Multiple disabilities

Multiple disabilities is a term for a person with a combination of disabilities, for instance, someone with both a sensory disability and 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] Not every governmental education entity uses the classification, however.

In some states, legislation indicates that in order to be classified as having "multiple disabilities", at least one of a student's documented disabilities must include 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 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. In the psychological realm, these may include feeling ostracized, a tendency to withdraw from society; becoming fearful, angry, and upset in the face of forced or unexpected changes; and self-injurious behavior.

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

A variety of medical problems may accompany severe disabilities. Examples include seizures, sensory loss, hydrocephalus, and scoliosis. Many disabilities impact activities of daily living. Possible disabilities that can be comorbid include 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. Effort is needed to ensure their safety at home in times of events such as seizures. Financially, the medical/transport fees may place burdens on the family. The effort needed to ensure safety of the person may require family members to take turns to look after that person. A lot of patience may be required with individuals with multiple disabilities.

Individuals

People with multiple disabilities may have difficulty in basic physical mobility, and experience fine-motor deficits that can cause penmanship problems. They may have slow clerical speed.

They may lack high level thinking and comprehension skills, as well as have poor problem-solving skills. Ability to engage in abstract thinking is limited. They tend to forget skills through disuse and have trouble generalizing skills from one situation to another.

They may have only limited speech or communication; the speech may be characterized by substitution or omissions. They may face problems in socializing with peers.

Further issues include that they:

• May be poor test taker due to limiting factors of the disabilities
• May have difficulty locating the direction of sound
• May have difficulty learning about objects and object relationships
• May lack maturity in establishing career goals