1. Learning Disabilities: This broad category includes difficulties in specific academic areas like reading (dyslexia), writing (dysgraphia), or math (dyscalculia). It's important to note that learning disabilities are *not* the result of intellectual disabilities or lack of instruction.
2. Intellectual Disabilities: This involves significant limitations in both intellectual functioning (reasoning, problem-solving) and adaptive behavior (daily living skills). Severity varies greatly.
3. Emotional/Behavioral Disorders: This includes conditions such as anxiety, depression, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), and conduct disorder. These significantly impact a child's ability to learn and interact socially.
4. Speech/Language Impairments: This covers difficulties with articulation, fluency (stuttering), voice, language comprehension, and/or language expression.
5. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): This is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by persistent deficits in social communication and interaction, and restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities. The spectrum encompasses a wide range of severity.
6. Physical Disabilities/Health Impairments: This encompasses a wide range of conditions, from cerebral palsy and spina bifida to chronic illnesses like asthma, diabetes, or cancer, that impact a child's physical capabilities and may affect their learning and development.
It's crucial to understand that these categories often overlap, and a child might have multiple exceptionalities. This list is not exhaustive, and other exceptionalities exist, such as visual or hearing impairments, which could also be included in a broader categorization.