Autism-Autism means a developmental disability that significantly affects verbal and nonverbal communication and social interaction evident before age three that adversely affects educational performance.  This includes other pervasive developemental disorders.  Other characteristics often associated with autism are engagement in repetitive activities and stereotyped movements, resistance to environmental change or changes in daily routines, and unusual responses to sensory experiences.  The term does not apply to children who have an emotional disturbance as identified in Ala. Admin. Code r. 190-8-9-.03(4).

Deaf-Blindness-Deaf-Blindness means concomitant hearing and visual impairments, the combination of which causes such severe communication and other developmental and educational needs that they cannot be accommodated in special education programs solely for children with hearing or visual impairments. 

Developmental Delay-A child becomes eligible for this area of disability on his/her third birthday if there is a significant delay in one or more of the following areas:  Adaptive development, cognitive development, communication development, social or emotional development, and/or physical development; and if the child needs special education services.  A child identified with a developmental delay must be evaluated prior to his/her ninth birthday to determine continued eligibility for special educaiton services.  At age nine, a child is no longer eligible in the area of developmental delay and must be eligible in another area of disability in order to continue special education services.  I f a child turns nine during the school year and is eligible for an area of disability, that child may continue to receive special education services in his/her current program for the remainder of that school year.  A child who turns nine during the school year and is no longer eligibile for special education services will be served in general education programs for the remainder of the school year.

Emotional Disturbance-Emotional disturbance means a disability characterized by behavioral or emotional responses so different from appropriate age, cultural, environmental, or ethnic norms that the educational performance is adversely affected.  Educational performance includes academic and/or social/emotional skills.  Such a disability is more than a temporary expected response to stressful events in the environment, is consistently exhibited in the educational environment, and persists despite individualized intervention within the general education and other settings.  One or more of the following characteristics must be exhibited over a long period of time and to a marked degree that adversely affects educational performance:  1.  An inability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, or health factors; 2.  An inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships with peers and teachers/ 3.  Inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal circumstances; 4.  A general pervasive mood of unhappiness or derpression; or 5.  A tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or school problems.  Emotional Disturbance does not include socially maladjusted children unless they meet the criteria for emotional disturbance as defined in Ala. Admin. Code r. 290-8-9-.03(4)1. through 5., but does include children who are schizophrenic.

Emotional Disturbance means a disability characterized by behavioral or emotional responses so different from appropriate age, cultural, environmental, or ethnic norms that the educational performance is adversely affected.  Educational performance includes academic and/or social/emotional skills.  Such a disability is more than a temporary expected response to stressful events in the environment, is consistently exhibited in the educational environment, and persists despite individualized intervention within the general education and other settings.

Hearing Impairment means an impairment in hearing, whether permanent or fluctuating, that adversely affects a child's educational performance.  This term includes both deaf and hard-of-hearing.