Spring 2007

Special Education Criteria

Linda Thews

Julie Toshner

Spring 2007

AUTISMSignificant delays or differences in both:

• Social Participation

• Communication

In addition, exhibits impairments in at least one of the following:

• Developmental Rates and Sequences

• Cognition

• Sensory Processing

• Behavioral Repertoire

Spring 2007

COGNITIVE DISABILITIES

Criteria:

Intellectual

Adaptive

Academic

Spring 2007

Intellectual

• Initial

– standard score of 2 or more standard deviations below the mean (<70)

• Re-evaluation

– standard score between 1 and 2 standard deviations below the mean (<85)

– documented as having a cognitive disability in the past

– condition is expected to last indefinitely

Spring 2007

Adaptive

• Deficits in 2 or more areas of adaptive behavior as demonstrated by a standard score of 2 or more standard deviations below the mean (<70)

– Communication (3-21)

– Self-care (3-21)

– Home living skills (3-21)

– Social skills (6-21)

– Appropriate use of resources in the community (6-21)

– Self-direction (6-21)

– Health and safety (6-21)

– Applying academic skills in life (6-21)

– Leisure (6-21)

– Work (14-21)

Spring 2007

Academic Functioning

• Age 3-5

– Standard deviation of 2 or more standard deviations below the mean in at least 2 of the following:

• Academic readiness

• Comprehension of language or communication

• Motor skills

Spring 2007

Academic Functioning

• Age 6-21– Standard deviation of 2 or more

standard deviations (<70) below the mean in the following areas:

• Academic Knowledge: Science, Social Studies, Humanities

• And at least 2 of the following:– Written language

– Reading

– Mathematics

Spring 2007

Emotional Behavioral Disability-EBD-

Spring 2007

EBD DefinitionEBD Definition

Definition includes 3 key concepts:

• Social, emotional or behavioral functioning

• So departs from generally accepted• Adversely affects 1 or more: academics,

social relationships, personal adjustment, classroom adjustment, self-care, vocational skills.

Spring 2007

The 3 Criteria

• The student must meet all of the following:

Severe, chronic and frequent

Occurs in school & at least 1 other setting

Displays any of the 8 characteristics

Spring 2007

8 Characteristics

• Interpersonal relationships...

• Inappropriate responses...

• Pervasive moods...

• Physical symptoms...

• Inability to learn...

• Extreme withdrawal...

• Extreme aggressiveness...

• Others that are so different...

Spring 2007

Cannot include or exclude a student SOLELYSOLELY on the basis of:

• Another disability

• Social maladjustment

• Adjudged delinquent

• Dropout

• Chemically Dependent

• Cultural deprivation, familial instability, suspected child abuse, socio-economics

• Medical or psychiatric diagnoses

Spring 2007

Specific Learning Disabilities

-SLD-

Spring 2007

What is a Specific Learning Disability

• The term “specificspecific learning disability” means a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processespsychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, which may manifest itself in imperfect ability toimperfect ability to listenlisten, , thinkthink, , speakspeak, , readread, , writewrite, , spellspell, , or door do mathematical calculationsmathematical calculations.

Spring 2007

Triangulation is the Key

Classroom Achievement

Significant Discrepancy Information Processing

Exclusions

Need for Special

Education

Spring 2007

SLD CriteriaAreas of Achievement Delay & Discrepancy

• oral expression• listening comprehension• written expression• basic reading skill• reading fluency• reading comprehension• mathematics calculation• mathematics reasoning

Spring 2007

Classroom Achievement

• The child’s ability to meet the instructional demands of the classroom and achieve commensurate with age and ability peers in one or more of the achievement areas listed is severely delayed

Spring 2007

Significant Discrepancy

• There is a significant discrepancy between intellectual ability and academic achievement in one or more areas

Spring 2007

Information Processing Deficit

The team will document an information processing deficit linkedlinked to the achievement delay and significant discrepancy

Spring 2007

Information Processing Deficit

•An information processing deficit means a pattern of severe problems with storage, organization, acquisition, retrieval, expression, or manipulation of information

Spring 2007

Exclusions

• The team may not identify an individual as having SLD if the team determines that the significant discrepancy between ability and achievement is primarily due to:– other impairments specified in federal and state

law– Insufficient instruction in reading or mathematics– limited English proficiency – environmental, cultural, or economic disadvantage

