Disability Categories

Massachusetts’ 10 Disability Categories

Autism: includes pervasive developmental disorders, Rett’s disorder, childhood disintegrative disorder

Communication (state regulations define as “communication impairment”): use of expressive or receptive language is significantly limited; includes speech, articulation, stuttering, language impairment, and voice impairment

Developmentally Delayed: learning capacity of a young child (ages 3-9) is significantly limited

Emotional (state regulations define as “emotional impairment”, federal regulations use the term “emotional disturbance”): includes pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression; or a tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or school problems, over a long period of time and to a marked degree

Intellectual (state regulations define as “intellectual impairment”, federal regulations use the term “mental retardation”): limited cognitive functioning

Neurological (state regulations define as “neurological impairment”, federal regulations use the term traumatic brain injury): includes the use of memory, information processing, organizational skills, social skills, speech, and language

Physical (state regulations define as “physical impairment”): includes severe orthopedic impairments or impairments caused by congenital anomaly, cerebral palsy, amputations, and fractures

Sensory (state regulations defines as “sensory impairment”): includes hearing and vision

Specific Learning Disability (federal regulations include dyslexia, dyscalculia, and dysgraphia): includes disability in reading, writing, spelling, mathematics, listening, thinking, and speaking

Other Health Issue (state regulations define as “health impairment”): including but not limited to ADHD, asthma, lead poisoning, leukemia, nephritis, rheumatic fever, and sickle cell anemia