Definition, Categories, Etiology and Prevalence - Severe and Multiple Disabilities

Multiple and Sever Disabilities

Definitions

The American association known as IDEA identifies students with severe & multiple disabilities as having  some or all these characteristics:

·       Severe language impairments

·       Severe cognitive impairments

·       Evidence of abnormal behaviour

·       Evidence of self-mutilation

·       Evidence of self-stimulation

·       Severe, intense and prolonged temper tantrums

·       Extremely fragile

Another way to think about severe & multiple disabilities is to use one of the following phrases:
Combination of Impairments
This refers to the fact that severe and multiple disabilities are actually the result of a combination of disabilities.  The combination often includes impairments such as  mental retardation and blindness or mental retardation and physical disabilities. Students with a combination of impairments are difficult to accommodate in the regular school system even in special education classes. 

 

Multisensory Impairment

This phrase means that the child will have two or more sensory impairments.  The most common multisensory impairment is deaf-blind. 
 

Multiple Dependent Handicapped

This phrase suggests that children with severe and multiple disabilities will need assistance with more than one area of living.  For example, the student might require assistance with eating and movement or learning and hearing.

 

 

Categories
Multiple disabilities are usually severe disabilities.The most common way to classify severe and multiple disabilities is by the primary and secondary characteristics. 

The primary disability is the condition that causes the child the greatest challenges in learning and/or behaviour.

The secondary disability is any other condition that may become apparent.

The issue with this type of classification is that it may over look the cumulative nature of both the conditions.    Multiple and severe disabilities are cumulative.  The conditions continue to multiply in severity and become more complex as the person ages.

Children with severe and multiple disabilities typically function within 1 % of the lowest group for their age.  They also have two or more areas of development that fall well below the ‘norm’.

 

Etiology
The etiology of multiple disabilities is quite often the same as those of physical impairments.

Rubella, although now greatly controlled, used to account for most recorded cases of multiple disabilities.

Genetic and chromosomal defects only accounts for a small portion of multiple disabilities. In this situation, several body systems are usually affected.

Injuries to the central nervous system, both pre and post natal, are responsible for a significant number of severe and multiple disability cases. Children born under 100grams are especially susceptible to central nervous system damage as are children who are victims of shaken baby syndrome.  50% of infants who survive after contracting meningitis suffer neurological impairments.  The complexity of severe and multiple disabilities seem to be on the rise. 

Prevalence

It is difficult to know how many children fit in this category. This is because children in this category have more than one specific disability. The prevalence rates are very low. Children with severe and multiple disabilities form less than 2 percent of the population. Even the number of persons with deaf-blindness has not increased since 1974.

Check out these videos on multiple and sever disabilities!
Understanding multiple disabilities http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKqN21OdsLQ 

Profound intellectual and multiple disabilities

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MAsTRaR404


School Routine for a Child with Multiple and Severe Disabilities
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6UZzVX5jHU