Transcript Slide 1

Definitions of
Disability
Spirit Lake Consulting, Inc.
Fort Totten, ND
DEFINITIONS OF DISABILITY
The answer to “What is a disability?” varies by agency and even
from year to year. A few years ago, there were eight categories of
disability that qualified a student for special education services
under federal law. Now there are thirteen categories.
A person with a developmental disability is entitled to a much wider
array of services than students in special education without
developmental disabilities. You might think “developmental
disabilities” is one of those thirteen categories just mentioned but it isn’t!
Confused? Here is your introduction to definitions of disability, in 20
slides or less.
DEFINITIONS OF DISABILITY
Not everyone or every agency agrees on the definition of disability;
therefore, you may find that your client is eligible for services at one
agency and not others. For children three years of age and older,
federal law identifies thirteen types of disabilities to include:
 Mental retardation
 Specific learning disabilities
 Serious emotional disturbance
 Hearing impairment
 Deafness
 Visual impairment
 Deaf-blindness
 Autism
 Orthopedic impairment
 Speech or language impairment
 Traumatic brain injury
 Multiple disabilities
 Other health impairments
Mental Retardation
Specific Learning
Disabilities
Serious Emotional
Disturbance
DEFINITIONS OF DISABILITY
Hearing Impairment
Deafness
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This number has increased from what was once eight categories.
The changes allow for better classification and providing better
treatment for disabilities that might not be best served under the
old label. General information for all of the above mentioned
disabilities are provided to the links on the right of the screen.
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There are also two other categories under which developmental
issues might fall and those are developmental delays and
developmental disabilities. Those are included in this presentation,
but are not part of the 13 categories set forth by special education
departments in the schools. Those two extra categories will be
addressed at the end of this presentation.
Visual Impairment
Deaf-Blindness
Autism
Orthopedic Impairment
Speech or Language
Impairment
Traumatic Brain Injury
Multiple Disabilites
Other Health
Impairments
MENTAL RETARDATION
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Definition: Mental Retardation is a condition where a person has trouble learning, absorbing, and
practicing everyday skills.
Causes: 1. Genetics where the baby was born with mental retardation, and short of having a
different mother or father, there is nothing that could have been done; 2. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
(FAS) where the mother used alcohol during pregnancy, which makes this a preventable form of
retardation; 3. Birth complications where the child experienced anoxia (no oxygen) or hypoxia (not
enough oxygen) during birth, which resulted in mental retardation, cerebral palsy, or perhaps
epilepsy; 4. Trauma to the head where damage occurred or severe illness such as meningitis may
also cause mental retardation.
Life Skills: Mental retardation cannot be cured; however, in a nurturing, patient environment,
children and adults can often learn important skills such as toileting, reading, and speaking. There
are different levels of severity in retardation; however, some people are able to have more
independence than others. Most have difficulty communicating, which can be disturbing to their
confidence and well-being.
Resources: There are programs and information that assist mentally retarded people with living a
fulfilling life. For example, schools are required to develop individual education plans (IEPs) for
children. Family, friends, and teachers can also teach social rules and self-care (dressing, teeth
brushing) through the use of educational games.
SPECIFIC LEARNING DISABILITIES
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Definition: Learning disability is defined by law as "an imperfect ability to read, write, speak, or perform
mathematical calculations, which is not due to physical, sensory or emotional impairment, mental retardation or
socio-cultural disadvantage."
Causes: A learning disability is not, by any means, a measure of a person’s intelligence. In fact, if you read the
legal definition above, it specifically states that children with mental retardation are not included in this category.
However, students with learning disabilities experience certain obstacles that do not allow them to be educated in
the usual way. The most well-known type of learning disability is probably dyslexia. Dyslexia is a difficulty
processing letters, numbers and other symbols. The most familiar characteristic of dyslexia is letter reversal,
writing or reading "d" for "b", for example, or "p" for "q".
Life Skills: Programs for achieving basic academic and social skills, vocational training, two-year degrees, four
year degrees, and graduate programs are available in most states; however, most of these programs are available
only within educational institutions. (Learning Disabilities Association of America, 2005).
Resources: Because learning disabilities are primarily diagnosed in educational environments, they are the best
resource for local, state, and national resources.
SERIOUS EMOTIONAL DISTURBANCE
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Definition: These are behavior disorders or mental illnesses that persist over a long period of time and affect
educational performance. This includes ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder), depression, bipolar
disorder, conduct disorders and eating disorders to name a few.
Causes: Genetics, environment and a combination of the two can all contribute to these disorders. Behavior
disorders may be inherited through one's genes, due to a chemical imbalance in the brain or occur as a result of
brain injury. The person’s surroundings can also come into play. If the youth has been exposed to abuse, extreme
stress, a death or loss in the family, and/or violence, he/she is more likely to develop these disorders.