Spring 2007

SLD Criteria- Eligibility Sec. 614 (b)(6)

New Provision:

In determining whether a child has a specific learning disability, a local educational agency may use a process that determines if the child responds to scientific, research-based intervention as a part of the evaluation procedures

Spring 2007

Core Concepts of RtI2002 National Research Center on Learning Disabilities

• General ed instruction is research-based

• Students assessed in the curriculum

• Universal screening conducted by school staff

• Continuous progress monitoring

• Monitoring pinpoints difficulties

• Use of specific, research-based interventions

• Progress monitoring data determines the effectiveness of interventions

• Multiple tiers of interventions

Spring 2007

Academic Systems Behavioral Systems

1-5% 1-5%

5-10% 5-10%

80-90% 80-90%

Intensive, Individual Interventions•Individual Students•Assessment-based•High Intensity•Of longer duration

Intensive, Individual Interventions•Individual Students•Assessment-based•Intense, durable procedures

Targeted Group Interventions•Some students (at-risk)•High efficiency•Rapid response

Targeted Group Interventions•Some students (at-risk)•High efficiency•Rapid response

Universal Interventions•All students•Preventive, proactive

Universal Interventions•All settings, all students•Preventive, proactive

A Tiered Level of Support Might Look Like:

Spring 2007

Other Health Impaired (OHI)

• Has a chronic or acute health problem

• Results in limited strength, vitality or alertness

• Adversely affects a child’s educational performance

Spring 2007

Orthopedic Impairment (OI)

• Severe orthopedic impairment

i.e. muscular/skeletal

• Adversely affects a child’s educational performance

Spring 2007

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

• An acquired injury to the brain caused by an external physical force

• Functional disability and/or psychosocial impairment

• Adversely affects a child’s educational performance

Spring 2007

Speech & Language

• Speech or Language Impairment means:

An impairment of speech or sound production, voice, fluency, or language that significantly affects educational performance or social, emotional or vocational development.

PI 11.36(5)(a)

Spring 2007

Hearing Impairment (HI)

• … significantly adversely affects a child’s educational performance including academic performance, speech perception and production, or language and communication skills.

• A current evaluation by a licensed audiologist shall be one of the components for an initial evaluation of a child with a suspected hearing impairment.

Spring 2007

10

FREQUENCY IN CYCLES PER SECOND (HZ)

0

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

110

120

125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000

HE

AR

ING

LE

VE

L (

dB

HL

) X

XX X

X

O O O O O

Spring 2007

Visual Impairment (VI)

• Documentation from ophthalmologist or optometrist

• Functional Vision Assessment

• Impaired visual functioning adversely affects educational performance

• Orientation & Mobility Assessment

Spring 2007

Significant Developmental Delay(SDD)

An EARLY CHILDHOOD Label

• “Early Childhood” in Wisconsin:

– up to 6 years old.

Spring 2007

Significant Developmental Delay

• 1.5 standard deviation below the mean on a standardized instrument in at least 2 areas including:– Physical (fine or gross motor)

– Cognitive

– Communication

– Emotional

– Adaptive

Spring 2007

Other necessary Components

• Hearing Screening

• Vision Screening

• Observation in the child’s daily environment

• Developmental Health History

Spring 2007

Is there a Need for Special Education?

Consideration for all Disabilities

Spring 2007

A child may meet criteria for an impairment, but if there is no need for special education, the child does not meet criteria for being considered a child with a disability.

Need For Special EducationPI 11.35(3)

• “Disability” means impairment and need for special education

• Not automatic

Spring 2007

Need For Special Education

• Why does the child, because of the needs resulting from the impairment require special education?

Spring 2007

Need For Special Education

Needs that cannot be met in regular education as structured

The IEP Team must address the following:

Spring 2007

Modifications, if any, in regular education that allow the student access to the general education curriculum and to meet the educational standards that apply to all students such as:– Adaptation of content

– Adaptation of methodology

– Adaptation of delivery of instruction

Need For Special Education

Spring 2007

Need For Special Education

Additions or modifications, if any, not provided in the general curriculum

– Replacement content

– Expanded core curriculum

– Other supports

Questions