Lesson 10: Adapting Learning for Young Children with Special Needs (Part 2)

Attention

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Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this lesson's material, students will be able

Discuss the thirteen categories of disability under IDEA
Develop adaptations, interventions and instructional strategies for various diagnoses.

Teaching

Every year, under the federal law known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), millions of children with disabilities receive special services designed to meet their unique needs. Early intervention services are provided through the state to infants and toddlers with disabilities under three years of age and their families. For school-aged children and youth (ages 3—21), special education and related services are provided through the school system. These services can be very important in helping children and youth with disabilities develop, learn, and succeed in school and other settings.

Who is Eligible for Services?

Under IDEA, states are responsible for meeting the special needs of eligible children with disabilities. To find out if a child is eligible for services, he or she must first receive a full and individual initial evaluation. This evaluation is free. Two purposes of the evaluation are:

to see if the child has a disability, as defined by IDEA; and
to learn in more detail what special education and related services he or she needs.

Infants and Toddlers, Under Three Years of Age Under IDEA, "infants and toddlers with disabilities" are defined as individuals under three years of age who need early intervention services because they are experiencing developmental delays, as measured by appropriate diagnostic instruments and procedures, in one or more of the following areas:

cognitive development
physical development
development
social or emotional development
adaptive development
or have a diagnosed physical or mental condition that has a high probability of resulting in developmental delay.

The term, developmental delay, may also include, if a state chooses, children under three years of age who would be at risk of experiencing a substantial developmental delay if early intervention services were not provided. Categories of Disability Under IDEA Children and Youth Aged 3–21 IDEA lists 13 different disability categories under which 3- through 21-year-olds may be eligible for services.

The disability categories listed in IDEA are:

autism
deaf-blindness
deafness
emotional disturbance
hearing impairment
intellectual disability
multiple disabilities
orthopedic impairment
other health impairment
specific learning disability
speech or language impairment
traumatic brain injury
visual impairment (including blindness)

IDEA further defines each of these disability terms. Under IDEA, a child may not be identified as a "child with a disability" primarily because he or she speaks a language other than English and does not speak or understand English well. A child may also not be identified as having a disability just because he or she has not had enough appropriate instruction in math or reading.

13 Disability Categories Definitions

Autism means 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. Other characteristics often associated with autism are engaging in repetitive activities and stereotyped movements, resistance to environmental change or change in daily routines, and unusual responses to sensory experiences. The term autism does not apply if the child's educational performance is adversely affected primarily because the child has an emotional disturbance, as defined in #4 below. A child who shows the characteristics of autism after age 3 could be diagnosed as having autism if the criteria above are satisfied.
Deaf-Blindness means concomitant [simultaneous] 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.
Deafness means a hearing impairment so severe that a child is impaired in processing linguistic information through hearing, with or without amplification, which adversely affects a child's educational performance.
Emotional Disturbance means 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:

An inability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, or health factors.
inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships with peers and teachers.
Inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal circumstances.
A general pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression.
A tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or school problems.

Hearing Impairment means impairment in hearing, whether permanent or fluctuating, that adversely affects a child's educational performance but is not included under the definition of "deafness."
Intellectual Disability means 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.
Multiple Disabilities means concomitant [simultaneous] impairments (such as intellectual disability-blindness, intellectual disability-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. The term does not include deaf-blindness.
Orthopedic Impairment means a severe orthopedic 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 Impairment means 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—
- 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;
- adversely affects a child's educational performance.
Specific Learning Disability means 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. The term includes such conditions as perceptual disabilities, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia. The term does not include learning problems that are primarily the result of visual, hearing, or motor disabilities; of intellectual disability; of emotional disturbance; or of environmental, cultural, or economic disadvantage.
Speech and Language Impairment means 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 means an 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. The term 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. The term does not apply to brain injuries that are congenital or degenerative, or to brain injuries The term does not apply to brain injuries that are congenital or degenerative, or to brain injuries induced by birth trauma.
Visual Impairment Including Blindness means an impairment in vision that, even with correction, adversely affects a child's educational performance. The term includes both partial sight and blindness.

More About Disabilities

IDEA's definitions of disability terms— combined with comprehensive assessment information on the child—help states, schools, service providers, and parents decide if the child is eligible for early intervention or special education and related services. Beyond these definitions, there is a great deal of information available about specific disabilities, including disabilities not listed in IDEA.

More About Services

Special services are available to eligible children with disabilities and can help children develop and learn. For infants and toddlers under the age of three, early intervention services may be provided through state systems such as the state's health department or education department. If you are a parent and would like to find out more about early intervention in your state, including how to have your child evaluated at no cost to you, try any of these suggestions:

Ask your child's pediatrician to put you in touch with the early intervention system in your community or region;
Contact the pediatrics branch in a local hospital and ask where you should call to find out about early intervention services in your area;
Visit NICHCY's website, where you can identify the contact information for early intervention in your state on our State Resource Sheets, under "State Agencies." The state office will refer you to the contact person or agency in your area.

Considering the Meaning of "Adversely Affects"

You may have noticed that the phrase "adversely affects educational performance" appears in most of the disability definitions. This does not mean, however, that a child has to be failing in school to receive special education and related services. According to IDEA, states must make a free appropriate public education available to "any individual child with a disability who needs special education and related services, even if the child has not failed or been retained in a course or grade, and is advancing from grade to grade." [§300.101(c)(1)]

For children and youth ages 3—21, special education and related services are provided through the public school system. One way to find out about these services is to call your local public school. The school should be able to tell you about special education policies in your area or refer you to a district or county office for this information. If you are a parent who thinks your child may need special education and related services, be sure to ask how to have your child evaluated under IDEA for eligibility. Often there are materials available on local and state policies for special education and related services. There is a lot to know about early intervention, about special education and related services, and about the rights of children with disabilities under IDEA, our nation's special education law.

For more information, visit the following Websites:

parentcenterhub.org/nichcy-resources/
parentcenterhub.org/wp-content/uploads/repo_items/gr3.pdf
education.com/reference/article/IDEA-disabilities-categories/

Assessment

Lesson 10 Assignment

Using the Adaptations, Interventions, Instructional Strategies Worksheet (MS Word), describe which adaptations, interventions and instructional strategies you would use when working with a child with the diagnosis listed in the first column.

Lesson 10 Discussion

Please discuss the significance of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act for children with disabilities in a current educational setting. In your discussion post, write about a fictitious child using one of the thirteen approved diagnosis.