Life Skills: In some cases, medication can be used to treat the disorder. In all cases, people with disabilities and
their families can be helped by an understanding of the disorder and through families/communities working
together to support the person. Teaching students how to overcome these disturbances is a time-consuming process,
but often in conjunction with medication, it is possible.
Resources: In deciding if a student has a disorder that would fall into this category, medical and psychological
evaluations should take place. A physician/pediatrician should almost always be consulted in these cases as should
a therapist, psychologist or psychiatrist. Teachers and schools should accommodate students with these
disturbances by providing a specialized education plan.
HEARING IMPAIRMENT
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Definition: This is one of the categories that has most changed under the new classification. Once
encompassing all levels of hearing loss, it is broken up into three areas. The first, hearing
impairment, is a group in which there is an impairment in hearing that affects a child's educational
performance but that is not included under the definition of deafness, which is a hearing impairment
that is so severe that the child is impaired in understanding speech.
Causes: The most common cause of hearing loss in children is an infection of the middle ear called
otitis media. Another large group of children acquired their hearing loss due to factors such as noise,
drugs and toxins. Some acquired hearing loss may be a result of heredity.
Life Skills: According to Moss (2005), you should observe the way the individual uses their hearing
and assist them in building their listening skills through encouragement and rewards. In some cases,
adaptive hearing devices can help a student with hearing impairment, but even students with these
devices cannot necessarily hear at the same level as a student without a hearing impairment. Every
effort should be made to ensure a positive and meaningful experience for the person. When
necessary, an interpreter should be provided. Integrating sign language into the curriculum can also
improve the learning experience.
Resources: Each state defines the degree of hearing loss which determines a student's eligibility for
special education services. Hard of hearing is defined as a hearing loss of 35-60 decibel in the better
ear. In addition, to be eligible for special education services, the hearing loss must affect the
student's educational performance.
DEAFNESS
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Definition: Deafness is now a category of its own and defines a hearing impairment that is so severe that the child
is impaired in understanding speech.
Causes: The most common cause of hearing loss in children is an infection of the middle ear called otitis media.
Another large group of children acquired their hearing loss due to factors such as noise, drugs and toxins. Some
acquired hearing loss may be a result of heredity.
Life Skills: According to Moss (2005), you should observe the way the individual uses their hearing and assist
them in building their listening skills through encouragement and rewards. Every effort should be made to ensure a
positive and meaningful experience for the person. Communication is a major issue among students with deafness.
An interpreter should be provided and integrating sign language into the curriculum can also improve the learning
experience.
Resources: Each state defines the degree of hearing loss which determines a student's eligibility for special
education services. Deafness is usually defined as a hearing loss of 70 decibels or greater in the better ear. In
addition, to be eligible for special education services, the hearing loss must affect the student's educational
performance.
VISUAL IMPAIRMENT
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Definition: The terms partially sighted, low vision, legally blind, and totally blind are used in the schools to
describe students with visual impairments. They are defined as: 1. "Partially sighted" indicates some type of visual
problem has resulted in a need for special education; 2. "Low vision" generally refers to a severe visual
impairment, not necessarily limited to distance vision. Low vision applies to all individuals with sight who are
unable to read the newspaper at a normal viewing distance, even with the aid of eyeglasses or contact lenses; 3.
"Legally blind" means that a person has less than 20/200 vision in the better eye or a very limited field of vision
(20 degrees at its widest point); and 4. Totally blind students learn via braille or other non-visual media.
Causes: Congenital blindness may be hereditary or be the result of infection at birth; however, other diseases may
also result in blindness such as: amblyopia; diabetic retinopathy; glaucoma; macular degeneration; and trachoma
(Teens Health, 2004).
Life Skills: Emphasis on basic skills such as eating, bathing, and dressing is given for the visually impaired.
Because a huge majority of the learning process comes through sight, recognized learning strategies should be
employed (Lichman, 2002).
Resources: Assessment is the first step to accessing resources for the individual. The severity of visual
impairment must first be realized before the type of resources can be determined.
DEAF-BLINDNESS
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Definition: This was previously grouped with hearing impairments and deafness, but should stand
on its own. Deaf-blindness means a combination of hearing and visual impairments 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.
Causes: Illness, accident or genetics can result in deaf-blindness. Hereditary causes can include
Usher Syndrome and Down Syndrome. Other causes are issues that result from problems associated
with premature birth, rubella and meningitis.
