Outlined below are some of the most commonly seen medical diagnoses in students who receive special education services. Each dropdown contains an overview of the disability, risk factors if applicable, and some additional resources.
It is important to note that a medical diagnosis does not automatically qualify your child for special education services. In order to qualify for special education services, a child must have a disability that significantly impacts their ability to access the preschool or general education curriculum. Many children with medical diagnoses such as Autism or ADHD are capable of functioning in the academic setting with no additional or specialized support.
Additionally, a student can qualify for special education services under any eligibility category, including educational Autism, without having a medical diagnosis.
Overview
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability caused by differences in the brain. Some people with ASD have a known difference, such as a genetic condition. Other causes are not yet known.
People with ASD may behave, communicate, interact, and learn in ways that are different from most other people. There is often nothing about how they look that sets them apart from other people. The abilities of people with ASD can vary significantly. For example, some people with ASD may have advanced conversation skills, whereas others may be nonspeaking. Some people with ASD need significant help in their daily lives, while others can work and live with little to no support.
ASD begins before the age of 3 years and can last throughout a person's life; however, a person's symptoms may change over time. Some children show ASD symptoms within their first year of life, and some may not demonstrate symptoms until 24+ months of age. Some children with ASD gain new skills and meet developmental milestones until about 18-24 months of age, and then they stop gaining new skills or lose the skills they once had. ASD can be reliably diagnosed by an experienced professional by age 2, however many children do not receive a formal diagnosis until they are much older.
As children with ASD become adolescents and young adults, they may have difficulties developing and maintaining friendships, communicating with peers and adults, or understanding what behaviors are expected in school or on the job. They may also have other conditions alongside ASD, such as anxiety, depression, and ADHD.
Risk Factors
There is not one cause of ASD. Many different factors have been identified that may make a child more likely to have ASD, including environmental, biologic, and genetic factors. Evidence suggests that the following may put children at greater risk for developing ASD:
Having a sibling with ASD
Having certain genetic or chromosomal conditions, such as fragile X syndrome or tuberous sclerosis
Experiencing complications at birth
Being born to older parents
Current treatments for ASD seek to reduce symptoms that interfere with daily functioning and quality of life. Because ASD affects each person differently, treatment for each individual case is different.
More Resources
https://www.cdc.gov/autism/about/index.html
https://www.asgc.org/_files/ugd/085f1b_2e9c1db4f8a04530a1d29ee3a6422a9a.pdf
Overview
ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by:
Inattention, such as having difficulty paying attention, keeping on task, or staying organized
Hyperactivity, such as often moving around (including during inappropriate times), feeling restless, or talking excessively
Impulsivity, such as interrupting, intruding on others, or having trouble waiting one's turn
For some people, inattention symptoms are the strongest, while other people have the most difficulty with hyperactivity and impulsivity. Some people experience symptoms in all three areas.
ADHD is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders of childhood. ADHD is usually first diagnosed in childhood and often lasts into adulthood.
It is normal for children to have trouble and focusing and behaving at one time or another. However, for children with ADHD, the symptoms continue, can be severe, and can cause difficulty at school, at home, or with friends. Symptoms can change over time, and might increase when the demands of daily life increase. The way ADHD symptoms present may change over time as well.
Risk Factors
The causes of ADHD are unknown, but scientists have identified some possible risk factors, including:
Genetics
Exposure to environmental risks (for example, lead) during pregnancy or at a young age
Alcohol and tobacco use during pregnancy, and other pregnancy-related factors
Child health conditions, including head injuries
Parental mental health and family environment
In most cases, ADHD is best treated with a combination of behavior therapy and medication. For preschool-aged children with ADHD, behavior training, particularly training for parents, is recommended as the first line of treatment before medication is tried. What works best depends on the child and the family.
MANAGING SYMPTOMS
Being healthy is important for everyone and can be especially important for people with ADHD. Here are some healthy behaviors that may help:
Developing healthy eating habits, such as eating plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains and choosing lean protein sources
Participating in daily physical activity based on age
Limiting the amount of daily screen time from TVs, computers, phones, and other electronics
Getting the recommended amount of sleep each night based on age
More Resources
https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder-adhd
Overview
Down syndrome is a condition in which a person has an extra copy of chomosome 21. Chromosomes are small "packages" of genes in the body's cells, which determine how the body forms and functions. Down syndrome is the most common chromosomal condition diagnosed in the United States. Each year, about 5,775 babies born in the US have Down syndrome.
When babies are growing, the extra chromosome changes how their body and brain develop; this can cause both physical and mental challenges. People with Down syndrome often have developmental challenges, such as being slower to learn to speak than other children.
