Does my child belong in Special Education?

Step One: Determine Eligibility
Does your child have one of the thirteen disabilities recognized by the Individual Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) that qualify him or her to receive special education services? They are autism, developmental delay, specific learning disability, speech or language impairment, emotional disturbance, traumatic brain injury, deaf-blindness, visual impairment, hearing impairment, mental retardation, multiple disabilities, orthopedic impairment, or other health impairment. Note: Some States may name these disabilities slightly differently.

Step Two: Determine Need
Does your child's disability adversely affect his or her educational performance? Whether the child's education is being adversely affected can become a "gray" area. If a child is failing, or nearly failing in school even after simple accommodations have been put in place, then one can see the adverse quality. Simple accommodations are those such as seating arrangements, a study buddy, and double checking for understanding of instructions.

Step Three: Formal Evaluation
A formal evaluation must be done to see if your child meets the qualifying factors stated above. No child can be evaluated without your written approval. You may request a formal evaluation if you believe that your child might qualify for special education services.

If you believe your child's learning disability is having an adverse affect on his or her education, but the school doesn't agree, there are additional steps you can take, see my article titled, "Working with the Special Education Team When You Disagree."

Also if your child does have a learning disability, but it is not adversely affecting his or her education they may qualify for a 504 plan. A 504 plan is a legal document to put accommodations in place to help your child succeed in school.See my article tilted "Can a 504 Plan help my child?"