under IDEA, how are students with disabilities classified and what are the federal governments 13 disability classifications outlined in IDEA

Answer 1

Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), students with disabilities are classified into 13 categories. Each category helps determine eligibility for special education services. The federal government has outlined these classifications to ensure that students receive the appropriate support based on their specific needs. Here are the 13 disability categories under IDEA:

1. Autism: A developmental disability significantly affecting verbal and nonverbal communication and social interaction, generally evident before age 3.

2. Deaf-Blindness: A combination of hearing and visual impairments that significantly affects the individual's ability to communicate, gain information, and develop social relationships.

3. Developmental Delay: A condition in children aged 3 to 9 that signifies delays in one or more areas of development (cognitive, physical, communication, social/emotional, or adaptive).

4. Emotional Disturbance: A condition exhibiting one or more of the following characteristics over a long period: inability to learn not attributed to other factors, inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships, inappropriate types of behavior or feelings, general pervasive mood of unhappiness, or physical symptoms or fears associated with personal/school problems.

5. Hearing Impairment: A range of loss, from mild to profound, which affects a child's capacity to process linguistic information through hearing.

6. Intellectual Disability: Significantly below-average general intellectual functioning that adversely affects educational performance, along with other limitations in adaptive functioning.

7. Multiple Disabilities: A combination of disabilities that results in needs that cannot be addressed in special education programs designed for one disability.

8. Orthopedic Impairment: A severe orthopedic impairment that adversely affects a child's educational performance, which may be caused by congenital anomalies, disease, or other causes.

9. Other Health Impairment: Disabilities caused by various medical conditions (e.g., ADHD, epilepsy) that result in limited strength, vitality, or alertness, affecting a child’s educational performance.

10. Specific Learning Disability: A disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or using language, which can affect reading, writing, arithmetic, or mathematical reasoning.

11. Speech or Language Impairment: A communication disorder, such as stuttering or problems with articulation, which adversely affects a child’s educational performance.

12. Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI): An acquired injury to the brain caused by an external physical force that results in total or partial functional disability or psychological impairment.

13. Visual Impairment, including Blindness: A vision impairment that, even with correction, adversely affects a child’s educational performance.

These classifications are used to help develop individualized education programs (IEPs) tailored to meet the unique educational needs of students with disabilities. It is important for educators and specialists to understand and correctly identify the specific category or categories that apply to each student to ensure they receive the appropriate services and supports.