Under IDEIA, which category includes a range of symptoms such as difficulty coping, and schizophrenia is included in this category?

Under IDEIA, which category includes a range of symptoms such as difficulty coping, and schizophrenia is included in this category?

• A. Autism
• B. Emotional disturbance
• C. Deafness
• D. Hearing impairment

Answer: (B)

Under IDEIA, the category that encompasses a broad range of emotional and behavioral conditions that can affect how a student learns is emotional disturbance. This category is defined by patterns of emotional or behavioral responses that persist over time and to a marked degree, which interfere with educational performance. Difficulty coping with everyday stresses, along with more serious mental health issues, can fall into this category if they impede learning. Schizophrenia fits here because it is a serious mental health disorder that can disrupt thinking, mood, perception, and functioning, and when such symptoms adversely affect schooling, the student may be eligible under this category for special education services or supports. Autism focuses on developmental communication and social interaction differences; deafness and hearing impairment relate to auditory capacity. These do not describe the wide range of emotional/behavioral problems that ED covers, so they aren’t the appropriate category for schizophrenia.

Under IDEIA, the category that encompasses a broad range of emotional and behavioral conditions that can affect how a student learns is emotional disturbance. This category is defined by patterns of emotional or behavioral responses that persist over time and to a marked degree, which interfere with educational performance. Difficulty coping with everyday stresses, along with more serious mental health issues, can fall into this category if they impede learning.

Schizophrenia fits here because it is a serious mental health disorder that can disrupt thinking, mood, perception, and functioning, and when such symptoms adversely affect schooling, the student may be eligible under this category for special education services or supports.

Autism focuses on developmental communication and social interaction differences; deafness and hearing impairment relate to auditory capacity. These do not describe the wide range of emotional/behavioral problems that ED covers, so they aren’t the appropriate category for schizophrenia.