Definitions in Mild/ Moderate Disabilities

IDEA, first passed in 1975, reauthorized in 1997 by the US Congress, and reauthorized again most recently in 2004, defines who qualifies for special education.

Between the ages of 3 and 9 students can be identified as Developmentally Delayed in one or more of the following areas:

physical
cognitive
communication
social/emotional
adaptive

After age nine students qualify for special ed if they have been diagnosed with one or more of the following:

specific learning disabilities
speech or language impairments
mental retardation
emotional disturbance
multiple disabilities
hearing impairments
orthopedic impairments
other health impairments
visual impairment
autism
deaf-blindness
traumatic brain injury

The four high-incidence disabilities fall under the mild/moderate heading. They are LD, EBD, MR, and ADHD.

Teaching Strategies for Students with Mild to Moderate Disabilities, Mary Anne Prater