9.1: Definitions or Physical and Health Disabilities
- Page ID
- 178851
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Students with physical or health disabilities include those with orthopedic impairments, other health impairments, and traumatic brain injury under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The IDEA defines orthopedic impairment (OI) as the following.
Orthopedic impairment means a severe orthopedic impairment that adversely affects a child’s educational performance. The term includes impairments caused by a congenital anomaly, impairments caused by disease (e.g., poliomyelitis, bone tuberculosis), and impairments from other causes (e.g., cerebral palsy, amputations, and fractures or burns that cause contractures) (IDEA, Part B, Subpart A § 300.8(c)(8)(2004)).
Under IDEA, for a student to receive special education and related services, the OI must adversely affect their educational performance.
The IDEA defines other health impairment (OHI) as the following.
Other health impairment means having limited strength, vitality, or alertness, including a heightened alertness to environmental stimuli, that results in limited alertness with respect to the educational environment, that—
- Is due to chronic or acute health problems such as asthma, attention-deficit disorder or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, diabetes, epilepsy, a heart condition, hemophilia, lead poisoning, leukemia, nephritis, rheumatic fever, sickle cell anemia, and Tourette syndrome; and
Adversely affects a child’s educational performance (IDEA, Part B, Subpart A § 300.8(c)(9)(2004)).
- The final category included in this chapter is traumatic brain injury. The IDEA defines traumatic brain injury (TBI) as the following.
Traumatic brain injury means 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 a child’s educational performance. Traumatic brain injury 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. Traumatic brain injury does not apply to brain injuries that are congenital or degenerative, or to brain injuries induced by birth trauma (IDEA, Part B, Subpart A § 300.8(c)(12)(2004)).
The Illinois Definitions of Physical and Health Disabilities
“Orthopedic Impairment means a severe orthopedic impairment that adversely affects a child's educational performance. The term includes impairments caused by congenital anomaly (e.g., clubfoot, absence of some member, etc.), impairments caused by disease (e.g., Poliomyelitis, bone tuberculosis, etc.), and impairments from other causes (e.g., cerebral palsy, amputations, and fractures or burns that cause contractures).
Other Health Impairment means having limited strength, vitality or alertness, including a heightened sensitivity to environmental stimuli, that results in limited alertness with respect to the educational environment that
- is due to chronic or acute health problems such as asthma, attention-deficit disorder or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, diabetes, epilepsy, a heart condition, hemophilia, lead poisoning, leukemia, nephritis, rheumatic fever, or sickle cell anemia; and
- adversely affects a child's educational performance.
Traumatic Brain Injury means 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 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; psychosocial functions; information processing; and speech. The term does not apply to brain injuries that are congenital or degenerative or to brain injuries induced by birth trauma” (Illinois State Board of Education, 2022).
Individuals With Disabilities Education Act, Part B, Subpart A § 300.8(c)(8)(2004).
Individuals With Disabilities Education Act, Part B, Subpart A § 300.8(c)(9)(2004).
Individuals With Disabilities Education Act, Part B, Subpart A § 300.8(c)(12)(2004).
Illinois State Board of Education. (2022, October 25). Special education disability areas. https://www.isbe.net/Pages/Special-Education-Disability-Areas.aspx