Disabilities Assessed in Texas

Autism - a developmental disability that can affect communication (verbal and nonverbal) as well as social interaction with others. Students with autism might display negative reactions to change and/or might have sensory maladjustments. Click here to view an example of autism struggles along with recommended accommodations.

Deaf-Blindness - visual impairment with possible hearing loss and displays no speech when expected developmentally; combination of hearing and visual losses that negatively affects learning; medical diagnosis of auditory and visual losses that will negatively affect learning in the future.

Deaf or Hard of hearing -  hearing impairment that negatively affects processing language and learning. This can be shifting or permanent.

Emotional Disturbance - a condition over extended periods of time that negatively affects learning that is not explainable by cognitive, sensory, or health contributors; struggles to create or sustain relationships with others; atypical behavior or feelings under typical settings; general feelings of sadness or gloom; develops physical ailments or fears in connection with problems in daily living; includes schizophrenia.

Intellectual Disability - notably below-average general functioning that exists simultaneously with adaptive behavior deficits in at least two areas and negatively affects learning to include: communication, self-care, home living, social and interpersonal skills, use of community resources, self-direction, functional academic skills, work, leisure, health, or safety. The term intellectual disability is now used in place of a past term, "mental retardation." It is no longer acceptable to use the term "mental retardation."

Multiple Disabilities - impairments occurring simultaneously and negatively affects learning. Must meet conditions that include the anticipation of indefinite occurrence of the disability. Disabilities must strongly hinder the child's performance in two or more areas to include: psychomotor skills, self-care skills, communication, social and emotional development, or cognition. It is important to note that this does not include deaf-blindness.

Noncategorical Early Childhood Disability - A child between the ages of three to five and is evaluated to have an intellectual disability, emotional disturbance, specific learning disability, or autism.

Orthopedic Impairments - severe orthopedic impairment that negatively affects learning caused by congenital anomaly, disease, or other causes to include cerebral palsy, amputation, fractures or burns causing tightness or stiffness.

Other Health Impairment - These impairments can be of varying categories of physicality or awareness negatively affecting learning. This can include: asthma, attention deficit disorder or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, diabetes, epilepsy, heart condition, hemophilia, lead poisoning, leukemia, nephritis, rheumatic fever, sickle cell anemia, and Tourette's Disorder.

Specific Learning Disability - A disability that affects the achievement for the child's age or does not meet state-approved grade-level standards in one or more areas to include: oral expression, written expression, listening comprehension, basic reading skills, reading fluency skills, reading comprehension, mathematics calculation, or mathematics problem-solving.

Speech or Language Impairment - a communication disorder or voice impairment that negatively affects learning to include: stuttering, impaired articulation, language impairment, and voice impairment.

Traumatic Brain Injury - an injury to the brain obtained by external physical force that emanates total or partial functional disability or psychosocial impairment, or both. TBI negatively affects learning. This includes open or closed head injuries developing impairments in one or more of the following: cognition, language, memory, attention, reasoning, abstract thinking, judgment, problem-solving, sensory, perceptual, and motor abilities, psychosocial behavior, physical functions, information processing, or speech. It is important to note that this does not include congenital, degenerative, or injuries from birth trauma. 

Visual impairment - impairment in vision that negatively affects learning even with correction, and does include partial sight and blindness.