What federal education data shows about students with disabilities in the U.S.
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Public K-12 schools in the United States educate about 7.3 million students with disabilities – a number that has grown over the last few decades. Disabled students ages 3 to 21 are served under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which guarantees them the right to free public education and appropriate special education services.
A recent report from the Pew Research Center provides an update to this issue and some additional insights. I was a bit surprised that the Specific Learning Disability (SLD) eligibility for SpEd services represents almost a third of all cases.
According to the IDEA, the conditions that fall under the eligibility category of Specific Learning Disability for special education services are:
Dyslexia - difficulty with reading skills and spelling
Dysgraphia - difficulty with handwriting and fine motor skills
Dyscalculia - difficulty with math skills and concepts
Dyspraxia - difficulty with motor coordination and sequencing
Auditory processing disorder - difficulty hearing differences between sounds
Visual processing disorder - difficulty interpreting visual information
Language processing disorder - difficulty understanding spoken language
Nonverbal learning disability - difficulty interpreting nonverbal cues like gestures and body language
A student typically needs to exhibit one or more of these conditions, which impair their ability to listen, speak, read, write, spell, or do math calculations, to qualify for special education services under the SLD category. These conditions are neurological in origin and cannot be primarily attributed to other factors.
It’s important to note, however, one can be autistic (AUT), ADHD (OHI), and dyslexic (SLD). Schools will give only one eligibility for SpEd services. It’s usually the one that is causing the teachers the most problems, not the one that is impacting the student’s learning the most. Thus, parents of such students will need to be strong advocates to get their kids all the necessary supports - even when the primary eligibility doesn’t specifically call for them.
What federal education data shows about students with disabilities in the U.S.
What federal education data shows about students with disabilities in the U.S.
What federal education data shows about students with disabilities in the U.S.
Public K-12 schools in the United States educate about 7.3 million students with disabilities – a number that has grown over the last few decades. Disabled students ages 3 to 21 are served under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which guarantees them the right to free public education and appropriate special education services.
A recent report from the Pew Research Center provides an update to this issue and some additional insights. I was a bit surprised that the Specific Learning Disability (SLD) eligibility for SpEd services represents almost a third of all cases.
According to the IDEA, the conditions that fall under the eligibility category of Specific Learning Disability for special education services are:
Dyslexia - difficulty with reading skills and spelling
Dysgraphia - difficulty with handwriting and fine motor skills
Dyscalculia - difficulty with math skills and concepts
Dyspraxia - difficulty with motor coordination and sequencing
Auditory processing disorder - difficulty hearing differences between sounds
Visual processing disorder - difficulty interpreting visual information
Language processing disorder - difficulty understanding spoken language
Nonverbal learning disability - difficulty interpreting nonverbal cues like gestures and body language
A student typically needs to exhibit one or more of these conditions, which impair their ability to listen, speak, read, write, spell, or do math calculations, to qualify for special education services under the SLD category. These conditions are neurological in origin and cannot be primarily attributed to other factors.
It’s important to note, however, one can be autistic (AUT), ADHD (OHI), and dyslexic (SLD). Schools will give only one eligibility for SpEd services. It’s usually the one that is causing the teachers the most problems, not the one that is impacting the student’s learning the most. Thus, parents of such students will need to be strong advocates to get their kids all the necessary supports - even when the primary eligibility doesn’t specifically call for them.