Life Skills: Persons with deaf-blindness can become isolated from the world around them if not
worked with properly. Establishing a method of communication is key and several such methods
exist. Teaching individuals how to be self-sufficient as much as possible such as getting dressed,
getting around the home, etc.
Resources: As stated above, deaf-blind individuals need to be accommodated in special education
programs or with special education services that are specifically target toward deaf-blindness. State
and local resources will include schools, special education professionals and medical professionals.
AUTISM
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Definition: This category includes people with all levels of pervasive development disorder – the most known of
which being autism. This is one type of PDD. Asperger’s Syndrome, Rett’s Syndrome and Childhood
Disintegrative Disorder are also classified under PDD. All of these disorders have in common deficits in social
interaction and communication. Often, people with these disorders show very little interest in other people. They
have a limited number of interests, that tend to be very repetitive.
Causes: Although the number of children diagnosed with autism has risen dramatically in the last 30 years, no one
knows what causes autism. A number of the theories abound, but none have been proven to date.
Life Skills: Autistic individuals in many cases have average or above average intelligence, however, their autism
can keep them from achieving many goals. Because the two main facets of autism are issues with social interaction
and communication, these are areas that need to be worked on to help people with this disorder to function in
everyday society.
Resources: Special education professionals, medical professionals and those who work in the psychological and
psychiatric fields can be resources as far as information when it comes to autism. Local, state and national
organizations can offer both information and support services as well.
ORTHOPEDIC IMPAIRMENT
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Definition: According to the ADA (2005), an individual with a disability is a person who: 1. has a physical or
mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities; 2. has a record of such an impairment;
or 3. is regarded as having such an impairment. These conditions can be related to any physiological disorder or
condition, cosmetic disfigurement, or anatomical loss affecting one or more body systems such as neurological or
muscoskeletal.
Causes: Causes for physical disabilities range from birth defects such as cerebral palsy or spina bifida to
impairment resulting from degenerative or progressive diseases such as muscular dystrophy.
Life Skills: Regardless of the physical disability, life skills should focus on assisting the individual with gaining
the skills to increase their quality of life and independence. Skills should be broad, problem solving, age
appropriate, and useful to the learner (Information Center on Disabilities & Gifted Education, 2005).
Resources: Physical disabilities affect motion and motor skills that we depend on every day of our lives.
Depending on the disability and the age of the disabled person, most states have resources available through
elementary, high school, colleges, and employment offices.
SPEECH OR LANGUAGE IMPAIRMENT
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Definition: Communication or language disorders are disorders that affect communication and/or oral functioning
that affects speech. These range from sound substitution or inability to produce certain sounds to the inability to
understand language or produce speech that can be understood. The two types of speech disorders are: 1.
Articulation disorder is when a child has a problem making the sounds necessary for speech such as stuttering or a
lisp; 2. A phonological disorder is when a child has trouble with her actual voice when trying to make sounds.
Causes: There are a variety of causes for speech and language disorders such as hearing loss, autism, cerebral
palsy, neurological disorders, brain injury and mental retardation. Physical problems such as cleft palate or lip
(where the lip is split) may also occur. A language disorder is when a person cannot understand and/or
communicate with other people because of some type of problem in the brain. Children with language disorders
may have trouble with matching a word with its meaning, creating sentences, or comprehending what someone is
saying.
Life Skills: Speech-language pathologists work directly with the child, family and teacher to improve a child’s
speech. She can develop a therapy plan for a child that may involve exercises to work on certain sounds. She can
talk to the student’s teacher about ways to help the child communicate in the classroom. There are also products on
the market, such as computers with a speech function, that students may be able to use to communicate better.
Resources: Language disorders tend to be complex because they often involve cognitive problems, or problems
with the brain. Because the early years of a child’s life are when language skills are developing, it is important that
these disorders be caught as early as possible in order to begin treatment and work on overcoming or dealing with
the disorder. Speech therapists can be valuable depending on the impairment.
TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY
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Definition: Brain injury is the most common cause of death and disability in children. A person with a mild
traumatic brain injury may lose consciousness or memory at the time of the accident. They may look all right on
the outside but have lasting changes in their personality or thinking. Other times, the effects can be even more
serious causing mental retardation, learning disabilities, loss of vision or speech, inability to remember new things
and number of other complications.
Causes: Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) usually occurs in an accident. During an accident, the brain literally bounces
back and forth inside the skull, often hitting in both the front and the back of the brain. Brain injury can also occur
due to hypoxia (not enough oxygen) or anoxia (no oxygen). This occurs in drowning, suffocation and sometimes
due to problems at birth.
