Understanding Other Health Impairment Definition: How It Affects Students’ Learning
As per the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), an Other Health Impairment (OHI) is a condition that hinders a child’s ability to perform regular educational activities in the classroom as a result of chronic or acute physical or health problems. In this article, we will delve deeper into understanding what OHI means, how it affects a student’s learning and how the right strategies can be employed to help them succeed.
What Is Other Health Impairment (OHI)?
OHI is a term used by the United States Department of Education to refer to a physical or health condition that limits a student’s capacity to concentrate, perform bodily or motor functions, maintain healthy peer relationships or otherwise participate in everyday classroom activities.
The definition of OHI is quite extensive and can include various types of impairments such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Diabetes, Asthma, Epilepsy, and more. It can also refer to health conditions that impair a student’s energy levels or causes weakness, such as cancer or muscular dystrophy.
How OHI Affects Students’ Learning
OHI can be very disruptive to a student’s learning and can even hamper their long-term educational objectives. Students with OHI may display a lack of focus, have trouble keeping up with their peers, and may require special accommodations like extra time on tests or assignments to succeed in their academics.
Moreover, a student with OHI may find it hard to form relationships with classmates and engage in extracurricular activities. They may also have difficulty in maintaining a consistent attendance record due to health reasons, thereby adversely affecting their academic progress.
Strategies to Help a Student with OHI
The key to helping students with OHI is to provide them with the right strategies and accommodations, which will enable them to learn and succeed in an environment that is challenging due to their condition. Such strategies and accommodations may include:
1. Special education programs that are designed to cater to the needs of students with OHI. These programs incorporate a multidisciplinary approach that combines several different treatments and therapies tailored to meet the needs of the student.
2. Providing assistive technology such as text-to-speech, speech-to-text, or dictation tools that can help students with OHI complete assignments and tests more efficiently.
3. Incorporating easy-to-follow guidelines and routines to help students with OHI adjust to a predictable schedule. This, in turn, can help them develop greater discipline, better focus, and a higher degree of consistency in performing their academic tasks.
4. Encouraging students with OHI to participate in regular classroom activities like peers without disabilities. This can help to foster greater confidence, create a sense of belonging, and ensure that the student with OHI isn’t left behind.
The Bottom Line
A student’s educational experience can be significantly affected if they have an Other Health Impairment (OHI). But with the right accommodations and strategies, students with OHI can achieve their learning objectives and succeed in their academic careers. It is important for educators to be aware of the specific needs and challenges faced by students with OHI, and for parents to work closely with schools to ensure their children get the best possible education.
