Multiple Disabilities
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Multiple Disabilities NICHCY Disability Fact Sheet #10 August 2013 Sharon’s Story Now in preschool, Sharon’s parents know Sharon receives special that Sharon will always need Sharon is an active five education services. Like early some support because of her year old who loves to spend intervention, these services multiple disabilities. But her time with her grandmother. are meant to address her parents also know how She also loves to fingerpaint special learning needs. Her determined Sharon can be and play with the family dog. parents are very involved. when she’s learning some- Sharon has multiple disabili- They sit down often with the thing new. She’s going to ties. When she was born, she preschool staff and talk about learn it, by golly, there’s no didn’t get enough oxygen. Sharon’s progress. The team stopping her. As a result, she has an also talks about Sharon’s intellectual disability, challenges and how to Causes of Multiple problems with mobility, and address them. Last week, for Disabilities a speech impairment that example, Sharon got a makes it hard to understand picture board to help her Having multiple disabili- what she’s saying. That communicate. She’s busy ties means that a person has doesn’t stop Sharon from learning to use it. more than one disability. chattering, though. She has What caused the disabilities? a lot to say. Often, no one knows. For Sharon’s parents, With some children, it’s been a long road from however, the cause is known. Sharon’s birth to today. For example, Sharon’s When she was just a baby, disabilities were caused by a she began receiving special is the lack of oxygen at birth. Other services called early National Dissemination Center causes can include: intervention. These services for Children with Disabilities. help children with • Chromosomal disabilities from birth to NICHCY abnormalities their third birthday. In 1825 Connecticut Avenue N.W. early intervention, Sharon Washington, DC 20009 • Premature birth learned to crawl and to 1.800.695.0285 (Voice / TTY) • Difficulties after birth stand and—finally!—to 202.884.8200 (Voice / TTY) walk with braces. [email protected] http://nichcy.org Disability Fact Sheet #10 (FS10) • Poor development of the brain or spinal Have you recently learned that cord Have you recently learned that your child has multiple disabilities? • Infections If so, you may find it helpful to read two • Genetic disorders articles on our website: • Injuries from accidents1 New to disability? http://nichcy.org/families-community/ Whatever the cause, the result is that the new-to-disability child has multiple disabilities. Fortunately, there’s help available. Keep reading to find out You are not alone more. http://nichcy.org/families-community/ notalone/ Multiple Disabilities Aren’t All the Same The answer will help parents and involved The term multiple disabilities is general and professionals decide what types of supports broad. From the term, you can’t tell: and services the child needs now and in the future. • how many disabilities a child has; • which disabilities are involved; or Help for Children with Multiple Disabilities • how severe each disability is. When children have multiple disabilities, Many combinations of disabilities are they are often eligible for the type of help that possible. For example, one child with multiple Sharon, our story girl, is receiving. In fact, more disabilities may have an intellectual disability than 8,000 children in preschool (ages 3-5) and deafness. Another child may have cerebral received special education and related services palsy and autism. Sharon, above, had three in the U.S. in the Fall of 2011 because of their different disabilities. All have multiple disabili- multiple disabilities.2 More than 125,000 ties—but oh, such different ones! school-aged children did, too.3 To support, parent, or educate a child with For babies and toddlers | When a baby is multiple disabilities, it’s important to know: born with multiple disabilities, his or her parents should know that there’s a lot of help • which individual disabilities are involved; available—and immediately. Shortly after the • how severe (or moderate or mild) each diagnosis of multiple disabilities is made, disability is; and parents will want to get in touch with the early intervention system in their community. We’ll • how each disability can affect learning and tell you how in a moment. daily living. Early intervention is a system of services The different disabilities will also have a that helps infants and toddlers with disabilities combined impact. That’s why it’s also important (until their 3rd birthday) and their families. to ask: How does the combination of these Early intervention services are available in every disabilities affect the child’s learning, balance, state and territory, as required by the use of the senses, thinking, and so on? Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). These services may be provided on a sliding-fee basis. This means that the costs to the family will depend upon their income. NICHCY: http://nichcy.org 2 Multiple Disabilities (FS10) • To access early intervention services such severe educational needs in your area, consult NICHCY’s that they cannot be accommo- State Organizations page, online dated in a special education at: http://nichcy.org/state- program solely for one of the organization-search-by-state impairments. The term does not include deaf-blindness. There, select your state. Then [§300.8(c)(7)] use the drop-down menu to select “State Agencies.” You’ll As you can see, there’s more to get a list of State Agencies in IDEA’s definition of multiple your state. Look for the title disabilities than having more than “Early Intervention.” The agency one impairment or disability. A key listed beneath will be able to put you in part of the definition is that the combination of contact with the early intervention program disabilities causes the student to have severe in your community. educational needs. In fact, those educational needs must be severe enough that they cannot • To learn more about early intervention, visit be addressed by providing special education NICHCY at: services for only one of the impairments. http://nichcy.org/babies/overview/ The federal definition of multiple For children in school | IDEA also requires disabilities gives two examples of possible that special education and related services be combinations of disabilities: made available to every eligible child with multiple disabilities. This includes preschoolers • intellectual disability and blindness; and (ages 3-21). These services are specially designed to address the child’s individual needs • intellectual disability and orthopedic associated with the disabilities. The services are impairment. provided at no cost to families. But these are just examples. A child may • To access special education services for a have another combination of disabilities that school-aged child with multiple disabilities, causes severe educational needs—cerebral palsy get in touch with your local school system. and autism, for example, or blindness and an Calling the elementary school in your emotional disturbance. Whatever the combina- neighborhood is an excellent place to start. tion is, a child served under IDEA’s category of “multiple disabilities” will have a special • To learn more about special education (and education program that is designed to address there’s a lot to know!), visit NICHCY. Find the educational needs that arise from all of the our special education information at: child’s disabilities, not just one. http://nichcy.org/schoolage/ Note that IDEA does not include deaf- IDEA’s Definition blindness as an example of multiple disabili- ties. That’s because deaf-blindness is defined Speaking of IDEA, this very important separately and is a disability category of its own federal law defines the term multiple disabilities. under IDEA. Multiple disabilities… Beyond the Federal Definition …means concomitant [simultaneous] impairments (such as intellectual So, what level of educational need is disability-blindness, intellectual considered “severe enough” to make a student disability-orthopedic impairment, with multiple disabilities eligible for special etc.), the combination of which causes education? Each state defines this for itself. So NICHCY: http://nichcy.org 3 Multiple Disabilities (FS10) it’s important to know your state’s definition of Supporting Children with multiple disabilities. It’s also important to Multiple Disabilities know: Most children with multiple disabilities will •how each disability affects the child’s need some level of help and support through- learning and functioning, and out their lives. How much support a child needs • how the combination of disabilities does as will depend on the disabilities involved. A well. child with mild multiple disabilities may only need intermittent support (mean- NICHCY offers many fact sheets ing, support is needed every now on disabilities. To learn more and again, or for particular about specific disabilities, visit tasks). Children with multiple, our Fact Sheets page, at: more severe disabilities are http://nichcy.org/disability/ likely to need ongoing support. specific Support in major life activities Bear in mind that it’s hard | When considering what to say how a combination of supports a child needs, it’s helpful specific disabilities will affect to think about major life activities. an individual child. That will “Major life activities” include depend on the disabilities activities such as: involved and their severity. • caring for oneself; The Evaluation Process • performing manual tasks; An in-depth evaluation of the child must be • seeing, hearing, eating, and sleeping; conducted (with parental consent) before any services or supports may be provided under • walking, standing, lifting, and bending; IDEA. This evaluation is free of charge to families. Its purpose is to gather detailed • speaking and communicating; information about: • breathing; • the nature and extent of the child’s disabilities; and • learning; • the educational or developmental needs • reading; resulting from those disabilities.