The federal government, through legislation entitled the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA), states that a child with a disability means a school-age child (ages 6-21) who has been evaluated and determined to have one of the following disabilities listed below that adversely affects the child’s educational performance and who therefore needs special education and related services. The law also requires public schools to provide services to preschool age students (ages 3-5) with disabilities if they are at least three years of age and not age six and, have a disability demonstrated by a documented deficit in one or more areas of development, which has an adverse effect upon development and functioning. To qualify as a student with a disability, a student must meet the definition of one or more of the following disability categories:
A. Preschool-Age Children (ages 3-5)
B. School Age (ages 6-21) students with identified disability conditions:
- Intellectual Disability
- Autism
- Multiple Disabilities
- Other Health Impairment
- Specific Learning Disability
- Orthopedic Impairmentally Handicapped
- Developmentally Handicapped
- Severe Serious Emotional Disturbance
- Hearing Impairment (Including Deafness)
- Visual Impairment (Including Blindness)
