Categories of Disability in Federal Special Education Law

SPED/525 Version 1

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Categories of Disability in Federal Special Education Law
Research the Federal Special Education categories in IDEA (Individuals with Disability Education Act).
Complete the following chart about the 14 categories of special education. The first row has been filled in
for you as an example. Include a list of references used below the chart.
Federal Disability Term

Alternative Terms (if

applicable)

Brief Description

Learning disability (LD)

Specific learning
disability

A disorder related to processing information that

leads to difficulties in reading, writing, and
computing; the most common disability,
accounting for half of all students receiving
special education.

Other Health
Impairment

Example ADD, ADHD

Asthma, sickle cell
anemia

Having limited strength, vitality, or alertness,

including a heightened sensitivity to
environmental stimuli that results in limited
awareness with respect to educational
environment that negatively affects performance.

Autism

ASD (Autism Spectrum

Disorder) PDD
(Pervasive
Developmental
Disorder)

Developmental disability severely affecting verbal

communication, body language and social
interaction that adversely affects student
education performance. Symptoms can occur at
or before age three.

Deaf- Blindness

Simultaneous auditory and visual disability that

causes severe communication and education
issues that cannot be resolved solely by
education protocol developed for deaf or blind
children.

Deafness

Hearing impairment so severe that student has

issues processing spoken information with or
without auditory assistance device.

Emotional Disturbance

ED, SBH (severe

behavioral handicap)

Hearing impairment

Intellectual Disability

Multiple Disabilities

Prolonged periods of depression, inability to

maintain friendships, irrational periods of fear
toward personal issues or school, inability to
learn that cannot be explained otherwise.
Auditory impairment wither permanent or
fluctuating that negatively affects learning but is
not included under deafness

IDD

Sub-average intellectual functioning manifesting

simultaneously with inadequacies in adaptive
behavior that adversely affects education of the
student
Simultaneous impairments that cause severe
educational implications that cannot be resolved

Copyright 2016 by University of Phoenix. All rights reserved.

Categories of Disability in Federal Special Education Law

SPED/525 Version 1
by special education programs for one of the
impairments
Orthopedic Impairments

Polio, cerebral palsy.

Amputee,

Speech or Language
Impairment
Traumatic Brain Injury

Impairments caused by disease or other health

problems that makes learning less than ideal
Student has trouble speaking or other voice
impairment that affects education

TBI

Injury to the brain, caused by an outside force,

resulting in partial or total functional or
Psychosocial disability. Including difficulties in
memory, language, problem solving and
judgment that negatively affects childs education

Visual impairment

Visual issues that with or without correction

affects education adversely. Includes partial sight
and blindness

Developmental Delay

Defines delays in cognition, social behavior,

emotional behavior, and physical or adaptive
behavior. Delays are defined on the State level

Center for parent information and resources. (2016). Categories of disability

under idea. Retrieved from http://www.parentcenterhub.org/repository/categories/
References:

Copyright 2016 by University of Phoenix. All rights reserved.