Multiple disabilities

Multiple disabilities is a term for a person with more than one disability. A person with both a sensory disability and a motor disability would qualify.

Characteristics

Disabilities vary in number and severity, and often accumulate with age.

Psychological disabilities include feeling ostracized, withdrawing from society; excessive fear, anger, and upset in the face of forced or unexpected changes; and self-injurious behavior. Immature behavior inconsistent with chronological age, impulsive behavior and limited capacity to endure frustration, difficulty forming relationships, limited self-care skills and limited independent living skills.

Physical disabilities include seizures, sensory loss, hydrocephalus, scoliosis, visual impairment, hearing impairment, orthopedic impairment, autism, and speech/language impairment.

Families

Disabilities such as seizures, require deliberate effort to ensure safety at home. Financially, medical/transport fees may burden families. Family members or professional caregivers may be required to ensure safety, with complications increasing with the number of disabilities.

United States

In the United States, the term names a special education classification under which students are eligible for services through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA.^[1]

In some states, legislation specified that to qualify, at least one of a student's disabilities must be intellectual disability. Individuals classified as having multiple disabilities usually have more than one significant disability, such as orthopedic impairment, sensory impairment, and/or behavioral 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 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]