What is Special Education?

Special Education programs are designed for those students who

are mentally, physically, socially and/or emotionally delayed.
This aspect of “delay,” broadly categorized as a developmental
delay, signify an aspect of the child's overall development
(physical, cognitive, scholastic skills) which place them behind
their peers. Due to these special requirements, students’ needs
cannot be met within the traditional classroom environment.
Special Education programs and services adapt content, teaching
methodology and delivery instruction to meet the appropriate
needs of each child. These services are of no cost to the family
and are available to children until they reach 21 years of age.
(States have services set in place for adults who are in need of
specialized services after age 21.)

The Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) defines Special

Education as “specially designed instruction, at no cost to the
parents, to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability,”
but still, what exactly is Special Education? Often met with an
ambiguous definition, the umbrella term of Special Education
broadly identifies the academic, physical, cognitive and social-
emotional instruction offered to children who are faced with one
or more disabilities.
Under the IDEA External link , these disabilities are categorized
into the following areas:

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Autism Spectrum Disorder refers to a developmental disability

that significantly affects communication (both verbal and
nonverbal) and social interaction. These symptoms are typically
evident before the age of three and adversely affect a child’s
educational performance. Other identifying characteristics of
those with ASD are engagement in repetitive
activities/stereotyped movements, resistance to change in
environment and daily routine and unusual responses to sensory
stimuli.

Multiple disabilities

Children with multiple disabilities are those with concomitant

impairments such as intellectual disability + blindness or
intellectual disability + orthopedic impairment(s). This
combination causes severe educational needs that cannot be met
through programs designed for children with a single
impairment. (Deaf-blindness is not identified as a multiple
disability and is outlined separately by IDEA.)

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

Traumatic brain injury refers to an acquired injury to the brain

caused by external physical forces. This injury is one that results
in a partial or complete functional disability and/or psychosocial
impairment and must adversely affect the child’s educational
performance. TBI does not include congenital or degenerative
conditions or those caused by birth-related trauma.

TBI applies to injuries that result in impairments in one or more

of the following areas:

Cognition

Reasoning

Psychosocial behavior
Language

Abstract thinking

Physical functions

Memory

Judgment

Information processing

Attention

Problem-solving

Speech
Speech/Language Impairment

Speech or language impairments refer to communications

disorders such as stuttering, impaired articulation or
language/voice impairments that have an adverse affect on a
child’s educational performance.

Intellectual Disability

Intellectual disability is defined as a significantly below average

functioning of overall intelligence that exists alongside deficits
in adaptive behavior and is manifested during the child’s
developmental period causing adverse affects on the child’s
educational performance.

Visual Impairment (including Blindness)

Visual impairment, which includes blindness, refers to

impairment in one’s vision that, even after correction, adversely
affects a child’s educational performance. The term “visual
impairment” is inclusive of those with partial sight and
blindness.

Deaf; Hearing Impairment

Deafness means a child’s hearing impairment is so severe that it

impacts the processing of linguistic information with or without
amplification and adversely affects a child’s educational
performance. Hearing impairment refers to an impairment
(fluctuating or permanent) that adversely affects a child’s
educational performance.

Deaf-Blindness

Deaf-blindness refers to concomitant visual and hearing

impairments. This combination causes severe communication,
developmental and educational needs that cannot be
accommodated through special education programs solely for
those children with blindness or deafness.

Developmental Delay
Developmental delay is a term designated for children birth to
age nine, and is defined as a delay in one or more of the
following areas: cognitive development, physical development,
socio-emotional development, behavioral development or
communication.

Emotional Disturbance

Emotional disturbance refers to a condition that exhibits one or

more of the following characteristics both over an extended
period of time and to an exceptional degree that adversely
affects a child’s educational performance:

An inability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual,

sensory or health factors

An inability to build and/or maintain satisfactory interpersonal

relationships with peers and teachers

Inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal

circumstances
A general pervasive mood of unhappiness/depression

A tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated

with personal or school problems

Emotional disturbance does not apply to children who are

socially maladjusted unless they are determined to have an
emotional disturbance as per IDEA’s regulations.

Specific Learning Disability

Specific learning disability refers to a range of disorders in

which one or more basic psychological processes involved in the
comprehensive/usage of language — both spoken or written —
establishes an impairment in one’s ability to listen, think, read,
write, spell and/or complete mathematical calculations. Included
are conditions such as perceptual disabilities, dyslexia (also
dyscalculia, dysgraphia), brain injury, minimal brain
dysfunction and developmental aphasia. Specific learning
disabilities do not include learning problems that are the result
of visual, auditory or motor disabilities, intellectual disability,
emotional disturbance or those who are placed at an
environmental/economic disadvantage.
Orthopedic Impairment

Orthopedic impairment(s) refer to severe orthopedic

impairments that adversely affect a child’s academic
performance. Orthopedic impairment(s) include those caused by
congenital anomalies and diseases, as well impairments by other
causes (i.e. Cerebral Palsy).

Other Health Impairment(s)

Other health impairments refer to a limitation in strength,

vitality or alertness, resulting in limited alertness to one’s
educational environment. These impairments are often due to
chronic or acute health problems — including ADD/ADHD,
epilepsy, and Tourette’s syndrome — and adversely affect the
child’s educational performance.
In order to be deemed eligible for state Special Education
services, IDEA states that a student’s disability must adversely
affect his or her academic achievement and/or overall
educational performance. While defining these adverse effects
are dependent on a student’s categorical disability, eligibility is
determined through a process of evaluations by professionals
such as a child’s pediatrician/specialists, school psychologists
and social workers. After a student is deemed able to receive
such services, their progress is annually reviewed. Read more
about evaluations and IEP reviews here.