Chapter 3: Categorization of Disability in U.S. Schools

13 Categories of disabilities under IDEA 1.Autism 2.Deaf-Blindness 3.Deafness 4.Emotional disturbance 5.Hearing impairment

13 Categories of disabilities under IDEA 6.Intellectual disability 7.Multiple disabilities 8.Orthopedic disabilities 9.Other health impairment 10.Specific learning disability 11. Speech or language impairment 12.Traumatic brain injury 13.Visual impairment (including blindness)

Infants and toddlers under 3 years of age Under IDEA, infants and toddlers under 3 years of age with disabilities require early intervention services because they are experiencing developmental delays in one or more of the following areas: Cognitive development Physical development Communication development Social or emotional development; and Adaptive development; or

Children aged Under IDEA, states and local educational agencies (LEAs) can use the term “developmental delay” with children 3-9: If they experience developmental delays in one or more of the following areas: Physical development Cognitive development Communication development Social or emotional development; or Adaptive development; and Have a diagnosed physical or mental condition that has a high probability of resulting in developmental delay

Resources for each of the 13 categories There are countless resources for each of the IDEA disability categories; some of most prominent are featured below Autism – Autism SpeaksAutism Speaks Deaf-blindness – National Center on Deaf-BlindnessNational Center on Deaf-Blindness Deafness and hard of hearing – National Association of the DeafNational Association of the Deaf

Resources for each of the 13 categories Emotional disturbance – Council for Children with Behavioral DisordersCouncil for Children with Behavioral Disorders Intellectual disabilities – American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD)American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD) Multiple disabilities – Center for Parent Information and ResourcesCenter for Parent Information and Resources Orthopedic impairments – Project IDEALProject IDEAL Other health impairments – National Association of Special Education TeachersNational Association of Special Education Teachers

Resources for each of the 13 categories Specific learning disability – National Center for Learning DisabilitiesNational Center for Learning Disabilities Speech or language impairment – American Speech-Language-Hearing AssociationAmerican Speech-Language-Hearing Association Traumatic brain injury – Center for Disease Control and PreventionCenter for Disease Control and Prevention Visual impairment – National Federation of the BlindNational Federation of the Blind

“Short-and-Sweet” IEP Overview The Center for Parent Information and Resources provides a convenient resource about IEPs that supplies the following information: The purpose of the IEP Who develops the IEP When the IEP is developed; What an IEP is How students can be involved in the development of their own IEP; and Additional resources