Ministry Category and Definition: (As per Ministry of Education–January 1999.)
A learning disorder characterized by specific behaviour problems over such a period of time, and to such a marked degree, and of such a nature, as to adversely affect educational performance and that may be accompanied by one or more of the following:
(a) inability to build or maintain interpersonal relationships
(b) excessive fears or anxieties
(c) tendency to compulsive reaction
(d) the inability to learn which cannot be traced to intellectual, sensory, or other health factors, or any combination thereof
Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board Expanded Description:
A behavioural exceptionality is defined as behavioural, social and/or emotional responses that are of such severity in terms of frequency, intensity and/or duration that the pupil’s performance within the school setting is adversely affected. These behaviours may be manifested as one or more of the following:
• inability to build or maintain interpersonal relationships
• excessive fears or anxieties
• tendency to compulsive reaction
• aggressive, hostile, or violent behaviour
These behavioural responses are not due to another known or identifiable exceptionality, and persist in more than one setting and with more than one individual, even though appropriate modifications in classroom management and changes in the pupil’s academic setting and/or program have been implemented.
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COMMUNICATION
Ministry Category and Definition: (As per Ministry of Education - January 1999.)
A severe learning disorder that is characterized by: a) disturbances in:
• rate of educational development
• ability to relate to the environment
• mobility
• perception, speech, and language b) lack of representational symbolic behaviour that precedes language
Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board Expanded Description:
AUTISM/PERVASIVE DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDER (PDD)
Included in this definition is Autism, Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise
Specified, Atypical Autism, Asperger’s syndrome, Rett’s syndrome and Childhood disintegrative disorder.
A significant impairment in the development of social relationships, verbal and non-verbal communication as diagnosed by an appropriately qualified medical practitioner, psychologist, or psychological associate. Symptoms may include:
• impairment in verbal and non-verbal communication
• lack of appropriate social or emotional interaction with others
• lack of showing, bringing, or pointing out objects of interest to others
• failure to develop peer relationships
• lack of make-believe-play or social imitative play
• restricted, repetitive and stereotyped pattern of behaviour
• extreme variability of intellectual functioning
03 2005 7-7

COMMUNICATION
Ministry Category and Definition: (As per Ministry of Education - January 1999.)
An impairment characterized by deficits in language and speech development because of a diminished or non-existent auditory response to sound.
Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board Expanded Description:
Varying degrees of hearing that require amplification and perhaps specialist teaching in order to comprehend and acquire spoken language. Amplification may include hearing aids, cochlear implants and FM systems. A low percentage of deaf children may need sign language for communication.
03 2005 7-7

COMMUNICATION
Ministry Category and Definition: (As per Ministry of Education - January 1999.)
A learning disorder characterized by an impairment in comprehension and/or use of verbal communication or the written or other symbol system of communication, which may be associated with neurological, psychological, physical, or sensory factors, and which may: a) Involve one or more of the form, content, and function of language in communication and b) Include one or more of the following:
• language delay
• dysfluency
• voice and articulation development which may or may not be organically or functionally based.
Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board Expanded Description:
A learning disorder characterized by an impairment in the comprehension and use of oral and/or written language (listening, speaking, reading or writing), which significantly interferes with communication and academic achievement and may:
• involve one or more of the form, content and function of language in communication and
• include one or more of the following:
• language delay or disorder
• phonological delay or disorder
A language impairment differs from the category of learning disability in that it is not defined by a significant discrepancy between academic achievement and assessed intellectual ability. A language impairment often co-exists with a speech impairment, specifically an articulation and/or phonological disorder. Very young children with language impairment may be re-assessed at a later grade level and identified with a learning disability or with another exceptionality (i.e., Mild Intellectual Disability,
Behaviour, Autism/Pervasive Developmental Disorder, or Developmental Disability).
03 2005 7-7

COMMUNICATION
Ministry Category and Definition : (As per Ministry of Education - January 1999.)
A disorder in language formulation that may be associated with neurological, psychological, physical, or sensory factors, that involves perceptual motor aspects of transmitting oral messages, and that may be characterized by impairment in articulation, rhythm, and stress.
Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board Expanded Description:
An impairment in speech production which significantly interferes with the student’s communication and learning, (e.g. articulation and/or phonological disorder, dysfluency, apraxia, dysarthria, voice and resonance). A speech impairment may also be associated with other exceptionalities such as intellectual, developmental and physical exceptionalities.
03 2005 7-7

