Overview

The multiple disabilities category is the eighth most prevalent type of disability found among school-aged children. The term multiple disabilities refers to the combination of coexisting impairments that cause severe educational needs that cannot be accommodated for one impairment only. IDEA states that these disabilities can be “classified as orthopedic, emotional or behavioral, or sensory disabilities” (Baron, 2022, pg. 1). An example of this would be a student who has an intellectual disability (ID) with vision impairment. The only dual disability that does not fit into this category is deaf-blindness because it has its own category under IDEA. The only time that deaf-blindness does fit into this category is when the student has an additional disability (Kansas State Department of Education, 2020).

Strengths

The strengths of students with multiple disabilities are wide and varied. The strengths of the students all depend on the types and severity of the disability types. For instance, students with multiple physical impairments may not have the strength to move about, but they could have very strong academic skills or other strengths. They may have a strong sense of humor, may be very loving and social, or have technical skills. Students without physical impairments may have physical strengths and other types of strengths depending on their disability types.

Needs

Because various combinations of disability types may exist under this disability classification, students with multiple disabilities have many varying needs that are dependent on the types and severity of their disabilities. There are some common needs in students with multiple disabilities, however, and many times, their needs can be met in a normal school setting. For instance, students with multiple disabilities may struggle with social interactions, including interactions that require extended attention, mobility, and oral speech. Due to their disability, they may also be absent from school for long periods of time, resulting in missed content, or struggle with their medications being stabilized to best support their needs (Multiple Disabilities).

Supporting Students with Multiple Disabilities

Common Teaching Strategies

According to Paths to Literacy, here are some ways to help promote learning among students with multiple disabilities:

• Promote development of cognitive skills through active participation with hands-on materials (e.g. exploring big/little, wet/dry, heavy/light).
• Focus on establishing a recognized means of communication that is consistently reinforced and built upon by the family and all members of the team.  For example, if a child is using objects to communicate choices (i.e. selecting one from a choice of two items at snack time, such as an apple and a cracker), then these objects should be incorporated into literacy activities.
• Vocabulary should be familiar to the child and should be presented in a way that is clear and consistent.  To the extent possible, using the same terms across settings (including home and school) will support learning. Are they shoes or sneakers?  Belly or tummy?  These may seem like small differences, but to someone who is just developing formal language skills, consistency may be helpful.
• Provide exposure to a wide variety of literacy materials, using real objects and adaptations to make them as accessible as possible to an individual student.  Be sure that books and other literacy materials are available at home and in the classroom.  This may include storyboxes, experience books (written by the student as well as by others in the class), and books with braille, tactile symbols, and real objects.
• Avoid miniature representations, as these are often not meaningful to children with visual impairments and additional disabilities. For example, a section of a seat belt may be a better representation of a car than a small, matchbox car.  Similarly, with a weather chart, cotton balls for clouds or snow and glue drops for rain are not as meaningful as a wool hat or an umbrella.
• Create routines that sequence events with a clear beginning, middle, and ending.  These can be routines of daily living, such as brushing teeth, or they can be activities, such as making a snack.  Learning to follow a sequence of events helps to establish an understanding of what will come next.  Tactile books about basic routines are a good way to make early literacy experiences meaningful. (Instructional Strategies for Students with Multiple Disabilities)

References

Baron, A. (2022). Multiple disabilities: Characteristics, prevalence & causes. Study.com. Retrieved from https://study.com/learn/lesson/multiple-disabilities-characteristics-prevalance-causes.html

Kansas State Department of Education. (2020). Kansas State Department of Education Fact Sheet – Multiple Disabilities. Retrieved from chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.ksde.org/Portals/0/ECSETS/FactSheets/FactSheet-SpEd-MD.pdf

National Center for Education Statistics. (2022). Students With Disabilities. Condition of Education. U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences.

U.S. Department of Education. (2018). Sec. 300.8 Child with a disability. Retrieved from https://sites.ed.gov/idea/regs/b/a/300.8