New Fairfield Public School District

Disability Categories

Autism and autism spectrum disorders refers to a student identified by the Planning and Placement Team that has a developmental disability significantly affecting verbal and nonverbal communication and social interaction, generally evident before age three, that adversely affects educational performance. Characteristics of autism include -- irregularities and impairments in communication, engagement in repetitive activities and stereotyped movements, resistance to environmental change or change in daily routines, and unusual responses to sensory experiences.

Deaf-Blind refers to a student identified with concomitant hearing and visual impairments, the combination of which causes such severe communication and other developmental and educational programs that they cannot be accommodated in special education programs solely for learners who are deaf or blind.

Gifted and Talented refers to a student identified by the Planning and Placement Team as (1) possessing demonstrated or potential abilities that give evidence of capability, and (2) needing differentiated instruction or services beyond those being provided in the regular school program in order to realize their intellectual, creative or specific academic potential. The term shall include children with extraordinary learning ability and children with outstanding talent in the creative arts as defined by these regulations.

Hearing Impairment refers to a student with a measurable hearing impairment which, with or without amplification, impairs linguistic processing and adversely affects educational performance. The term shall include both hard of hearing and deaf children.

Specific Learning Disability Section 614 (b) (6) (A) IDEIA (04): “When determining whether a child has a specific learning disability, a LEA shall not be required to take into consideration whether a child has severe discrepancy between achievement and intellectual ability in oral expression, listening comprehension, written expression, basic reading skills, reading comprehension, math material calculation, or mathmatical reasoning,”

Section 614 (b) (6) (B) “In determining whether a child has a specific learning disability, a LEA may use a process which determines if the child responds to scientific research based intervention as part of the evaluation procedures” to determine eligibility.

Intellectual Disability refers to a student with significant limitations both in intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior as expressed in conceptual, social and practical adaptive skills.

Multiple Disabilities means a child with a combination of identifiable handicaps.

Orthopedic Impairment refers to a student with a severe orthopedic impairment which adversely affects the child's educational performance. The term includes impairments caused by congenital anomaly, impairments caused by disease, and impairments from other causes, but does not include a temporary condition.

Other Health Impairment refers to a student having limited strength, vitality or alertness, due to chronic or acute health problems such as a heart condition, tuberculosis, rheumatic fever, nephritis, asthma, sickle cell anemia, hemophilia, epilepsy, lead poisoning, leukemia, or diabetes, which adversely affects the learner's performance.

Attention deficit (Hyperactivity Disorder)

Pregnancy shall be deemed a condition which grants eligibility for special education and related services.

Severely Emotionally Disturbance refers to a student with a psychological condition manifesting in one or more of the following characteristics over a long period of time and to a marked degree that adversely affects educational performance:

a. An inability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory or health factors;

b. An inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships with peers and teachers;

c. Inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal circumstances;

d. A general pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression; or

e. A tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or school problems.

Speech and/or Language Impairment refers to a student with a communication disorder which adversely affects the child's educational performance. Impaired speech is characterized by fluency or voice or articulation impairment. Impaired language is characterized by difficulties in processing language at the level of phonology, morphology, syntax and semantics both in encoding and decoding tasks, which difficulties affect the spoken, read and/or written forms of language.

Traumatic Brain Injury a student having 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.

Visual Impairment refers to a student having measurable visual impairment, which even after correction, continues to adversely affect the child's educational performance. The term shall include both partially seeing and blind children.