Disability Categories

The New Hampshire Rules for the Education of Students with Disabilities identifies 14 educationally disabling conditions:

1. Autism: Applies to a child with a developmental disability that significantly affects verbal and nonverbal communication and social interaction that is generally evident before age three and that adversely affects educational performance.

2. Deaf/Blindness: Problems of deafness and blindness at the same time which cause communication or other developmental and educational problems that require special education.

3. Deafness: A hearing loss so severe that the child doesn't receive information through his/her hearing. This may or may not require a hearing aid (amplification) and will negatively affect a child's educational performance.

4. Developmental Delay: This term applies to a child between the age of 3 and 9 years who needs special education because of significant impairment in one or more of the following areas of development: physical, cognitive, communication, social or emotional or adaptive development. A child must also meet the requirements for identification under one of the other categories listed here.

5. Emotional Disturbance: A child who shows inappropriate behaviors or feelings under normal circumstances, general depression, excessive school fears or who can't develop normal relationships with classmates or teachers. In order for these conditions to be considered an emotional disability, they must be exhibited over a long period of time and to a marked degree and must negatively affect the child's educational performance.

6. Hearing Impairment: A hearing loss, either consistent or fluctuating, which affects the child's educational performances negatively.

7. Intellectual Disability: Significantly below average intelligence with difficulties in being able to change or adapt behaviors, as a situation requires. This problem shows up during a period of the child's life where it affects his/her educational performance.

8. Multiple Disabilities: Requires at least two concomitant disabilities which are evaluated and documented in the student’s evaluation record. This primary disability refers to concomitant impairments which cause severe educational problems.

9. Orthopedic Impairment: A severe orthopedic impairment that adversely affects a student's educational performance.

10. Other Health Impairment: Includes medically diagnosed conditions such as ADD, ADHD, as well as limited strength or alertness due to chronic, acute health problems such as heart disease, TB, rheumatic fever, asthma, and epilepsy which negatively affects a student's educational performance.

11. Specific Learning Disability: A disability that prevents a child from learning academic skills in the usual way. LD may include difficulties in pre-reading skills, reading, writing, language, math, or perceptual skills. It does not include difficulties resulting from economic or cultural disadvantages or low ability.

12. Speech and/or Language Impairment: A communication disorder such as stuttering, speech sound errors, a voice problem, or difficulty in communicating through language which negatively affects a student's educational performance.

13. Traumatic Brain Injury/Acquired Brain Injury: Applies to a child with brain injuries caused by an external physical force or by an internal occurrence such as stroke or aneurysm with resulting impairments that adversely affect educational performance.

14. Visual Impairment/Blindness: Blind or partially-sighted student whose vision problem negatively affects his/her educational performance.