13 Disability Categories Under IDEA
by Brooke Miles
1. Autism Spectrum Disorder
1.1. Developmental Disability with a Wide Range of Symptoms
1.1.1. Generally evident before age 3
1.2. Mainly Affects Social and Communication Skills
1.2.1. Non-verbal communication and social interaction
1.2.2. Repetitive activities and stereotyped movements, resistance to environmental change or change in daily routines, and unusual responses to sensory expreiences.
2. Emotional Disturbance
2.1. Various Mental Health Issues
2.1.1. An inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships
2.1.2. General pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression
2.1.3. Tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or school problems
2.2. Anxiety Disorder
2.3. Schizophrenia
2.4. Bipolar Disorder
2.5. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
2.6. Depression
3. Speech or Language Impairment
3.1. Stuttering
3.2. Trouble Pronouncing Words or Making Sounds with the Voice
3.3. Language Problems that Make it Hard to Understand Words or Express Oneself
4. Deafness
4.1. Inability to Hear Most or All Sounds, Even with a Hearing Aid
5. Deaf-Blindness
5.1. Both Severe Hearing and Vision Loss
6. Intellectual Disability
6.1. Below Average Intellectual Ability
6.2. Poor Communication, Self-Care, and Social Skills
6.3. Down Syndrome
7. Multiple Disabilities
7.1. More Than One Condition Covered by IDEA
8. Specific Learning Disability
8.1. Dyslexia
8.2. Dyscalculia
8.3. Written Expression Disorder
9. Other Health Impairment
9.1. ADHD
10. Visual Impairment
10.1. Eyesight Problems
10.2. Blindness
10.3. Partial Sight
11. Hearing Impairment
11.1. Hearing Loss
11.2. Not Deafness
12. Orthopedic Impairment
12.1. Examples
12.1.1. Cerebral Palsy
12.1.2. Clubfoot
12.1.3. Poliomyelitis
12.1.4. Bone Tuberculosis
12.1.5. Amputation/Missing Member
12.1.6. Fractures or Burns