Sensory, Physical,

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Sensory, Physical, Medical Disabilities

• EXC 7770
• Dr. Susan Brown
• Kennesaw State University

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Limitations

• adaptive devices
• attendance
• fatigue
• functional limitations
• medication/treatment effects
• pain

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Sensory Impairments
Hearing Impairment
Visual Impairment
4
Hearing Impairment

• Prelingual deafness
• onset before language development
• Postlingual deafness
• onset after language development
• Conductive loss
• air or bone conduction disruption
• Sensory loss
• interference in inner ear or neural pathways
• Cochlea
• primary organ of hearing
• connects inner ear pathways to brain pathways

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Levels of hearing loss

• Hard of hearing
• 35-70 decibel loss
• Educationally - can learn language through
  hearing
• Deaf
• greater than 70 decibel loss
• Educationally - cannot learn language through
  hearing

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Visual Impairment

• Visual functioning
• use of residual vision
• Low vision
• significant visual impairment but usable vision
• Partially sighted
• 20/70 - 20/200 vision
• Educationally - requires large print

7
Visual Impairments

• Blind
• 20/200 or less vision
• 20 degrees or less field of vision
• Educationally - requires Braille

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Developmental maturation

• Cephalo-caudal (head to tail)
• Proximal-to-distal (central to peripheral)
• Gross-to-fine
• Physiological flexion (general bending at joints)
  to antigravity control
• Stability to mobility to skilled movement
• (Heller, Alberto, Forney Schwartzman, 1996)

9
Physical Impairments

• Muscular
• Muscular dystrophy
• Muscular sclerosis
• Skeletal
• Arthritis
• Osteogenesis
• Scoliosis

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Health Impairments

• Abuse
• Aids
• Allergies
• Asthma
• Cancer

• Cystic Fibrosis
• Diabetes
• Hemophilia
• Hepatitis
• Sickle Cell Anemia

11
Congenital and Acquired Impairments

• Amputation/missing limbs
• Eating disorders
• Heart disorder
• Respiratory
• disorders

12
Neurological

• Seizures
• Spina Bifida
• Traumatic Brain Injury