Other Health Impairment (OHI) Disabilities Category and an In-Depth Look at the Most Common Neurobiological Condition for Students

The other health impairment (OHI) disability category refers to a condition that causes limited strength, vitality, or alertness, including heightened alertness to environmental stimuli that results in limited alertness with respect to the educational environment due to a chronic or acute health problem and adversely affects a child's educational performance. This disability category, as explored in this chapter, may include one or a combined type of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, asthma, diabetes, epilepsy, a heart condition, kidney disease, sickle cell anemia, and Tourette's syndrome. As a result of the child's other health impairment, as described above, the child is prevented from receiving reasonable educational benefit from general education.

Comparison of Educationally Labeled and Nonlabeled Adolescents With Emotional and Behavioral Needs

Epidemiologic research suggests a gap between prevalence estimates of students with emotional or behavioral problems and the actual number of students identified under the federal category of emotional disturbance (ED). To better understand issues related to the identification gap, we investigated the academic and behavioral functioning, school-based services, frequency of discipline incidents, and predictors of labels among 626 secondary age students referred for participation in a larger study due to emotional and behavioral difficulties. Students with special education labels (i.e., ED, specific learning disability [SLD], other health impairment [OHI]) were compared to those who did not have a school label. Analyses indicated that there were no significant differences between groups on standardized measures of emotional and behavioral functioning. Academic performance was the only distinction, with students with learning disabilities scoring significantly lower in reading and math than students with other and without disabilities. Students without an ED label received significantly fewer services whereas students with an ED label received significantly higher rates of disciplinary actions. Finally, demographic data examined did not differentially predict receipt of a label.

The Self-Determination Inventory–Student Report: Confirming the Factor Structure of a New Measure

The Self-Determination Inventory–Student Report (SDI-SR) was developed to address the need in the field for new, theoretically aligned measures of self-determination. The purpose of this study was to establish the most robust and efficient set of items to assess the self-determination of adolescents with and without disabilities on the SDI-SR. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), using mean and covariance structures, was used to evaluate the factor structure of the SDI-SR to inform decisions on scale reduction. The items were tested across 20 groups generated by crossing disability (i.e., no disability, learning disability, intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorders, and other health impairment) and race/ethnicity (i.e., White, Black, Hispanic, and Other) groups. A robust set of 21 items that align closely with their associated constructs were identified. These 21 items showed strong measurement properties, including measurement invariance at the item level across the 20 groups. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.

Using a Multicomponent Function-Based Intervention to Support Students With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

The current study evaluated the effects of a multicomponent function-based intervention on students with other health impairment (OHI) for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in a private special education school. The focus of the intervention was to prevent problem behaviors and to increase academic engagement by modifying classroom activities, teaching replacement skills, and changing behavior consequences. Data using a multiple-baseline design across academic subjects revealed that target problem behaviors decreased and academic engagement increased in reading, writing, and mathematical activities for students. Social validity with the classroom staff indicated that the intervention process and outcomes were highly acceptable and effective. In conclusion, this study provides strong evidence that a multicomponent function-based intervention can be successfully applied to students with both ADHD and problem behaviors.