Reading problems can be the result of a visual disability—for example, poor eyesight. That’s why checking a student’s vision is an important part of evaluation; to eliminate visual impairment as the root of difficulties the student is experiencing. Similarly, difficulty in understanding what is being said or in responding may have its roots in a hearing impairment. Evaluation should involve checking the student’s hearing to make sure that a hearing loss is not involved. Writing difficulties that result from a disability”—meaning a “motor disability that impairs fine or gross motor skills—could not be considered a SLD. Mental retardation Mental retardation is a separate disability category under IDEA. It varies from SLD in numerous respects, even while both may cause learning difficulties. Mental retardation is defined as “significantly general intellectual functioning, existing concurrently with deficits in adaptive behavior and manifested during the developmental period, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance” [§300.8(c)(6)]. Emotional disturbance it is possible for emotional disturbance (ED) to impact learning in many ways similar to a specific learning disability, it is defined within IDEA as a separate disability category. Students with ED may have a learning disability, of course, but under IDEA, if a student’s learning problems are primarily the result of having an emotional disturbance, then the team cannot determine that the student has a SLD.
Reading problems can be the result of a visual disability—for example, poor eyesight. That’s why checking a student’s vision is an important part of evaluation; to eliminate visual impairment as the root of difficulties the student is experiencing. Similarly, difficulty in understanding what is being said or in responding may have its roots in a hearing impairment. Evaluation should involve checking the student’s hearing to make sure that a hearing loss is not involved. Writing difficulties that result from a “motor disability”—meaning a disability that impairs fine or gross motor skills—could not be considered a SLD. Mental retardation Mental retardation is a separate disability category under IDEA. It varies from SLD in numerous respects, even while both may cause learning difficulties. Mental retardation is defined as “significantly general intellectual functioning, existing concurrently with deficits in adaptive behavior and manifested during the developmental period, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance” [§300.8(c)(6)]. Emotional disturbance it is possible for emotional disturbance (ED) to impact learning in many ways similar to a specific learning disability, it is defined within IDEA as a separate disability category. Students with ED may have a learning disability, of course, but under IDEA, if a student’s learning problems are primarily the result of having an emotional disturbance, then the team cannot determine that the student has a SLD.
sld_notes.docx