Impairment
A publication of NICHCY
Disability Fact Sheet #15
March 2012
Introduction
Other Health Impairment
is one of the 14 categories of
disability listed in our nations
special education law, the
Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act (IDEA). Under
IDEA, a child who has an
other health impairment is
likely to be eligible for special
services to help the child
address his or her educational,
developmental, and functional
needs resulting from the disability.
IDEA
s Definition
IDEAs
of OHI
Before we talk about how to
access those special services,
lets look at how IDEA defines
other health impairment. This
definition, in combination with
a states policies, is a very
important factor in whether or
not a child is found eligible for
services. IDEA states that:
Other health impairment
means having limited
strength, vitality, or alertness, including a heightened alertness to environmental stimuli, that results
is the
National Dissemination Center
for Children with Disabilities.
NICHCY
1825 Connecticut Avenue N.W.
Washington, DC 20009
1.800.695.0285 (Voice / TTY)
202.884.8200 (Voice / TTY)
nichcy@fhi360.org
http://nichcy.org
If your child has a health impairment, especially one listed in IDEA, you will want to find out
all you can about these service systems. They can be
incredibly helpful for your child. A lot of information is available on NICHCYs website, and we
encourage you to visit, read the summaries of early
intervention and special education and related
services, and use the active links to connect directly
with those systems of help in your area.
NICHCY: http://nichcy.org
Mayo Clinic | Look under Diseases and Conditions for comprehensive guides to hundreds of
different conditions, not just those related to
the heart. http://mayoclinic.com/
NICHCY: http://nichcy.org
For more information on hemophilia in English and Spanish, contact the National Hemophilia Foundation, at (800)
42-HANDI and www.hemophilia.org
Lead poisoning. Lead can build up in the body
over a period of months or years. Even a small
amount of lead in the body can cause serious
problemshence, the term lead poisoning. Being
exposed to lead-based paint or paint dust is the
most common avenue to lead poisoning.
Children under the age of six are especially
vulnerable, because their mental and physical
abilities are still developing. Signs of lead poisoning are rather nonspecific, sometimes making
diagnosis more difficult. Symptoms include:
irritability, loss of appetite, weight loss, sluggishness, abdominal pain, vomiting, constipation,
unusual paleness from anemia, and learning
difficulties.
For more information in English and Spanish
on lead poisoning, contact the National Lead
Information Center, at (800) 424-LEAD (5323)
and www.epa.gov/lead/nlic.htm
Leukemia. Normally, the bone marrow in our
bodies produces white blood cells to defend
against infections. Leukemia develops when the
marrow produces too many white blood cells and
whats produced are abnormal. Leukemia is considered a cancer of the bone marrow and blood. There
Other Health Impairment (FS15)
Symptoms of ALL
include: tiredness or no
energy, shortness of
breath during physical
activity, pale skin, mild
fever or night sweats, slow
healing of cuts and excess
bleeding, black-and-blue marks
(bruises) for no clear reason,
pinhead-size red spots under the skin, aches in
bones or joints (for example, knees, hips or shoulders), and low white cell counts. A child showing
any such symptoms should visit a healthcare
professional for examination, to identify the cause.
NICHCY: http://nichcy.org
Are children with Tourette syndrome automatically eligible for special education and related
services? The plain answer is: No. Eligibility will
depend on several factors and a careful study of the
evaluation results. As IDEAs definition of OHI
indicates, the childs educational performance must
be adversely affected as a result of the syndrome.
Interestingly, Tourette syndrome was explicitly added to the OHI category in the 2004
Amendments to IDEA. According to the
U.S. Department of Education, the
syndrome was specifically named in the
definition of other health impairment because:
SickleCellKids.org
A fun, educational website for kids
with sickle cell anemnia.
http://www.sicklecellkids.org/
Informacin en espaol
http://www.ascaa.org/espanol.php
NICHCY: http://nichcy.org
Informacin en espaol
http://tsa-usa.org/aTSA_Espanol/
bienvenidos.html
Life at School
Health impairments can affect a students
educational performance. In fact, for a child to
qualify for special education services in the public
schools under the category of OHI, the health
impairment must affect the childs educational
performance.
NICHCY: http://nichcy.org
medical services, which are provided for diagnostic and evaluative purposes only, and which are
defined as services provided by a licensed
physician to determine a childs medically
related disability that results in the childs need
for special education and related services [34
CFR 300.34(c)(5)];
special feedings;
suctioning;
NICHCY: http://nichcy.org
Transition issues.
Medical Home Portal.
http://www.medicalhomeportal.org/livingwith-child/transition-issues
hospital to home
home to school
school to school
hospital to school
school to work or
college
pediatric to adult
health care (Pola-Money, 2005).
This publication is made possible through Cooperative Agreement #H326N080003 between FHI 360 and the Office
of Special Education Programs, U.S. Department of Education. The contents of this document do not necessarily
reflect the views or policies of the Department of Education, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products,
or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.
NICHCY: http://nichcy.org