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