The document discusses two disability categories under IDEA that cover children with physical disabilities and health impairments requiring special education: orthopedic impairments/neuromotor impairments and other health impairments. It provides definitions and examples of specific physical and health-related conditions that may adversely affect a child's education, as well as strategies teachers can use to help students with special needs through environmental, technological, and animal-assisted methods. The role of parents and individualized healthcare plans are also addressed.

1. PHYSICAL DISABILITIES,
HEALTH IMPAIRMENTS, &
ADHD
Trevour Smith
SPE-526
Grand Canyon University

2.  Children with physical disabilities and health
conditions who require special education are served
under two of the IDEA disability categories: orthopedic
impairments (and neuromotor impairments)and other
health impairments.

3. DISABILITY CATEGORIES:
 *Health Impairment: “A chronic or acute health problem such that the
physiological capacity to function is significantly limited or impaired and
results in one or more of the following: limited strength, vitality or alertness
including a heightened alertness to environmental stimuli resulting in limited
alertness with respect to the educational environment. The term shall include
health impairments due to asthma, attention deficit disorder or attention
deficit with hyperactivity disorder, diabetes, epilepsy, a heart condition,
hemophilia, lead poisoning, leukemia, nephritis, rheumatic fever, sickle cell
anemia, and Tourette syndrome, if such health impairment adversely affects
a student's educational performance”. (MA DOE)

4. CATEGORIES CONTINUED
 Physical Impairment: “The physical capacity to move,
coordinate actions, or perform physical activities is significantly
limited, impaired, or delayed and is exhibited by difficulties in one
or more of the following areas: physical and motor tasks;
independent movement; performing basic life functions. The term
shall include severe orthopedic impairments or impairments
caused by congenital anomaly, cerebral palsy, amputations, and
fractures if such impairment adversely affects a student's
educational performance”. (MA DOE)

5. IMPAIRMENT DEFINITIONS:
 *Orthopedic Impairment: Impairment of the skeletal system- bones, joints, limbs, and
associated muscles.
 *Neuromotor Impairment: Involves the central nervous system, affecting the ability to
move, use, feel, or control certain parts of the body.
 *Other Health Impairments: A disability category in the IDEA Act under which a child is
eligible for special education; includes diseases and special health conditions that affect a
child’s educational activities and performance such as cancer, diabetes and cystic fibrosis.
(ADHD is also included in this category).

6. IMPAIRMENTS CONTINUED
 *Chronic/Acute Conditions: Chronic conditions are long-lasting,
most often permanent conditions (cerebral palsy is an example)
where are acute conditions may produce severe and debilitating
symptoms but it is of limited duration.
 *ADHD (Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder): Diagnostic
category of the American Psychiatric Association for a condition in
which a child exhibits developmentally inappropriate inattention,
impulsivity, and hyperactivity.

7. CAUSES
 Hundreds of physical impairments and health
conditions can adversely affect children’s education
performance. A few include: cerebral palsy, spina
bifida, muscular dystrophy, spinal cord injuries, epilepsy
and diabetes.

8. PHYSICAL IMPAIRMENT
CAUSES
 Cerebral palsy: Permanent condition resulting from a lesion to
the brain or an abnormality of brain growth. Many diseases can
affect the developing brain and lead to cerebral palsy. Also
attributed to the occurrence of injuries, accidents or illnesses that
are before birth, at or near the time of birth or soon after birth and
result in decreased oxygen to low-birth-weight newborn.
 Spina bifida: Congenital malformation of the spine in which the
vertebrae that normally protect the spine do not develop fully

9. PHYSICAL CONTINUED
 Muscular dystrophy: Refers to a group of 40 inherited diseases
marked by progressive atrophy (wasting away) of the body’s
muscles.
 Spinal cord injuries: Result of a lesion to the spinal cord caused
by a penetrating injury, stretching the vertebral column, fracture of
the vertebrae or compression of the spinal cord. The most
common causes include: motor vehicle accidents, acts of
violence, falls and sports.

10. HEALTH IMPAIRMENT
CAUSES
 Epilepsy: The cause of epilepsy for approximately 30% of cases is identified from among at least
50 different conditions known to result in seizure activity, such as cerebral palsy; infections of the brain
or nervous system; metabolic disorders; high fever; an underlying lesion; interruption in blood supply
to the brain or rough handling of a baby (shaken baby syndrome).
 Diabetes: Type 1 is caused by having insufficient insulin (a hormone normally produced by the
pancreas and necessary for the metabolism of glucose). Type 2 is the result of insulin resistance (the
body failing to properly use insulin), combined with relative insulin deficiency.
 Cystic fibrosis: Genetic disease of children and adolescents in which the body’s exocrine glands
excrete thick mucus that can block the lungs and parts of the digestive system. May result from a
missing chemical or substance in the body.

11. HEALTH CAUSES…
 AIDS: Caused by HIV which is found in the bodily fluids of an
infected person. HIV is transmitted from one person to another
through sexual contact and blood-to-blood contact.
 ADHD: Specific causes are unknown, but many consider ADHD
to be a neurologically based disorder. Significant evidence
indicates that genetic factors may place individuals at a greater-
than-normal risk of an ADHD

12. CHARACTERISTICS/STRATEGIES
 Parallel curriculum for students with physical and
health impairments includes adaptive methods and
assistive technologies for mobility, communication and
daily living tasks

13. CONTACTS AND AIDS
 Students with physical disabilities and health
impairments come into contact with more types of
teachers, physicians, therapists and other specialists
than any other group of exceptional children.

14. TYPES OF STRATEGIES
 There are Roughly Three main strategies teachers can you use to
help aid in the education of students with special needs
• Environmental
• Technological
• Animal

15. ENVIRONMENTAL
 Environmental modifications are necessary to enable
a student with physical and health impairments to
participate more fully and independently at school.
These modifications include: adaptations to provide
increased access to a task or an activity, changing the
way in which instruction is delivered and change the
matter in which the task is done.

16. TECHNOLOGICAL
 Assistive technology: Any systematic method based
on scientific principles for accomplishing a task or
purpose. IDEA defines assistive technology as both
assistive technology devices and the services needed
to help a child obtain and effectively use the devices.

17. ANIMAL
 Animal assistance: Guide dogs for individuals who
are blind, hearing dogs to help people who are deaf
and dogs who can carry books or other objects in
saddlebags (helper or service dogs). Monkeys have
also been trained to serve as personal care attendants
for people with disabilities.

18. GUIDANCE/PARENTS
 The aid and support of the students parents can prove to very
valuable as well, as a collective team, they can work with the teacher
 Creating an Individualized health care plan (IHCP):
Part of the student’s IEP and can help state specialized
medical attention students may need.

19. REFERENCES
 "Disability Definitions and Related Links - Special Education."
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and
Secondary Education. 30 Oct. 2000. Web. 25 August. 2014.
<http:// www.doe.mass.edu/sped/definitions.html>.
 Heward, William L. Exceptional Children: An Introduction to
Special Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill/Pearson, 2009.
Print.