What is Special Education?

Special education is governed by federal law under theIndividuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA 2004) Public Law [108-446]. It is defined as "specially designed instruction, at no cost to parents, to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability." Special education provides additional services, supports and programs, for students with special needs. Sometimes these are provided in specialized placements or environments; depending on the needs of the child. The vast majority of students in Special Education receive services in their home school and with non-disabled peers. The range of special education support will vary based on need. There are many guidelines governing Special Education and the website for your local school system is a good resource for parents.

What is a 'disability'?

The term a "child with a disability" refers to a child, who has been identified with one of the state- and federally-recognized disabilities, who needs special education services. In general, this means that, as a result of the disability, the child is having a great deal of difficulty in the regular education program and even with general education interventions and supports requires something more specific for that child to learn.

The disability categories are:

1. Intellectual Disability
2. Hearing Impairment (including deafness)
3. Speech and/or Language Impairment
4. Visual Impairment
5. Emotional Disability
6. Orthopedic Impairment
7. Autism
8. Deaf/Blindness
9. Traumatic Brain Injury
10. Other Health Impairment
11. Specific Learning Disability
12. Developmental Delay
13. Multiple Disabilities

What do I do if I suspect my child has a disability?

Contact your child's teacher or school administrator.  There are a number of school-based programs designed to assist children that are struggling in school.  Educators are trained to work with children with a wide variety of learning needs.  There are also school-based teams of professionals that meet to help design, implement, and monitor specific interventions to assist struggling students.  Most children respond well to these general education interventions.  Parents are important members of our teams, and we want you to be a part of your child's learning and progress.  You can request a team meeting to discuss your child's needs.

If your child is still not making good progress, the team may decide to seek evaluations to help determine the presence of a disability. These evaluations can only be conducted with the informed consent of the parents and are provided at no cost to the family. Once evaluations have been completed, the school team discusses the results with you, the parent, and determines whether or not your child meets the eligibility criteria for one of the federally-defined educational disabilities.

If s/he does, then goals are developed and services are recommended to meet your child's needs in order to help address the needs identified through the evaluations.