A child with a disability may be eligible for special education services. Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) regulations, there are currently 13 categories of disability: (Read Section 300.8 Child with a disability):
- Autism
- Intellectual disability
- Emotional disturbance
- Orthopedic impairment
- Hearing impairment
- Deafness
- Speech or language impairment
- Visual impairment including blindness
- Traumatic brain injury
- Other health impairment
- Specific learning disability
- Deaf-blindness
- Multiple disabilities
A child must also be in need of specially designed instruction as determined by an evaluation team.
An evaluation is done to determine if your child meets the criteria listed. The child must have a disability and need specially designed instruction to be found eligible. See the Timelines and Evaluation pages for more information about the process.