Disability Labels

In the world of Special Education there are 13-15 disability labels depending on your state of residence. This article from Understood.org explains the 13 Different Disabilities recognized by IDEA https://www.understood.org/articles/en/conditions-covered-under-idea. The disability label is determined by an Evaluation meeting, which is different from an IEP meeting. An Evaluation happens every 3 years and the driving question asked during an evaluation is “Does this child have a disability, if so what disability?” The IEP meeting happens after there is a determination that the child does have a disability.

It’s important for parents to make sure their child has the proper disability label. However this is an area where assessments and evaluations done by professionals take precedence over the input of parents. One example of disagreement that happens in labeling concerns young women with autism who are mistakenly mislabeled as having Other Health Impairment or Emotional and Behavioral Disorder. However as a parent your agency in this area is somewhat limited, it might be best to focus energy in other areas like Special Education Services and Accomodations.

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