Distinct physical signs of Down syndrome are usually present at birth and become more apparent as the baby grows. They can include facial features and other physical signs such as:
A flattened face, especially the bridge of the nose
Almond-shaped eyes that slant up
A tongue that tends to stick out of the mouth
A short neck
Small ears, hands, and feet
A single line across the palm of the hand (palmar crease)
Small pinky fingers
Poor muscle tone or loose joints
Shorter-than-average height
Some people with Down syndrome have other medical problems as well. Common health problems include:
Congenital heart defects
Hearing loss
Obstructive sleep apnea
There are three types of Down syndrome:
Trisomy 21 - each cell in the body has three separate copies of chromosome 21. About 95% of people with Down syndrome have Trisomy 21.
Translocation Down syndrome - an extra part or a whole extra chromosome 21 is present. However, the extra chromosome is attached or "trans-located" to a different chromosome rather than being a separate chromosome 21. This type accounts for about 3% of people with Down syndrome.
Mosaic Down syndrome - some cells have three copies of chromosome 21, but other cells have the typical two copies. People with mosaic Down syndrome may have fewer features of the condition. This type accounts for about 2% of people with Down syndrome.
Risk Factors
We do not know for sure why Down syndrome occurs or how many different factors play a role. We do know that some things can affect your risk of having a baby with Down syndrome. One factor is your age when you get pregnant. The risk of having a baby with Down syndrome increases with age. This is especially the case if you are 35 years or older when you get pregnant.
However, the majority of babies with Down syndrome are still born to mothers less than 35 years old. This is because there are many more births among younger women. Parents with one child with Down syndrome have a higher chance of having another child with Down syndrome regardless of age.
More Resources
Overview
Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) is a pattern of behavior in which kids go to extremes to ignore or avoid anything they perceive as a demand. It is seen most often in people diagnosed with ASD.
People with PDA tend to have an adverse reaction to being told how to behave or what to do, even when it's something that's an ordinary part of their daily life, adn even when it would benefit them. It's called pathological when the avoidance is extreme and interferes with functioning at home or at school.
PDA is best understood as a result of anxiety and inflexibility. Cynthia Martin, PsyD, a clinical psychologist who specializes in autism, explains, "Any external demand that is coming from somebody else, or that the person perceives is coming from another person - that generates a lot of internal discomfort, which leads to the avoidance."
A child with PDA might only complete tasks (like putting on shoes, drawing, saying names of common items, etc.) when they're personally motivated to do them. This is called "self-directed behavior." This can be an extremely frustrating experience for parents; parents can ask, show, and direct all they want, but their child will not do it when another person asks them to.
Similarly, older children and adolescents may appear to have difficulty completing basic school assignments, even though parents know them to be capable of advanced academics.
Many people with ASD are inherently inflexible in their behavior and have rigid patterns of thinking. They are less tuned into social communication than other kids, so when a demand or expectation is placed on them, it can feel like it came out of nowhere. While neurotypical kids do many routine things because they're expected to or because that's what everyone else is doing, autistic kids might not feel the same motivation to fit in, and rigidity may make them uncomfortable going with the flow.
More Resources
https://childmind.org/article/pathological-demand-avoidance-in-kids/
Overview
Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) is a difference in the way your brain understands and responds to information from your senses. This includes what you see, hear, smell, taste, and touch. It can also affect your movement. SPD commonly affects people with neurodevelopmental and neurodivergent conditions, such as ASD and ADHD, but you can also have SPD without any other condition.
Currently, SPD isn't an official medical diagnosis, but providers recognize the benefits of identifying SPD and using therapy to manage it, especially if it affects your ability to function day to day. Researchers estimate that about 1-3 out of every 20 people in the US population have SPD. These estimates are higher for people with neurodevelopmental conditions.
There are several different types of SPDs, including:
Sensory over-responsivity: In this type, you're overly sensitive to sensory information. You may respond too much, too soon, or for too long to sensory information that most people can tolerate.
Sensory under-responsivity: Here, you need more sensory information than usual for it to have an impact. You may be unaware of sensory information and/or have a delay before responding, compared to most people.
Sensory craving: In this type, you need and seek out sensory information for stimulation. But getting the stimulation results in disorganization and doesn't satisfy the craving.
Sensory discrimination disorder: This type includes difficulty interpreting subtle qualities of sensory information. There are several subtypes. For example, auditory discrimination disorder makes it difficult to understand the things you hear.
Postural disorder: With this type, you have issues perceiving your body's position in space. You may have difficulty stabilizing your body during movement or at rest without core stability.
Dyspraxia: This version causes a wide range of issues with movement and coordination. It can affect your gross and/or fine motor skills.
