilities (Auditory Processing Disorder) Ans- condition that adversely affects how sound that travels unimpeded through the ear is processed or interpreted by the brain. They can also find it difficult to tell where sounds are coming from, to make sense of the order of sounds, or to block out competing background noises Specific Learning Disabilities (Dyscalculia) Ans- Affects a person's ability to understand numbers and learn math facts. Individuals with this type of Learning Disability may also have poor comprehension of math symbols, may struggle with memorizing and organizing numbers, have difficulty telling time, or have trouble with counting. Specific Learning Disabilities (Dysgraphia) Ans- Affects a person's handwriting ability and fine motor skills. A child might have illegible handwriting, inconsistent spacing, poor spatial planning on paper, poor spelling, and difficulty composing writing as well as thinking and writing at the same time. Accommodations for Specific Learning Disabilities (Auditory Processing Disorder) Ans- Vary pitch and tone of voice, alter pace, stress key words Show rather than explain Ask specific questions as you teach to find out if they do understand Allow them 5-6 seconds to respond ("think time") Have the student constantly verbalize concepts, vocabulary words, and rules. Accommodations for Specific Learning Disabilities (Dyscalculia) Ans- Draw pictures of math word problems Use rhythm and music to teach math facts and to set steps to a beat Use graph paper for children who have trouble organizing problems on regular lined paper Accommodations for Specific Learning Disabilities (Dysgraphia) Ans- Avoid chastising student for sloppy, careless work Use oral exams Allow use of tape recorder for lectures Allow the use of a note taker Provide notes or outlines to reduce the amount of writing required Accommodations for Deaf-Blindness Ans- Those who are hearing and visually disabled: Touch cues brail object symbols they can feel objects to help the maneuver (walking stick) Modifications for Deaf-Blindness Ans- Those who are hearing and visually disabled: work with the individual one on one. You may want to reduce the students assignments and give extra time. If able have your student to respond orally. Special projects Accommodations for Traumatic Brain Injury Ans- Those who have a brain injury: Always allow for extra time on classwork, homework and projects. Also a child with a brain injury may require to have extra or extended breaks during the day. Before class prepare students with notes or a study guide to help the student. You can also give the child both oral and written instruction. Allow your student to have a computer when writing. This may help the student with their spelling and grammar. Modifications for Traumatic Brain Injury Ans- You can make modification for a student with a brain injury by; Minimizing auditory and visual stimulation, provide your student with preferential seating. Allow seating to allow more space between students. Have small group instruction. (big groups may overwhelm a student with a brain injury) Provide where he or she can store their supplies. Also it is very important for the student to have a written schedule. Their schedule has to be as consistent as possible. While grading do not penalize spelling and grammar (if that is not what is being tested)