COMMUNICATION
Ministry Category and Definition: (As per Ministry of Education - January 1999.)
A learning disorder evident in both academic and social situations that involves one or more of the processes necessary for the proper use of spoken language or the symbols of communication, and that is characterized by a condition that: a) is not primarily the result of:
• impairment of vision;
• impairment of hearing;
• physical disability;
• developmental disability;
• primary emotional disturbance;
• cultural difference; and b) results in a significant discrepancy between academic achievement and assessed intellectual ability, with deficits in one or more of the following:
• receptive language (listening, reading);
• language processing (thinking, conceptualizing, integrating);
• expressive language (talking, spelling, writing);
• mathematical computations; c) may be associated with one or more conditions diagnosed as:
• a perceptual handicap;
• a brain injury;
• minimal brain dysfunction;
• dyslexia;
• developmental aphasia;
Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board Expanded Description:
An ongoing, lifelong condition characterized by a significant impairment in information and/or of language processing, and attributable to a central nervous system dysfunction rather than external or environmental influences. Learning Disability should be diagnosed by an appropriately qualified psychologist or psychological associate. It may be advisable to obtain an assessment from a qualified speech-language pathologist to determine if there are speech and language disorders, in addition to the learning disability.
It is often, but not always, characterized by a significant discrepancy between intellectual functioning (which is typically in the average to above average range, or potentially average) and academic achievement. A large discrepancy is not always apparent with primary age children or in children who have above average intellectual ability.
Difficulties in any of the following areas may be associated with this condition:
• attention and impulsivity
• phonological awareness and phonological processing
• language processing
• conceptualizing
• visual, auditory or symbolic memory
• perception and discrimination
• sequencing, organization and problem-solving
• verbal and non-verbal communication (including other symbol systems of communication)
• reading, writing, spelling and mathematics
• social skills and perception
• emotional maturation
03 2005 7-7

INTELLECTUAL
Ministry Category and Definition: (As per Ministry of Education - January 1999.)
An unusually advanced degree of general intellectual ability that requires differentiated learning experiences of a depth and breadth beyond those normally provided in the regular school program to satisfy the level of educational potential indicated.
Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board Expanded Description:
To be identified as gifted within the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board, a student must score at or above the 98 th percentile on the Full Scale IQ or General Ability
Index (Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children- Fourth Edition) or at or above the 98 th percentile on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Third Edition, or at or above the 98 th percentile on the Overall IQ (Stanford-Binet- Fifth Edition) They may be identified at any age and in any grade.
* Canadian norms will be required for the Wechsler scales as of September 2005
Characteristics of students with gifted intellectual ability may include:
•
A student’s giftedness is not always apparent in regular curriculum areas and is not always demonstrated in the achievement of high grades.
•
Student may display an unusually advanced degree of general intellectual ability.
• Student may have an unusually strong aptitude in a particular area.
•
These students require differentiated programming and learning experiences of a depth and breadth beyond those normally provided in the program in the regular classroom, to satisfy the level of educational potential indicated.
Revised April 2005 DL : cr
03 2005 7-7

INTELLECTUAL
Ministry Category and Definition: (As per Ministry of Education - January 1999.)
A learning disorder characterized by: a) an ability to profit educationally within a regular class with the aid of considerable curriculum modification and supportive service; a) an inability to profit educationally within a regular class because of slow intellectual development; b) a potential for academic learning, independent social adjustment and economic selfsupport.
Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board Expanded Description:
Students with a Mild Intellectual Disability display:
• Intellectual functioning that is in the mild range of intellectual disability, as measured on an individual test of intellectual ability. Care must be taken to ensure that the instruments are suitable for the student’s sociocultural background, native language, education, associated communication, motor and sensory handicaps, motivation and cooperation.
•
Academic achievement is well below average and is commensurate with the student’s intellectual ability. These students are able to meet some curriculum expectations with support.
• These students require intensive programming to realize their potential. They will require modified programs and/or different individualized programs. They may require extra time to achieve their goals at their own pace. It is also important to offer opportunities to develop practical life skills that will enhance their independence in the school and in the community.
03 2005 7-7

