Children with SENs: Classified and Labelled Under I.D.E.A.

I will be discussing about Children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) as labeled and classified under the IDEA Act.The field of Special Needs Education has tried so hard to veer away from "labeling" the children it serves. But for all the arguments, debates and legal issues surrounding this, labeling serves these kids even better than harm them.

For diagnostic and implementation purposes, labeling puts all the professionals working with these kids on the same page. It is a unifying factor which will provide everyone with the same understanding about the student. So the next time you hear someone talk about "anti-labeling", think again!

I will be using terms and labels based on the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act or IDEA of the United States. Philippine Government has copied much of the system of Uncle Sam and this one is one of the proofs we have to this claim. 

So who are the special needs learners served under the IDEA?

Autism

A severe lifelong disability manifested within the first 3 yeas of life, characterized by impairments in communication, learning and reciprocal interaction.

Communication Disorders

A disorder of articulation, fluency, voice, or language that adversely affects educational performance; or a severe communication deficit that may require the use of an augmentative or alternative communication system such as a sign language, communication boards, or electronic devices.

Deaf-Blindness

Individuals in this category have moderate to severe impairments in both vision and hearing; a separate category because of the unique learning needs presented, and specialized services required.

Hearing Impairment

Can range from mild to moderate to severe hearing loss, with or without amplification, affects educational performance and developmental progress; impairment may be permanent or fluctuating, mild to profound, unilateral or bilateral; are also referred to as "hard of hearing" or "deaf".

Metal Retardation

Significantly below average intellectual functioning, as well as concurrent deficits in "adaptive behavior" (age-appropriate personal independence and social responsibility); individuals with mental retardation may exhibit generalized problems in learning, memory, attention, problem solving, academic, and social functioning; manifested between birth and age 18, and negatively affects educational performance.
   
Multiple Disabilities

Includes any individuals with two or more disabling conditions; often includes mental retardation as one of the categories, and is usually used when disorders are serious and interrelated to such an extent that it is difficult to identify the primary area of disability, does not include deaf-blindness.

Orthopedic Impairments

Are associated with physical conditions that seriously impair mobility or motor activity; includes individuals with cerebral palsy or diseases of the skeleton or muscles, and accident victims.

Other Health Impairments

Includes chronic or acute health-related difficulties that adversely affect educational performance, and is manifested by limited strength, vitality, or alertness; can include such health problems as heart conditions; sickle cell anemia; lead poisoning; diabetes; HIV, the virus that causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS); or AIDS itself.


Serious Emotional Disturbance (SED)


Includes individuals with a condition in one or more of the following areas during an extended period of time:

• Inability to learn, not due to intellectual, sensory, or health problems;
• Inability to build and maintain social relationships with peers and teachers;
• Inappropriate behavior and affect;
• General pervasive depression or unhappiness;
• Tendency to develop fears or physical symptoms associated with school and personal problems; and
• Schizophrenia

SED is not intended to apply to socially maladjusted children unless they also are characterized as having serious emotional disturbance.

Specific Learning Disabilities


Refers to a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or using spoken or written language, which can result in difficulties in reading, writing, listening, speaking, thinking, spelling, or mathematics; does not apply to children with learning problems that are the result of visual, hearing, or physical disabilities, mental retardation, emotional disturbance; or environmental, cultural, or economic disadvantage.

Traumatic Brain Injury

An acquired injury to the brain due to external force resulting in "total or partial functional disability or psychological impairment, which adversely affects child's educational program". (Federal Register 1992, p. 44802)

Visual Impairments


A loss of vision that, even when corrected, affects educational performance, may be mild to moderate to severe in nature; students who are blind are unable to read print and usually learning to read and write using Braille; those with low vision can usually read when the print is enlarged sufficiently.

Sourced from Individualization of Educational Contents and Strategies: Trends and Application in Varied Placement Programs for Children with Special Needs by Edilberto L. Dizon and Carleen N. Sacris. Special Education Area, College of Education, University of the Philippines.