Eligibility
Before your child can receive special education services, the school must first find your child eligible as a child with a disability. The definition of child with a disability is found in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) regulations. Read Section 300.8 Child with a disability.
Has an intellectual disability, emotional disturbance, an orthopedic impairment, a hearing impairment, deafness, a speech or language impairment, a visual impairment including blindness, autism, traumatic brain injury, other health impairment, a specific learning disability, deaf-blindness, or multiple disabilities
and
Needs special education as determined by an evaluation team.
To determine if you child meets the criteria, an evaluation is done. See the Timelines and Evaluation pages for more information about the process.