Multiple disabilities

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Multiple disabilities is a term for a person with several disabilities, such as a sensory disability associated with a motor disability. Additionally, in the United States, it is a special education classification under which students are eligible for services through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA^[1].

Depending on the definition, an intellectual disability may be included in the term "multiple disabilities". Individuals usually have more than one significant disability, such as orthopedic impairment, sensory impairment, and/or a behavior or emotional issues. Under the IDEA, students are labeled with multiple disabilities when their educational disabilities require more than the services that are available for just one of their disabilities. For instance, if a student has a developmental disability, emotional disabilities, and a visual impairment, they may be classified as having multiple disabilities. However, not every student who has more than one disability receives this classification^[2].

Characteristics

People with severe or multiple disabilities may exhibit a wide range of characteristics, depending on the combination and severity of disabilities, and the person’s age. There are, however, some traits they may share, including:

Psychological

May Feel ostracized
Tendency to withdraw from society
Students with multiple disabilities may become fearful, angry, and upset in the face of forced or unexpected changes.
May execute self-injurious behavior

Behavioral

May display an immature behavior inconsistent with chronological age
May exhibit an impulsive behavior and low frustration level
May have difficulty forming interpersonal relationships
May have limited self-care skills and independent community living skills

Physical/health

A variety of medical problems may accompany severe disabilities. Examples include seizures, sensory loss, hydrocephalus, and scoliosis.
May be physically clumsy and awkward
May be unsuccessful in games involving motor skills

(See also characteristics for students with visual impairment, hearing impairment, orthopedic impairment, autism, and speech/language impairment.)

Challenges

Families

A variety of medical problems may accompany severe disabilities. Examples include seizures, sensory loss, hydrocephalus,and scoliosis. Time is needed to ensure their safety at home in times of condition like seizures.
Financially, the medical/transport fees may place burdens on the family.
The effort needed to ensure safety of the person will require family members to take turns to look after that person.
Individuals have only limited speech or communication
Requires a lot of patience with individuals with multiple disabilities

Individuals

Difficulty in basic physical mobility
May experience fine-motor deficits that can cause penmanship problems
May have slow clerical speed.
May tend to forget skills through disuse
May have trouble generalizing skills from one situation to another
May lack high level thinking and comprehension skills
May have poor problem-solving skills
Ability to engage in abstract thinking is limited
May be poor test taker due to limiting factors of the disabilities
May have difficulty locating the direction of sound
May have speech that is characterized by substitution, omissions
May have difficulty learning about objects and object relationships
May lack maturity in establishing career goals
May face problems in socializing with peers

Accommodations/strategies

A multi-disciplinary team consisting of the student’s parents, educational specialists, and medical specialists in the areas in which the individual demonstrates problems should work together to plan and coordinate necessary services.
Involvement of the appropriate professionals (E.g. occupational therapists, speech/language therapist etc.)
The arrangement of places school and homes must be easily accessible.
Have a buddy system that ensures their needs are heard and that they get aid when needed.
Give Simple and Specific and Systematic instructions to what you exactly want the person to do.
Use visual aids when communicating with the child.
Engage the child regularly in oral language activity.

Multiple Disabilities in India

At times, in common usage "Multiple disability" and "cerebral palsy" are used interchangeably. The term is sometimes used to connote mental disability and is accepted for usage in medical fraternity as well as in social life. Many organizations known as "Spastic Societies" viz. Spastic Society of Gurgaon are working in different areas in India as charitable bodies for people with cerebral palsy, autism, intellectual disabilities, and multiple disabilities in caregiving, rehabilitation and medical support of children with neurological muscular development disabilities. Similar organizations are also working very effectively in U.K, U.S.A, Australia and some other countries.

References

Severe and Education of individuals With Multiple Disabilities - Definition and Types of Severe and Multiple Disabilities, MARTHA E. SNELL, StateUniversity.com
Severe and Multiple Disabilities, September 2, 2007, www.angelswithspecialneeds.org
Severe and/or Multiple Disabilities, NICHCY (National Dissemination Center for People with Disabililites)
, START (Special Needs Technology Assessment Resource Support Team)

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