Families in
Transition
Eligibility Explained
To be eligible for an IEP children must:
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Qualify based on at least one of the 14 categories in the law.
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And the disability must have a negative effect on the child’s educational performance, so that they need special teaching or services to make progress in the curriculum.
Categories (Categories with a * have more information when hovered over )
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This can only apply for children between 3 and 9 years old. Once they are over 9 they will qualify under a different category.
Autism
Deaf-blindness
Deafness
This can only apply for children between 3 and 9 years old. Once they are over 9 they will qualify under a different category.
Developmental Delay*
Emotional Disability*
This means a condition that causes at least one of these symptoms for a long period of time. - An inability to learn that cannot be explained by other factors - An inability to build or keep satisfactory interpersonal relationships with peers and teachers - Inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal circumstances - A general mood of unhappiness or depression - A habit to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or school problems Emotional disability includes schizophrenia, obsessive compulsive disorder, conduct disorders etc. Just as with other categories, the emotional disability must be to the point that it negatively impacts the student’s education. Emotional disability does not apply to children who have negative social behaviors unless they’ve been determined to have an emotional disability. To get this child must have had a psychological evaluation
This is for children with a permanent or temporary hearing issue that affects their performance but isn’t deaf.
Hearing Impairment *
Intellectual Disability *
This means intelligence levels that are far below typical, along with lack of adaptive (self help) skills. Child must have had a psychological evaluation including intelligence testing.
A combination of disabilities- for example, orthopedic impairment and intellectual disability.
Multiple Disabilities*
This category is specific to acquired brain injury- brain injury that happened after birth.
Traumatic Brain Injury *
Orthopedic Impairments*
This means a severe physical impairment that affects the child’s educational performance. This can include congenital impairments (ones present at birth), disease, or other causes. Some examples are cerebral palsy, spina bifida or muscular dystrophy.
The important thing to note here is that this includes sight problems that, with glasses, still severely affect the child’s educational performance.
Visual Impairment*
Other Health Impairment*
Basically this is just any other health condition that impacts a child’s educational performance, that doesn’t fit into another category. For example: epilepsy, diabetes, ADHD, asthma, Tourette's syndrome, heart conditions etc.
Communication disorder. Ex. stuttering, voice impairment.
Speech or Language Impairment*
Specific Learning Disability*
This is a disability that impacts a child’s ability to understand or use language. Includes disabilities like dyslexia, developmental aphasia, dysgraphia. There are some extra eligibility criteria for this category to make sure it is correct.