School teams are often tasked with making complex eligibility and support decisions for students whose academic, behavioral, social-emotional, or developmental needs may overlap across disability categories. This session provides educators with a practical framework for understanding the distinctions among Emotional Disability (ED), Other Health Impairment (OHI), and Autism, while emphasizing that disability classification should be grounded in evaluation data and individual student needs, not simply a diagnosis or presenting behavior. Through interactive case studies tailored to classroom contexts and teacher responsibilities, you’ll examine how student characteristics, educational impact, and evaluation findings inform classification and the alignment of appropriate school-based supports and services.
By the end of this session, you will be able to:
- Distinguish key characteristics and eligibility considerations associated with ED, OHI, and Autism, including areas of overlap and common misconceptions
- Analyze case studies tailored to teachers that use multiple sources of student data to identify how disability characteristics and educational impact may inform eligibility and classification decisions
- Connect classification to practice by identifying how evaluation findings and student needs should guide individualized supports, services, and collaborative decision-making within the school setting
Facilitator: Dr. Tamika La Salle-Finley