INTELLECTUAL
Ministry Category and Definition: (As per Ministry of Education - January 1999.)
A severe learning disorder characterized by: a) an inability to profit from a special education program for students with mild b) intellectual disabilities because of slow intellectual development an ability to profit from a special education program that is designed to accommodate slow intellectual development c) a limited potential for academic learning, independent social adjustment, and economic self-support
Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board Expanded Description:
Students with a Developmental Disability display:
•
Varying degrees of intellectual disability, which are below the mild range of intellectual disability, as measured on an individual test of intellectual ability. Care must be taken to ensure that the instruments are suitable for the student’s sociocultural background, native language, education, associated communication, motor and sensory handicaps, motivation and cooperation.
• There are concurrent disabilities in at least two areas of adaptive functioning (i.e., how effectively individuals cope with common life demands and how well they meet the standards of personal independence of someone in their particular age group, sociocultural background, and community setting): communication, self-care, home living, social/interpersonal skills, use of community resources, self-direction, functional academic skills, work, leisure, health and safety. Adaptive functioning may be influenced by various factors including education, motivation, personality characteristics, social and vocational opportunities and other associated medical conditions. It is essential to gather information from two or more reliable sources
(parents, teacher, medical history, etc.) As with the intellectual assessment, care must be taken to ensure that the instruments are suitable for the student’s sociocultural background, education, associated handicaps, motivation and cooperation.
•
Academic achievement is well below average and is commensurate with the student’s intellectual ability. The student’s ability to meet provincial curriculum expectations will vary according to the student’s strengths and weaknesses.
•
These students require intensive programming to realize their potential. They will require modified programs and/or different individualized programs. They may require extra time to achieve their goals at their own pace. It is also important to offer opportunities to develop practical life skills that will enhance their independence in the school and in the community.
03 2005 7-7

Ministry Category and Definition: (As per Ministry of Education - January 1999.)
A condition of such severe physical limitation or deficiency as to require special assistance in learning situations to provide the opportunity for educational achievement equivalent to that of pupils without exceptionalities who are of the same age or developmental level.
Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board Expanded Description:
An ongoing condition that may limit physical functioning and may require adaptations and assistance, according to the degree of disability. Students may experience difficulty with fine motor and gross motor development; require specialized equipment and/or adaptations to programme goals and learning expectations, and may require adaptations to school environment.
Many students with physical disabilities may access the school curriculum and participate academically and socially in regular school classes. They may require minimal to moderate accommodations, and may also require special equipment.
Other students with chronic health needs may require a great deal of assistance with activities of daily living and may require ongoing medical intervention.
03 2005 7-7

PHYSICAL
Ministry Category and Definition: (As per Ministry of Education - January 1999.)
A condition of partial or total impairment of sight or vision that even with correction affects educational performance adversely.
Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board Expanded Description:
Varying degrees of vision which interfere with progress in a regular educational programme and result in the need for special materials, teaching strategies, classroom accommodations and equipment to facilitate learning (e.g. print modifications, braille instruction and materials).
03 2005 7-7

PHYSICAL
Note: The Ministry of Education does not include this category; nor is a definition of this category provided within the Memorandum of January 15 th , 1999.
Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board Expanded Description:
Deafblindness is a total or partial loss of both vision and hearing, such that neither of these senses can be used as the primary means of learning.
Identification must be supported by assessment from W Ross MacDonald Provincial
School for the Blind and Deaf Blind.
03 2005 7-7

MULTIPLE
Ministry Category and Definition: (As per Ministry of Education - January 1999.)
A combination of learning or other disorders, impairments, or physical disabilities, that is of such nature as to require, for educational achievement, the services of one or more teachers holding qualifications in special education and the provision of support services appropriate for such disorders, impairments, or disabilities.
Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board Expanded Description:
Multiple exceptionalities may include any combination of exceptionalities that are of such a nature as to require a multifaceted approach to meet the student’s unique needs.
03 2005 7-7