A publication of the National Dissemination
Center for Children with Disabilities
General Information about Disabilities:
Disabilities That Qualify Infants, Toddlers, Children, and Youth for Services under the IDEA
General Resources 3 (GR3)
2002
Approx. 8 pages when printed.
PDF version
Introduction
Every year, under the federal law known as the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act (IDEA), millions of children with disabilities receive special
services designed to meet their unique needs. For infants and toddlers with
disabilities birth through two and their families, special services are provided
through an early intervention system. For school-aged children and youth
(aged 3 through 21), special education and related services are provided
through the school system. These services can be very important in helping children
and youth with disabilities develop, learn, and succeed in school and other
settings.
Who is Eligible for Services?
Under the IDEA, states are responsible for meeting the special needs of eligible
children with disabilities. To find out if a child is eligible for services, he
or she must first receive a full and individual initial evaluation. This evaluation
is free. Two purposes of the evaluation are:
- to see if the child has a disability, as defined by IDEA, and
- to learn in more detail what his or her special needs are.
Infants and Toddlers, Birth Through Two. Under the IDEA, “infants
and toddlers with disabilities“ are defined as children from birth through
age two who need early intervention services because they. . .
...are experiencing developmental delays, as measured by appropriate diagnostic
instruments and procedures, in one or more of the following areas:
- cognitive development.
- physical development, including vision and hearing.
- communication development.
- social or emotional development.
- adaptive development; or
...have a diagnosed physical or mental condition that has a high probability
of resulting in developmental delay.
The term may also include, if a state chooses, children from birth through age
two who are at risk of having substantial developmental delays if early intervention
services are not provided.” (34 Code of Federal Regulations §303.16)
Children Aged 3 Through 9. It is important to know that, under IDEA,
States and local educational agencies (LEAs) are allowed to use the term “developmental
delay” with children aged 3 through 9, rather than one of the disability
categories listed at the top of page 2. This means that, if they choose, States
and LEAs do not have to say that a child has a specific disability. For children
aged 3 through 9, a state and LEA may choose to include as an eligible “child
with a disability” a child who is experiencing developmental delays in one
or more of the following areas:
- physical development,
- cognitive development,
- communication development,
- social or emotional development, or
- adaptive development...
...and who, because of the developmental delays, needs special education and
related services.
"Developmental delays" are defined by the state and must be measured
by appropriate diagnostic instruments and procedures.
Children and Youth Aged 3 Through 21. The IDEA lists 13 different
disability categories under which 3 through 21-year-olds may be eligible for services.
For a child to be eligible for services, the disability must affect the child’s
educational performance. The disability categories listed in IDEA are:
- autism,
- deaf-blindness,
- emotional disturbance,
- hearing impairment (including deafness),
- mental retardation,
- multiple disabilities,
- orthopedic impairment,
- other health impairment,
- specific learning disability,
- speech or language impairment,
- traumatic brain injury, or
- visual impairment (including blindness).
Under IDEA, a child may not be identified as a “child with a disability”
just because he or she speaks a language other than English and does not speak
or understand English well. A child may not be identified as having a disability
just because he or she has not had enough instruction in math or reading.
How Does IDEA Define the 13 Disability Categories?
The IDEA provides definitions of the 13 disability categories listed above.
These federal definitions guide how states define who is eligible for a free
appropriate public education under IDEA. The definitions of disability terms
are as follows:
1. Autism...
...means a developmental disability significantly affecting verbal and nonverbal
communication and social interaction, generally evident before age three, that
adversely affects educational performance. Characteristics often associated
with autism are engaging in repetitive activities and stereotyped movements,
resistance to changes in daily routines or the environment, and unusual responses
to sensory experiences. The term autism does not apply if the child's educational
performance is adversely affected primarily because the child has emotional
disturbance, as defined in #5 below.
A child who shows the characteristics of autism after age 3 could be diagnosed
as having autism if the criteria above are satisfied.
2. Deaf-Blindness...
...means concomitant [simultaneous] hearing and visual impairments, the combination
of which causes such severe communication and other developmental and educational
needs that they cannot be accommodated in special education programs solely
for children with deafness or children with blindness.
3. Deafness...
...means a hearing impairment so severe that a child is impaired in processing
linguistic information through hearing, with or without amplification, that
adversely affects a child's educational performance.
4. Emotional Disturbance...
...means a condition exhibiting one or more of the following characteristics
over a long period of time and to a marked degree that adversely affects a child's
educational performance:
(a) An inability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory,
or health factors.
(b) An inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships
with peers and teachers.
(c) Inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal circumstances.
(d) A general pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression.
(e) A tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal
or school problems.
The term includes schizophrenia. The term does not apply to children who are
socially maladjusted, unless it is determined that they have an emotional disturbance.
5. Hearing Impairment...
...means an impairment in hearing, whether permanent or fluctuating, that adversely
affects a child’s educational performance but is not included under the
definition of “deafness.”
6. Mental Retardation...
...means significantly subaverage general intellectual functioning, existing
concurrently [at the same time] with deficits in adaptive behavior and manifested
during the developmental period, that adversely affects a child’s educational
performance.
7. Multiple Disabilities...
...means concomitant [simultaneous] impairments (such as mental retardation-blindness,
mental retardation-orthopedic impairment, etc.), the combination of which causes
such severe educational needs that they cannot be accommodated in a special
education program solely for one of the impairments. The term does not include
deaf-blindness.
