Severe and Multiple Disabilities Stephanie Skurski Emily Subers

Severe and Multiple Disabilities Stephanie Skurski & Emily Subers

Introduction Severe and multiple disabilities that involve significant physical, sensory, intellectual, and/or social-interpersonal performance deficits (Hardman, Egan, & Drew, 2015) Definition according to IDEA: “Multiple disabilities refers to concomitant [simultaneous] impairments (such as intellectual disability-blindness, intellectual disability-orthopedic impairment, etc. ), the combination of which causes such severe educational needs that they can not be accommodated in a special education program solely for one of the impairments. The term does not include deafblindness. ” (Understanding “Multiple Disabilities”, 2016) Video

Characteristics (National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities [NICHCY], 2015) 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 Most common characteristics include: limited speech or communication difficulty in basic physical mobility tendency to forget skills through disuse trouble generalizing skills from one situation to another a need for support in major life activities

Prevalence (Center for Parent Information and Resources, 2016) An equal number of girls and boys are affected. According to the U. S. Department of Education, 140, 209 students living with multiple disabilities received services in 2002.

Causes (NICHY, 2015) In most cases, the cause of severe and multiple disabilities is unknown Most common causes may include: abnormal chromosomes developmental problems in the brain environmental issues disorder in genetic metabolism complications during or after birth head trauma and disease later on in life

Assessments Used to Identify the Disability (Hardman et al. , 2015) Common for a pediatrician to make the diagnosis right after birth or within the first year of a child’s life, as they miss certain developmental milestones When a concern is identified, formal assessments are given by an interdisciplinary team: Pediatrician, speech and language pathologists, physical/occupational therapists, and early intervention specialists Assessments include evaluation of: Fine and gross motor skills Reflexes Vision / Hearing Breathing control

Interventions for Multiple Disabilities (Hardman et al. , 2015) Early diagnosis and early intervention is key to treating children and youth with multiple disabilities Early Childhood Years Services and supports are both child- and family-centered and holistic Include infant stimulation programs to provoke sensory, cognitive, and physical responses that help newborns connect with their environment Preschool Aged Children Continued emphasis on family involvement Goal is to maximize social communication, motor skills, cognitive skills, self-care, play, etc. for child

Interventions Cont’d (Hardman et al. , 2015) Elementary School Years Self-determination- to enhance a child’s independence level both in the community and at home Positive relationships with parents and family members show support for the child and more collaboration when working with school programs Effective educational programs focus on function skills- skills that will be meaningful to the child in multiple environments Assistive technology can be used to increase, maintain or improve functional capabilities of students with multiple disabilities (includes communication aids) Adolescent Years Important goals for transitioning to adult life:

Article 1 A Survey on Literacy Instruction for Students with Multiple Disabilities Purpose of study: Investigated the attitudes and instructional practices of teachers of students with visual impairments and multiple disabilities For the purposes of this study literacy is defined as the ability to use words Methods & Procedures: Survey consisting of short-answer and forced-choice questions about teacher demographics, training, caseload, and type of literacy instruction A total of 82 surveys with an average of 16 years experience and 15 students per caseload Results: More than 70% of the teachers reported they felt well prepared to teach students with multiple disabilities

A Survey on Literacy Instruction for Students with Multiple Disabilities (Durando, 2008)

Article 2 Engaging Preschool Children With Severe and Multiple Disabilities Using Books and i. Pad Apps Purpose of Study: Child engagement is an important goal for early childhood intervention Use of technology with preschool aged children with severe and multiple disabilities is limited Researchers wanted to investigate the potential of books and i. Pad apps to engage children attending inclusive early childhood settings Methods: 3 children with severe and multiple disabilities, all attending a childcare center, had been observed to have severe limitations in engagement with people and materials None of the children could communicate verbally (Two of the three were diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder) Parent’s responded to a survey to give researchers more information about devices used at home with children Procedures:

Engaging Preschool Children With Severe and Multiple Disabilities Using Books and i. Pad Apps Results: Future Research: Use multiple participants and different treatment designs to compare engagement with a larger group of students An extension of the research to include a generalization phase, taking it to the inclusive setting rather than one on one to see if their levels of engagement in a distracting environment stays high over an extended period of time (Kemp, Stephenson, Cooper & Hodge, 2016)

References Center for Parent Information and Resources, Multiple Disabilities (2016). Retrieved from http: //www. parentcenterhub. org/repository/multiple/# Durando, J. (2008). A survey on literacy instruction for students with multiple disabilities. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 102(1), 40 -45. Retrieved from http: //rose. scranton. edu/login? url=http: //search. proquest. com/docview/222041423? accountid=28588 Hardman, M. , Egan, M. , & Drew, C. , (2015). Severe and multiple disabilities, Human exceptionality: School, community, and family (pp. 292 -311). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning. Kemp, C. , Stephenson, J. , Cooper, M. , & Hodge, K. (2016). Engaging preschool children with severe and multiple disabilities using books and i. Pad apps. Infants and Young Children, 29 (4), 249 -266. National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities [NICHCY], Severe and/or Multiple Disabilities NICHCY Fact Sheet 10 (2015). Retrieved from https: //eclkc. ohs. acf. hhs. gov/hslc/ttasystem/teaching/Disabilities/Services%20 to%20 Children%20 with%20 Disabilities/disabl_fts_00016_061105. html Understanding "Multiple Disabilities" | A Guide to the IDEA. (2016). Retrieved from http: //www. specialeducationguide. com/disability-profiles/multiple-disabilities/