Does your child struggle with academics, and you are concerned that they may have a disability? Have you been told by special education personnel that your child does not fit any of the 13 eligibility classifications to receive special education services? This article will discuss the 13 classifications of disability, that are covered in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and make a child eligible for special education services. Whether a certain child is eligible is up to the parent and the IEP team, but having a disability in one of the 13 categories is required in order to be found eligible.
The categories are:
1. Autism: A developmental disability that can affect the verbal and nonverbal communication, social interaction, and can have a negative affect on the child’s education. The prevalence of autism is 1 in 150 as determined by the CDC or Center for Disease Control.
2. Other Health Impaired (OHI): The child exhibits limited strength, alertness, due to chronic or acute health problems, including but not limited to asthma, ADD/ADHD, cancer, diabetes, which negatively affects the child’s education.
3. Mental Retardation: Defined as significantly below average general functioning, with deficits in adaptive behavior, which negatively affects the child’s education.
4. Emotional Disturbance (ED): Exhibits one of the following conditions over an extended period of time and these conditions negatively effect a child’s education. An inability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory or health factors. For a child to be ED they are not supposed to have any other type of disability negative affecting their education.
5. Deafness: Residual hearing is severely impaired in processing the spoken word, negatively affecting the child’s education.
6. Hearing Impairment: Exhibits a hearing loss that is permanent or fluctuating, which even with amplification negatively affects the child’s education.
7. Visual Impairment: Impairment is such that educational potential cannot be fulfilled without special services and materials.
8. Deaf-Blindness: Child has both hearing and visual disabilities.
9. Specific Learning Disability (LD): Exhibits a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological process (such as visual, motor, language etc) which negatively affects a child’s education.
10. Multiple Disabilities: The child exhibits two or more severe disabilities, one of which is mental retardation.
11. Orthopedic Impairment: Displays severe impairments that are the result of congenital anomaly, developmental, or other causes (such as CP) which negatively affects the child’s education.
12. Speech or Language Impairment: Exhibits a communication disorder, such as stuttering, impaired articulation, a receptive and/or expressive language disorder, that negatively affects the child’s education.
13. Traumatic Brain Injury: The child has an injury to their brain resulting in total or partial functional disability.
By knowing what categories are covered under IDEA you will be able to understand if your child has a disability that makes them eligible for special education services. You are the only advocate that your child has-do not let them down!
By: JoAnn Collins
Posts Tagged ‘S Education’
Obama’s Education Opinion is the Right Stuff
January 24th, 2010
Obama says testing alone is not the solution for improving student performance. The countries financial investments should support better K12 teaching not testing. In his opinion we are attacking the education system which we should be trying to bolster. Obama says too much time is spent preparing students for No Child Left Behind testing. The results of these failed policies are putting a strangle hold on education. Student’s minds are no longer nourished by the knowledge that teachers impart. How can a teacher focus on course content when their schools very existence hinges on testing scores? Obama says we need to make a greater investment in changing education.
He also states that teachers should be paid higher salaries. The teaching profession has lost its glimmer because our country is not investing in K12 education. Obama’s opinion in this area shows that he is looking at the future. Within the next ten years a massive number of teachers will retire. It will be difficult to replace them if teachers cannot make a living wage. These potential teachers will go into other professions. Teachers want to work in a country where they do not have to struggle due to financial obligations after college.
Our country needs new leadership to effectively craft teacher and student friendly education policy. Obama is striking the right cord with many educators who are in higher education. He has taken his campaign to college campuses around the country. He is demonstrating how much he values the opportunity to be educated. Obama’s family could not afford to send him to the most expensive K12 schools but he still learned the value of education. He wants to open the doors for many students who feel that the doors of higher education will never open for them.
Obama is demonstrating the true qualities of a leader. His history of serving as a volunteer in his community has put him in touch with the education gap that is like the Grand Canyon in many of our nation’s inner cities. His thirst for change in the way that we educate our nation’s youth is a breath of fresh air. Obama has an opinion that United States citizens should unit around the value of improving access to good education.
The country needs to remain competitive in the global markets of the world. Obama says that if our current lack of investment in education continues we will not compete with the rest of the world. Based on a recent assessment the United States ranks twenty-ninth in math and science knowledge. The country is losing its place as a world leader. All of the other countries around the world are increasing their investment in education. The United States continues to flounder at implementing strategic education policy. The country needs a plan that positions our workers to be the most educated workforce in the world.
Based on the response of voters around the country they are looking for a leader who will stand up and speak out on education. Obama has the right stuff because he knows the boundaries that a limited education can cast on a child’s entire life. When a young person desires to learn is extinguished in the forth grade they will never recover. Obama has the attitude and motivation of a Presidential candidate that wants education to take its rightful place in our society. He proves that he is the right person to change the direction of education in this country.
By: Stephen Jones Sr
Single Working Mothers Saving Money For College Education
December 28th, 2009
Financial times are tight when you’re a single mom. When you are a single working mother saving for your kid’s education, it means double duty at not only providing a financially secure and safe environment for your child and yourself, but you also have to think about your future and theirs. There are many ways that a working single mother can provide a sound financial future for their child’s education, but as with some things you may have to look for them.
A good budget is the first place to start when you’re looking at saving for a child’s education. You have to know where the money is coming from by knowing what finances are coming in and what finances are going out. Start with a balance and know how much you have any certain month, and where you want to spend the extra money that has come in. Add extra money say a hundred dollars every month with a part time business. Take that hundred dollar paycheck that can be earmarked and at least twenty percent of it can go into your child’s education fund. Twenty dollars doesn’t sound much like much now, but there are some programs in some states that allow you to put the money into a college savings account like an IRA or a 529 plan. When the child is ready to start college the money would have matured and gained a substantial amount of interest.
Talk to your financial aid officer at school. They are probably knowledgeable about college savings programs. If you have a college picked out for your son or daughter, you can even invest into that college by retaining the tuition at today’s cost instead of paying for the tuition at the cost of the university in twenty years. With the growing interest in obtaining a college degree in America these days, this is your best bet. The ever climbing tuition rates will far exceed any interest you will earn in an interest-bearing savings account.
If you are at a time in your financial life where you get an extra tax refund or some other money, put a good portion of that toward the child’s education account. It’s too easy to go and plan shopping when you have a large amount of cash. It is best to put half the money into the saving account and then go treat yourself. Take yourself and your child on a nice trip that only a single mom and her children would enjoy. Find something nice for the house that you and your child can do together or maybe even spoil yourself some. Go out with some friends and have a good time for an evening but make sure to save and invest some too.
Remember, if you are experiencing hard times going to school yourself right now because of your parent’s lack of knowledge and a savings account, you don’t want your child to go through the same hard times. Set your budget and look at your finances today. Find an account that will have a high bearing interest or a pre-paid tuition program at a local college or university. Without this solid financial planning, you will not be able to cope. Your best choice is to be on your guard by planning for your child’s future, so they can get to school and obtain the education they deserve.
By: Lana Hawkins
