Special Education Categories

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are also known as Pervasive Developmental Disorders. The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) offers access to resources such as the Minnesota Autism Project and Network and additional information regarding autism and related disorders.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) (off-site link)

Deaf-Blindness means concomitant hearing and visual impairments. The combination causes such severe communication and other developmental and educational needs that cannot be accommodated in special education programs solely for children with deafness or children with blindness.

Deaf-Blindness

Developmental Cognitive Disability (DCD) is defined as a condition that results in intellectual functioning significantly below average and is associated with concurrent deficits in adaptive behavior that require special education and related services.

Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH)

Developmental Cognitive Disability (DCD) is defined as a condition that results in intellectual functioning significantly below average and is associated with concurrent deficits in adaptive behavior that require special education and related services.

Developmental Cognitive Disabilities | Moderate/Severe Mental Impairment (DCD-MS)

A child up to age seven who is experiencing a measurable delay in development according to diagnostic instruments and procedures fits the Developmental Delay (DD) disability category.

Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE)

A child up to age seven who is experiencing a measurable delay in development according to diagnostic instruments and procedures fits the Developmental Delay (DD) disability category.

Emotional/Behavior Disorder

OHD includes a wide range of chronic or acute health conditions that may be mild or severe. Medications, treatments, therapies, and repeated hospitalizations can affect a student's ability to learn and function at school.

Other Health Disabilities

These students have medically diagnosed, chronic, physical impairment, either congenital or acquired, that may adversely affect physical or academic functioning and result in the need for special education and related services.

Physically Impaired (PI)

Specific Learning Disability (SLD) is a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using spoken or written language. The disability may be exhibited as an imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or do mathematical calculations. SLD also includes conditions such as perceptual disabilities, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia.

Specific Learning Disabilities

There are four generally recognized types of speech or language impairments: fluency disorder, voice disorder, articulation disorder, and language disorder.

Speech or Language Impaired (SP/L)

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is an acquired injury to the brain resulting in functional disability and/or psycho-social impairment that may adversely affect a student's performance and result in the need for special education and related services.

Traumatic Brain Injuries

Users can access statewide technical assistance resources addressing special education and services for students who are blind or visually impaired.

Visually Impaired