EXCEPTIONALITIES
Students may be identified under the following categories and definitions:
1. Behavior
. Emotionally Handicapped
2. Communication
• Learning Disabled
• Autistic
• Language Impairment/Delay
• Speech Impairment/Delay
• Hearing Impaired
3. Intellectual
• Gifted
• Mild Intellectual Disability
• Developmental Delay
4. Physical
• Visually Impaired
• Physical Disability
5. Multiple Exceptional with more than one specific exceptionality
Students are usually identified according to the primary need. Occasionally, a student meets the criteria for identification for more than one exceptionality. In such cases both exceptionalities are identified. Students identified under any single category of exceptionality may require placement in more than one special education program.
Autistic
A student who has autism is someone who has a disability reflected in severe disorders of communication, behavior socialization, and academic skills and whose disability was evident in the early developmental stages of childhood.
Developmentally Delayed
A student who has a developmental delay is someone who is between 3 and 5 years of age and has a significant delay in one or more of the following areas: adaptive, cognitive, communication, social/emotional, or physical.
Dual Sensory Impaired
A student who has a dual sensory impairment is someone who has both vision and hearing loss, the combination of which causes a serious impairment in the abilities to acquire information, communicate, or function within the environment or who has a degenerative condition which will lead to such an impairment.
Emotionally Handicapped
A student who has an emotional handicap is someone who has a condition resulting in persistent and consistent maladaptive behavior, which exists to a marked degree, which interferes with the student's learning process and which may include an inability to achieve adequate academic progress, build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships with peers and teachers, inappropriate behavior under normal circumstances, general mood of unhappiness or a tendency to develop physical symptoms associated with personal or school problems.
Hearing Impaired
A student who has a hearing loss that interferes with processing linguistic information and which adversely affects communication, developmental skills, academic achievement, vocational-career skills or social-emotional adjustment.
Mentally Handicapped
A student who has a mental handicap is someone who is significantly delayed in intellectual and adaptive behavior with development reflecting a reduced rate of learning.
Orthopedically Impaired
A student who has an orthopedic impairment is someone who has a severe skeletal, muscular, or neuromuscular impairment which adversely affects educational performance.
Other Health Impaired
A student who has an other health impairment is someone who has limited strength, vitality or alertness due to chronic or acute health problems which adversely affects educational performance.
Speech and Language Impaired
A student who has a speech or language impairment is someone who has a delay in language, articulation, fluency or voice which interferes with communication, pre-academic learning, vocational training or social adjustment.
Traumatic Brain Injured
A student who has a traumatic brain injury is someone who has 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 educational performance.
Visually Impaired
A student who has a visual impairment is someone who has loss of vision that interferes with learning, even with correction and treatment.
1. Behavior
. Emotionally Handicapped
2. Communication
• Learning Disabled
• Autistic
• Language Impairment/Delay
• Speech Impairment/Delay
• Hearing Impaired
3. Intellectual
• Gifted
• Mild Intellectual Disability
• Developmental Delay
4. Physical
• Visually Impaired
• Physical Disability
5. Multiple Exceptional with more than one specific exceptionality
Students are usually identified according to the primary need. Occasionally, a student meets the criteria for identification for more than one exceptionality. In such cases both exceptionalities are identified. Students identified under any single category of exceptionality may require placement in more than one special education program.
Autistic
A student who has autism is someone who has a disability reflected in severe disorders of communication, behavior socialization, and academic skills and whose disability was evident in the early developmental stages of childhood.
Developmentally Delayed
A student who has a developmental delay is someone who is between 3 and 5 years of age and has a significant delay in one or more of the following areas: adaptive, cognitive, communication, social/emotional, or physical.
Dual Sensory Impaired
A student who has a dual sensory impairment is someone who has both vision and hearing loss, the combination of which causes a serious impairment in the abilities to acquire information, communicate, or function within the environment or who has a degenerative condition which will lead to such an impairment.
Emotionally Handicapped
A student who has an emotional handicap is someone who has a condition resulting in persistent and consistent maladaptive behavior, which exists to a marked degree, which interferes with the student's learning process and which may include an inability to achieve adequate academic progress, build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships with peers and teachers, inappropriate behavior under normal circumstances, general mood of unhappiness or a tendency to develop physical symptoms associated with personal or school problems.
Hearing Impaired
A student who has a hearing loss that interferes with processing linguistic information and which adversely affects communication, developmental skills, academic achievement, vocational-career skills or social-emotional adjustment.
Mentally Handicapped
A student who has a mental handicap is someone who is significantly delayed in intellectual and adaptive behavior with development reflecting a reduced rate of learning.
Orthopedically Impaired
A student who has an orthopedic impairment is someone who has a severe skeletal, muscular, or neuromuscular impairment which adversely affects educational performance.
Other Health Impaired
A student who has an other health impairment is someone who has limited strength, vitality or alertness due to chronic or acute health problems which adversely affects educational performance.
Speech and Language Impaired
A student who has a speech or language impairment is someone who has a delay in language, articulation, fluency or voice which interferes with communication, pre-academic learning, vocational training or social adjustment.
Traumatic Brain Injured
A student who has a traumatic brain injury is someone who has 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 educational performance.
Visually Impaired
A student who has a visual impairment is someone who has loss of vision that interferes with learning, even with correction and treatment.
