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Applying Eight Criteria that Relate to Student Learning Development

Review the following examples from the Minnesota Department of Education that illustrate how an educational team can link a student’s specific educational needs to his/her health condition. By examining concrete examples, the team will more likely be successful in helping to determine if a student is eligible for special education under the OHD category and provide the supports and services that she/he needs to be successful in the classroom.

Linking Educational Needs to Health Conditions

How to link presenting problems to Part B, Items 1-8 of OHD Criteria

In order for students to be eligible for special education, their health condition must be linked to their educational difficulties. Here are some examples that illustrate that relationship:

• The student’s health condition, which results in excessive absences from school or classroom for specialized treatment, interferes with the student’s ability to maintain satisfactory academic progress in comparison to peers. (Part B-1)
• The student’s health condition, which requires specialized treatments during the school day, interferes with the student’s ability to complete classroom assignments within timelines comparable to those of peers. (Part B-2)
• The student’s health condition, which requires administration of specific medications during the school day, interferes with the student’s ability to be in class consistently. (Part B-3)
• The student’s health condition, causing poor or limited strength, results in the student’s inability to handle materials, transition within the building, or participate in physical education and classroom activities. (Part B-4)
• The student’s health condition, causing limited endurance, results in the student’s inability to complete written assignments and requires intermittent rest time. (Part B-5)
• The student’s health condition, which causes him/her to fatigue easily, interferes with the student’s ability to remain on task or complete assignments at a level comparable to that of peers. (Part B-4 & 5)
• The student’s level of pain resulting from the chronic or acute health condition causes limited endurance, strength, increased fatigue, or distractibility, and the need for medication during the school day. (Part B-4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
• The student’s level of distractibility interferes with ability to attend during lecture in comparison to peers. (Part B-6)
• The student’s level of distractibility interferes with ability to remain on task at a level comparable to that of his peers. (Part B-6 & 8)

These examples provide you with some ideas about types of observations you might need to make and the type of data you might need to gather to provide the student’s educational team with information that will help determine whether or not a student is eligible for special education services in the OHD category. You may want to reflect on one of the students whom you currently support and observe the specific aspects of his/her acute or chronic health condition that adversely affect the ability to complete educational tasks in a timely manner as compared to peers without OHD.

References  

Information in this unit was used with permission from:

Minnesota Department of Education. (2007). Other Health Disabilities Web page. Retrieved March 27, 2007, from http://education.state.mn.us/mde/Learning_Support/Special_Education/Categorical_Disability_Information/Other_Health_Disabilities/

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