What Are the 14 Categories of Disabilities? Does it Matter Which Box is Checked?

ByLisa Lightner

14 Categories of Disabilities in IDEA There are 14 categories of disabilities listed in IDEA. Autism (and yes there is medical vs educational!) Deaf-blindness Deafness Developmental delay (DD) Emotional disturbance (ED) Hearing impairment Intellectual disability Multiple disabilities (MDS) Orthopedic impairment Other health impairment (OHI) Specific learning disability (SLD) Speech or language impairment Traumatic brain injury…

They said my child is too old to be considered for “developmental delay.”

They said my child is too old to be considered for “developmental delay.”

ByLisa Lightner

Developmental Delay It’s weird, right? Your child has had an IEP for years, and his disability classification has always been Developmental Delays. Now, all of a sudden you feel blindsided because the school is telling you that they cannot check that box anymore. But your child is still disabled and has many delays. This can’t…