SEVERE AND MULTIPLE

DISABILITIES

PRESENTED BY:
VIERNES, SOMIDO, REYES, ESPINOSA
TOPIC OUTLINE
Definition

Causes and Characteristics

School-based Programs
Severe and Multiple
Disabilities
A combination of two or more serious
disabilities, such as cerebral palsy and
mental retardation. Multiple disabilities
have interactional effects whereby
making instruction and learning difficult.
Severe and Multiple
Disabilities
According to Fred Orelove and Dick Sobsey
(1996) they defined individuals with mental
retardation requires extensive or pervasive
assistance due to its more than one significant
motor or sensory disability condition as well as
special health care assistance.
There are two or more characteristics of these
physical and medical problems: sensory
disorders, restriction of movement, seizure
disorders, skeletal deformities, lung and
breathing control, or other medical related
problems to these characteristics, such as
bladder infections or skin breakdown. The dual
sensory impairment, or deaf-blindness, is not
among of this disability group.
 CAUSES
The following are the most common causes:

Negative prenatal
Metabolic disorder
environment influences

Chromosomal Developmental
abnormalities disorder of the brain
 CHARACTERISTICS
A combination disability of the following:

Mental retardation Physical mobility

Hearing Learning

Visual Brain injury, and

possibly others
 Educating Students with
Severe and Multiple Disabilities

SCHOOL-BASED

PROGRAMS
Learners with severe and multiple
disabilities struggles in learning,
easily forget and has difficulty in
generalizing skills from situation to
situation. These could be addressed
through the following:
 1

Education of these students

must start early and continue
at some level throughout life.
 2
Students typically need:

speech and language intervention;

physical and occupational therapy;

students with sensory impairments may need

interpreters and mobility trainers; and

medical needs may require nursing services or supervision.

 3

Curriculum for these students tends

to be functional in nature, reflecting
skills needed in everyday life across
domestic, leisure, school, community,
and vocational domains.
 4

Educational teams of students are often large,

close collaboration between members is
essential if their expertise is to result in
improved student functioning. The benefits of
integrating therapy into natural activities are
widely accepted over the traditional practice
of isolated, or pull-out, therapy.
 4
Learners are taught of the following:

decide choices

communicate in functional ways (which may include AAC

methods such as signing, use of pictures, etc.)

develop useful skills that reduce their dependence on others

learn social skills suited to their chronological age.

 5

Skills are taught in multiple, normalized

settings to lessen general problems. Thus,
communication and social skills are most
effectively taught in the context of interactions
with typical classmates, while job and
community skills are best taught during
community-based instruction.
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