Disability Comparison Template: IDEA Disability Categories

Disability Comparison Template
Part 1
For this section of the template, focus on gathering details about the IDEA disability categories. Review the textbook and the topic study materials and use them to complete the chart. Note that "Autism" has been completed for you as an example.
Disability Category

Definition

Characteristics

Causes

Prevalence

Potential Effect on Learning

Autism

Autism is a developmental disability that affects communication (verbal and nonverbal) and social skills.

-Difficulty communicating and interpreting motives and cues of others
-Not comfortable with change
-Poor social skills
-May engage in the same activity repeatedly (SARRC, n.d.)

The causes of autism are unclear but have something to do with brain development before birth.

Autism is one of the fastest-growing disabilities. Prevalence has changed to 1 in 68 children in the U.S. (Autism Society, 2016, para. 2)

Difficulty with written expression. Reading comprehension, math problem solving, and fine and gross motor skills may also be affected, over and under selective attention

Deaf-Blind

Deaf blindness is a multi-sensory impairment that combines sight and hearing loss. It affects an individual's ability to interpret information and communicate.

-Difficulty in engaging and following a conversation.
-The need to turn up the volume of devices
-Inability to hear a call to action such as a knock on the door.
-Requiring others to speak slowly or loudly.
-Reading with books or newspapers close to the face.
-Sitting close to a television.

Age can lead to the deterioration of hearing ability and eyesight. However, in children, it can be brought upon by genetic conditions such as Usher syndrome.
Cerebral paralysis and infection in the womb are some of the causes.

In the U.S., approximately 10,000 children and youth have been diagnosed with deaf-blindness.

Children can be detached from the world depending on the severity of the disease. Consequently, this limits a child's interests and interaction with the environment

Deafness

This is the inability to interpret speech through hearing.

-Difficulty in following conversations.
- Exhibits confusion or some form of articulation difficulty.
-Exhibits a degree of delay in information processing.
-Difficulties with social/emotional or interpersonal skills

-Exposure to loud noise
-Hereditary predisposition.
-Medications such as antibiotic gentamicin, sildenafil (Viagra), and certain chemotherapy drugs
-Illnesses such as meningitis.

According to the CDC, approximately 1 to 3 per 1,000 children have hearing loss.

-Caused delay in the development of communication receptors and skills.
-The language deficit can lead to social isolation and poor self-image.

Developmental Delay

Inadequate development of skills of a child compared to the peers. It can manifest in the form of motor, speech, cognitive, language, play, and social inadequacy.

-Floppy limbs
-Stiff movements and joints such as neck, arms, and legs.
-limited sitting...