8. Orthopedic Impairment...
...means a severe orthopedic impairment that adversely affects a child’s
educational performance. The term includes impairments caused by a congenital
anomaly (e.g. clubfoot, absence of some member, etc.), impairments caused by
disease (e.g. poliomyelitis, bone tuberculosis, etc.), and impairments from
other causes (e.g., cerebral palsy, amputations, and fractures or burns that
cause contractures).
9. Other Health Impairment...
...means having limited strength, vitality, or alertness, including a heightened
alertness to environmental stimuli, that results in limited alertness with respect
to the educational environment, that—
(a) is due to chronic or acute health problems such as asthma, attention deficit
disorder or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, diabetes, epilepsy, a
heart condition, hemophilia, lead poisoning, leukemia, nephritis, rheumatic
fever, and sickle cell anemia; and
(b) adversely affects a child’s educational performance.
10. Specific Learning Disability...
...means a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved
in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, that may manifest
itself in an imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell,
or to do mathematical calculations. The term includes such conditions as perceptual
disabilities, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental
aphasia. The term does not include learning problems that are primarily the
result of visual, hearing, or motor disabilities; of mental retardation; of
emotional disturbance; or of environmental, cultural, or economic disadvantage.
11. Speech or Language Impairment...
...means a communication disorder such as stuttering, impaired articulation,
a language impairment, or a voice impairment that adversely affects a child’s
educational performance.
12. Traumatic Brain Injury...
...means an acquired injury to the brain caused by an external physical force,
resulting in total or partial functional disability or psychosocial impairment,
or both, that adversely affects a child's educational performance. The term
applies to open or closed head injuries resulting in impairments in one or more
areas, such as cognition; language; memory; attention; reasoning; abstract thinking;
judgment; problem-solving; sensory, perceptual, and motor abilities; psychosocial
behavior; physical functions; information processing; and speech. The term does
not include brain injuries that are congenital or degenerative, or brain injuries
induced by birth trauma.
13. Visual Impairment Including Blindness...
...means an impairment in vision that, even with correction, adversely affects
a child’s educational performance. The term includes both partial sight
and blindness.
Finding Out More About Disabilities
IDEA’s definitions of disability terms help states, schools, service providers,
and parents decide if a child is eligible for early intervention or special
education and related services. Beyond these definitions, there is a great deal
of information available about specific disabilities, including disabilities
not listed in IDEA. NICHCY would be pleased to help you find that information,
beginning with:
- our disability fact sheets and other publications
on the disabilities listed in IDEA;
- contact information for many organizations
that focus their work on a particular disability. These groups have a lot
of information to share.
More About Services
Special services are available to eligible children with disabilities and
can do much to help children develop and learn. For infants and toddlers aged
birth through two, services are provided through an early intervention
system. This system may be run by the Health Department in the state, or another
department such as Education. If you are a parent and you would like to find out
more about early intervention in your state, including how to have your child
evaluated at no cost to you, try any of these suggestions:
- ask your child's pediatrician to put you in touch with the early intervention
system in your community or region;
- contact the Pediatrics branch in a local hospital and ask where you should
call to find out about early intervention services in your area;
- call NICHCY and ask for the contact information for early intervention
in your state. The state office will refer you to the contact person or agency
in your area.
For children and youth ages 3 through 21, special education and related services
are provided through the public school system. Probably the best way to find out
about these services is to call your local public school. The school should be
able to tell you about special education policies in your area or refer you to
a district or county office for this information. If you are a parent who thinks
your child may need special education and related services, be sure to ask how
to have your child evaluated under IDEA for eligibility. Often there are materials
available to tell parents and others more about local and state policies for special
education and related services.
There is a lot to know about early intervention, about special education and
related services, and about the rights of children with disabilities under the
IDEA, our nation's special education law. NICHCY offers many publications, all
of which are available on our Web site or by contacting us directly. We can
also tell you about materials available from other groups.
Other Sources of Information for Parents
There are many sources of information about services for children with disabilities.
Within your community, you may wish to contact:
- the Child Find Coordinator for your district or county (IDEA requires
that states conduct Child Find activities to identify, locate, and evaluate
infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities aged birth through
21);
- the principal of your child's school; or
- the Special Education Director of your child's school district or local
school.
Any of these individuals should be able to answer specific questions about how
to obtain special education and related services, or early intervention services,
for your child.
In addition, every state has a Parent Training and Information (PTI) center,
which is an excellent source of information. The PTI can:
- help you learn about early intervention and special education services;
- tell you about what the IDEA requires;
- connect you with disability groups and parent groups in the community
or state; and
- much, much more!
To find out how to contact your state’s PTI, look at the NICHCY State
Resource Sheet for your state (available on our Web site or by contacting
us directly). You'll find the PTI listed there, as well as many other information
resources, such as community parent resource centers, disability-specific organizations,
and state agencies serving children with disabilities.
This information is copyright free.
Readers are encouraged to copy and share it, but please credit the National
Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (NICHCY). Please share
your ideas and feedback with our staff.
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Academy for Educational Development and the Office of Special Education
Programs of the U.S. Department of Education. The contents of this document
do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Department of Education,
nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply
endorsement by the U.S. Government. |
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