Life Skills: Some people who suffer from a traumatic brain injury recover. In other cases, the damage can be
permanent. A doctor can consult with the patient’s family regarding that issue. It is important to know that healing
from a brain injury takes a long time. People recovering from a TBI get tired more easily than they did before. An
individual with TBI and those around them often have difficulty with the fact that someone who looks the same,
walks the same as always is now different. If needed, counseling should be sought In addition to the patient will
likely need assistance with his/her daily life – making the necessary adjustments to aid in living. These adjustments
will vary depending on the severity of the injury.
Resources: There are a number of local and state resources. The main place to go for information on TBI would
generally be a physician, ideally one that specialize in neuroscience, or in basic English, the brain. Schools must
provide services for individuals with TBI.
MULTIPLE DISABILITIES
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Definition: A combination of disabilities, such as mental retardation and orthopedic impairment, that cannot be
served in programs for either individual disability alone.
Causes: Obviously, the causes can vary greatly. Sometimes they may be the result of the same things- such as a
genetic issue, illness, or accident, other times, they may be unrelated.
Life Skills: Once assessments have been completed to determine the capabilities of the individual, life skills
should set realistic goals that will assist the disabled in having success and increased confidence in their
capabilities.
Resources: Any resources in addition to standard state, local and national agencies and local special education
professionals will likely vary depending on disabilities.
OTHER HEALTH IMPAIRMENTS
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Definition: Other health impairments cover a variety of diseases and disorders focused on a special education
category that refers to people who have limited strength, energy or alertness that affects their ability to learn in a
normal classroom.
Causes: Some of these disorders are present at birth, such as sickle cell anemia, asthma, hemophilia or epilepsy.
Other impairments are caused by acquired conditions such as lead poisoning, rheumatic fever, HIV, or cancer. Less
than .5% of students are diagnosed with other health impairments.
Life Skills: Once assessments have been completed to determine the capabilities of the individual, life skills
should set realistic goals that will assist the disabled in having success and increased confidence in their
capabilities.
Resources: In deciding if a student has a health impairment, a series of steps should be taken. A medical exam
needs to be made taking into account a student’s medical history. Then the school needs to decide if a student is
able to receive special education services by giving intelligence, achievement, behavior and other assessment tests
as well as reviewing medical, as well as other background information. Depending on the result of these tests, the
school will decide if the child is able to receive special education services. If the school decides they are not able to
receive these services, it is still possible for students to receive services under the Rehabilitation Act.
DEVELOPMENTAL DELAY
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Definition: The term developmental delay means that the children are just a bit behind their peers. Special services
are granted to these young children in the hopes that services will be needed only for a short time instead of for
their entire school experience as may be seen with the aforementioned disabilities.
Causes: According to University of Michigan Health Systems (2005), developmental delay can have many
different causes, such as genetic causes (like Down syndrome), or complications of pregnancy and birth (like
premature birth or infections)… Some causes can be easily reversed if caught early enough, such as hearing loss
from chronic ear infections or lead poisoning.
Life Skills: Deciding who needs special services and how they are going to get them has always been an issue. The
question is how can we be fair and equal to children requiring special needs? If they are identified too early they
may be labeled incorrectly and then only perform at the level that is expected, which could lead to otherwise
“average” children being taught at a slower rate simply because they hadn’t developed as quickly as others. On the
other hand, if we wait too long to decide who needs services, those children may be set back further because they
needed help way before it was given.
Resources: The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 1975 mandated states to provide all
disabled or special needs children with a fair education. The goal was, and still is, to be sure that special needs
children anywhere in the US would get the same education and services because they would be tested the same
way and labeled the same way. Depending on your state’s definition, children as young as 3 and as old as 9 can
still be classified as having a developmental delay. Even though some of the practices, rules, and labels vary by
state the spirit of the law remains the same: help children with disabilities get what they need.
DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITY
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Definition: A developmental disability is a SEVERE mental or physical disability that occurs BEFORE age 22 and
causes problems with major life activities such as speaking, moving, taking care of oneself and living
independently.
Causes: Causes of developmental disability vary, but are more likely a result of experiences previously mentioned
disabilities such as mental retardation, autism, or cerebral palsy; however, not everyone who has a disability has a
developmental disability. The distinction is important because some services are only available to people with
developmental disabilities.
Life Skills: People with disabilities are expected to need some type of help with daily living for their whole lives.
Assessments are needed to determine the individual’s capabilities and the setting of realistic goals.
Resources: The majority of people experiencing developmental disabilities require a combination of types of
services, such as speech therapy, special education and counseling. These services will be needed over a long
period of time and must be planned for the individual. When this definition is applied to babies and young children
from birth to age 5, they have many developmental delays with a large probability of disability if services are not
given at this age.