Information for Teams Considering OHD in an Evaluation

Unlike most other categorical areas of special education in Minnesota, there is not currently an OHD teacher licensure aligned with the OHD category. With that said, teams need to be aware of the specific items that must be included in the evaluation plan if a team is going to consider OHD. If teams have questions regarding the evaluation and criteria, they should consult with their building nurse or psychologist. In 2018, a professional statewide OHD Community of Practice was created to address the increasing child count in this disability area. Minneapolis currently has two special education staff on the OHD Community of Practice: Julia Bennett (Insert your title here) and Lindsay Tsakistos (Itinerant Physical/Health Disabilities teacher). If a team has consulted with their school nurse and psychologist and still have questions, they can reach out to Julia (with questions regarding eligible diagnoses) or to Lindsay (regarding questions specific to an evaluation plan). Another great resource to use is the MN OHD manual. To download the most updated version of the OHD Manual, visit: www.mnlowincidenceprojects.org.

Below is a chart that helps explain the spectrum of licensed health care providers who can provide written documentation of a student’s medically diagnosed health condition (which was amended in 2016.