12: Students with Severe Disabilities
- Page ID
- 178875
\( \newcommand{\vecs}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \) \( \newcommand{\vecd}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash {#1}}} \)\(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)\(\newcommand{\AA}{\unicode[.8,0]{x212B}}\)
- 12.1: The Illinois Definition of Severe Disabilities
- Severe disabilities include two disability categories, multiple disabilities and deaf–blind, as well as other combinations of disability categories.
- 12.2: The History of Severe Disabilities
- The history of the treatment of people with severe disabilities is similar to that of the treatment of people with intellectual disabilities (see Chapter 4). Before the establishment of advocacy organizations (e.g., The ARC), many people with severe disabilities were institutionalized.
- 12.3: Prevalence of Severe Disabilities
- Among students receiving special education services, 2% are identified as having multiple disabilities, and less than 1% are identified as deaf–blind (National Center for Education Statistics [NCES], 2022).
- 12.4: Causes and Characteristics of Severe Disabilities
- The causes and characteristics of severe disabilities vary by student. This section of the chapter will provide an overview of common causes and characteristics but does not provide a comprehensive list.
- 12.5: Identifying Students with Severe Disabilities
- Severe disabilities, especially those disabilities that are congenital (i.e., present at birth), are usually identified by medical professionals before a child begins school. Assessments to identify young children with severe disabilities include neonatal screening, medical evaluations, and developmental assessments.