The document lists and defines 14 disability categories under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The categories are autism, deaf-blindness, deafness, developmental delay, emotional disturbance, hearing impairment, intellectual disability, multiple disabilities, orthopedic impairment, other health impairment, specific learning disability, speech or language impairment, traumatic brain injury, and visual impairment/blindness. For each category, common interventions, modifications, and accommodations are also listed.

1. 14 DISABILITY
CATEGORIES UNDER
IDEA
"School Image" by Wokandapix is in the Public Domain

2. • Autism
• Deaf-Blindness
• Deafness
• Developmental Delay
• Emotional Disturbance
• Hearing Impairment
• Intellectual Disability
• Multiple Disabilities
• Orthopedic Impairment
• Other Health Impairment
• Specific Learning Disability
• Speech or Language
Impairment
• Traumatic Brain Injury
• Visual Impairment/ Blindness
WHAT ARE THE 14 DISABILITY CATEGORIES?

3. AUTISM
Interventions, modifications, or
accommodations:
• Role-play social situations.
• Provide picture schedules and other visual
communication systems.
• Use behavior charts and reward systems.
• Allow computer use to alleviate
handwriting challenges.
• Allow for extra time or shortened
assignments when necessary.
According to IDEA (2017), autism is "a developmental disability significantly
affecting verbal and nonverbal communication and social interaction."
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

4. DEAF-BLINDNESS
IDEA (2017) defines deaf-blindness as "concomitant hearing and visual
impairments, the combination of which causes such severe communication
and other developmental and educational needs that they cannot be
accommodated in special education programs solely for children with
deafness or children with blindness."
Interventions, modifications, or
accommodations:
• Provide small-group and individual instruction.
• Make interactions balanced (taking turns).
• Provide tactile experiences.
• Reduce assignments as needed.
• Develop consistent and predictable routines.
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5. DEAFNESS
According to IDEA (2017), deafness is "a hearing impairment that is
so severe that the child is impaired in processing linguistic
information through hearing, with or without amplification."
Interventions, modifications, or
accommodations:
• Provide note-taking support.
• Provide sign language communication.
• Reduce visual distractions.
• Ensure media has captions.
• Use priority seating.
Photo by Andrei Lazarev on Unsplash

6. DEVELOPMENTAL DELAY
IDEA (2017) classifies developmental delays "in one or more of the following
areas: physical development, cognitive development, communication
development, social or emotional development, or adaptive development."
Interventions, modifications, or accommodations:
• Clearly mark boundaries in the classroom.
• Build lessons around student preferences and
interests.
• Be specific when giving praise or feedback.
• Provide succinct and clear instructions.
• Pair students with supportive peers.
• Maintain a predictable schedule.
Photo by Simon Launay on Unsplash

7. EMOTIONAL DISTURBANCE
IDEA (2017) defines emotional disturbance as a condition exhibiting one or more of the following
characteristics: "(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. (E) A tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal
or school problems."
Interventions, modifications, or
accommodations:
• Set up goals aimed at social interactions.
• Include students in planning and goal
setting.
• Clearly state behavioral expectations and
consequences for misbehavior.
• Provide highly structured environments.
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8. HEARING IMPAIRMENT
According to IDEA (2017), a hearing impairment is "an impairment in hearing,
whether permanent or fluctuating, that adversely affects a child’s educational
performance but that is not included under the definition of deafness.”
Interventions, modifications, or accommodations:
• Use of personal hearing devices or FM systems.
• Provide visual supplements.
• Minimize background noise.
• Obtain students attention prior to speaking.
• Frequently check for understanding.
• Use speech-to-text software.
• Provide assistance with note-taking.
Photo by pb826 on Pixabay

9. INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY
IDEA (2017) defines an intellectual disability as below average "general
intellectual functioning, existing concurrently with deficits in adaptive behavior
and manifested during the developmental period, that adversely affects a child’s
educational performance."
Interventions, modifications, or
accommodations:
• Chunk assignments into smaller segments.
• Provide visual guides for demonstrating steps in
a task.
• Teach through modeling and demonstration.
• Allow extended time to practice new skills.
• Focus instruction on daily activities.
Photo by Nathan Anderson on Unsplash

10. MULTIPLE DISABILITIES
IDEA (2017) defines multiple disabilities as simultaneous "impairments (such as intellectual
disability-blindness or intellectual disability-orthopedic impairment), the combination of which
causes such severe educational needs that they cannot be accommodated in special education
programs solely for one of the impairments."
Interventions, modifications, or
accommodations:
• Focus on student’s areas of strength.
• Create personalized schedules.
• Modify tasks and assignments and
encourage participation with the class.
• Provide appropriate accessible resources
using available technology.
Photo by Santi Vedrí on Unsplash

11. ORTHOPEDIC IMPAIRMENT
IDEA (2017) identifies orthopedic impairments as an impairment "that adversely
affects a child’s educational performance." They include impairments caused by a
congenital anomaly, a disease, or other causes.
Interventions, modifications, or
accommodations:
• Provide appropriate seating to develop
useful posture and movements.
• Focus instruction on developing gross and
fine motor skills.
• Provide breaks as needed.
• Provide access to tools and technologies
(pencil grips, writing boards, word
processors) to facilitate writing tasks.
Photo by Lance Grandahl on Unsplash

12. OTHER HEALTH IMPAIRMENT
According to IDEA (2017), "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" and adversely affects educational performance.
Interventions, modifications, or
accommodations:
• Allow students extra time to transition between
activities.
• Seat the student close to the teacher.
• Maintain an organized classroom and teach the
student strategies to stay organized.
• Allow extra time to complete assignments.
Photo by PublicDomainPictures on Pixabay

13. SPECIFIC LEARNING DISABILITY
IDEA (2017) defines a specific learning disability as "a disorder in one or more of the basic
psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or
written, that may manifest itself in the imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write,
spell, or to do mathematical calculations."
Interventions, modifications, or
accommodations:
• Provide instructions orally and in writing.
• Allow for verbal resources rather than
written responses when appropriate.
• Allow frequent breaks.
• Provide extended time for tests and
assignments.
• Provide spaces to work that are free from
distraction.
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14. SPEECH OR LANGUAGE IMPAIRMENT
According to IDEA (2017), a speech or language impairment is defined as "a
communication disorder, such as stuttering, impaired articulation, a language
impairment, or a voice impairment, that adversely affects a child’s educational
performance."
Interventions, modifications, or
accommodations:
• Provide additional time for assignments.
• Allow students to demonstrate learning one-on-
one when appropriate.
• Provide augmentative communication devices.
• Give extra time to allow students to
communicate ideas.
• If students say something incorrectly repeat it for
them correctly in a natural way.
Photo by Alireza Attari on Unsplash

15. TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY
IDEA (2017) defines a traumatic brain injury as "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."
Interventions, modifications, or
accommodations:
• Allow extra time to complete assignments.
• Provide breaks when needed.
• Allow students to record class for later
playback.
• Reduce quantity of work in favor of quality.
• Avoid placing the student in high pressure
situations.
Photo by VSRao on Pixabay

16. VISUAL IMPAIRMENTS/BLINDNESS
According to IDEA (2017), a visual impairment is "an impairment in vision
that, even with correction, adversely affects a child’s educational
performance."
Interventions, modifications, or accommodations:
• Use a print size appropriate to the visual impairment.
• Verbalize as you write on the board.
• Provide assistance with note-taking.
• Provide priority seating.
• Avoid red ink.
• Allow students extra time to get comfortable with the
layout of the classroom.
Photo by Nicole Honeywill on Unsplash
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act § 300.8 (2017)