Symptoms vary based on the type of SPD> There are a lot of different symptoms, but some of the most common include:
Constantly bumping into things (clumsiness)
Feeling discomfort in certain types of clothing and fabric
Gagging when eating certain food textures
Needing to constantly touch things
Not recognizing personal space
Reacting to sudden movements, touches, loud noises, and/or bright lights
Trouble using fine motor skills.
Researchers don't yet know the cause of SPD, however, studies show that genetics and environmental factors likely play a role. There is a strong link between SPD and neurodivergence. There is also a link between certain mental health conditions.
More Resources
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/sensory-processing-disorder-spd
https://sensoryhealth.org/basic/understanding-sensory-integration-process
Overview
Anxiety and fear are a normal part of childhood. Fear is a natural reaction to danger or threat, and anxiety is a reaction to a possible threat. New fears and anxiety are usually short-lived and show that kids are learning to solve problems on their own.
Up to 1 in 5 kids will develop what healthcare providers consider anxiety disorders. Childhood anxiety disorders differ from normal fear or anxiety because they involve more extreme avoidance, bigger emotional reactions, or last longer than expected. Children with anxiety disorders often have emotional outbursts like crying or tantrums. They may also show a lot of avoidance. They might try to escape, hide, and be "on the lookout for danger" much of the time. Additionally, kids often have body symptoms, like stomachaches, headaches, nausea, vomiting, shortness of breath, or sleep issues.
Anxiety disorders affect about 15% to 20% of children and adolescents. Nearly 1 in 3 adolescents between the ages of 13 and 18 have anxiety; it is more common in females.
There are a few different types of anxiety in children:
Separation Anxiety
Separation anxiety is a normal and important phase of early development that begins in most children when they're 8-12 months old. With normal separation anxiety, your child may fear strangers and not feel safe when you're not around. Separation anxiety usually gets better by the time kids enter preschool. Separation anxiety disorder is more extreme and continues beyond this typical developmental period. Kids may be worried about parents or other family members and have difficulty going to school or being away from home or family generally, or may have difficulty separating for sleep.
Specific Phobias
Fear protects us from danger, so a certain amount of fear in kids is expected. Your child might be scared about something in particular, like storms or clowns. But specific phobias are extreme fears that are out of proportion with the acrual threat of danger.
Social Anxiety Disorder
This is an intense fear of being judged or rejected in social situations. Your child might avoid public speaking or performing. Or they might be so uncomfortable that they try to avoid interacting with others at school or other familiar settings or have a hard time speaking to new people. They may even avoid social situations altogether.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Generalized anxiety is excessive worry and fear about a range of different things that happen in daily life. Your child may also worry about the future more than other children their age. They may have many worries or worries may change over time, but they're often worried about something.
Panic Disorder
Children with panic disorder have times when they feel extreme fear and anxiety along with physical symptoms like a racing heart and dizziness, or they might feel like they can't breathe. These panic attacks can come on without warning and tend to go away within minutes to hours.
More Resources
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/anxiety-in-children
https://www.cdc.gov/children-mental-health/about/about-anxiety-and-depression-in-children.html
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2022/1200/anxiety-disorders-children-adolescents
Overview
Childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) is a rare speech disorder. Children with this disorder have trouble controlling their lips, jaws, and tongues when speaking. In CAS, the brain isn't able to direct the lips, jaw, and tongue to create speech sounds clearly or at the proper speed. The speech muscles aren't weak, but they are not able to form words the right way.
Children with CAS may have various speech symptoms. Symptoms may vary depending on a child's age and whether their speech problems are severe. Signs that may indicate CAS include:
Unclear vowels and consonants
Pauses between syllables or words
Voicing errors, such as the word "pie" sounding like the word "bye"
Other markers unique to the speech of children with CAS may include:
Trouble moving smoothly from one sound, syllable, or word to another
Off-target movements of the jaw, lips, or tongue as they search for the correct movements for speech sounds
Using equal emphasis on all syllables, and/or using the wrong stress in a word
Saying the same word differently when using it more than once
Putting a pause or gap between syllables
Having a hard time imitating simple words
CAS can result in:
Babbling less or making fewer vocal sounds than is typical between the ages of 7-12 months
Speaking first words late, typically after the age of 12-18 months
Using a limited number of consonants and vowels
Leaving out sounds when speaking
Using speech that is hard to understand
CAS has many possible causes, but often a cause can't be found. There usually isn't an obvious change in a child's brain with CAS, however CAS can be the result of brain conditions or injuries. CAS may also be a symptom of a genetic condition, genetic syndrome, or a metabolic condition.
More Resources
https://www.cedars-sinai.org/health-topics/childhood-apraxia-of-speech