What is Special Education? According to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Special Education is specially designed instruction that meets the unique needs of students ages 3-21 that have a disability.   These services are provided by the public school and are free of charge.

What is considered a disability? IDEA identifies the following 13 categories as disabilities:

·         autism

·         deaf-blindness

·         Deafness

·         emotional disturbance

·         hearing impairment

·         mental retardation

·         multiple disabilities

·         orthopedic impairment

·         other health impairment

·         specific learning disability

·         speech or language impairment

·         traumatic brain injury

·         visual impairment (including blindness)

How does a child qualify for Special Education services? Your child must be identified as having one of the disabilities listed and it must adversely affect their educational performance.

Additional information and resources can be found at:

http://www.understandingspecialeducation.com/index.html

http://www.doe.mass.edu/sped/parents.html