How does a child qualify for services under IDEA?
To be eligible for special education services under IDEA, a child must meet two requirements: • The child must have one or more of the following disabilities: • Autism • Deafness • Deaf-blindness • Hearing Impairment • Mental Retardation • Multiple Disabilities • Orthopedic impairment • Other health impairment • Serious emotional disturbance • Specific learning disability • Speech or language impairment • Traumatic brain injury • Visual impairment (including blindness). • The child’s disability must affect how he or she does in school. If parents (or guardians) believe that a child meets both these requirements, they should request in writing that the child’s school evaluate the child. If a school thinks a child should be evaluated, it may also initiate an evaluation. In either case, parental permission is required for an evaluation to take place, and the school must evaluate the child at no cost to the parents. If a child’s school refuses to evaluate the child, it must provide an expl
