Diagnosis vs. Disability Category

Many parents are surprised to find that the "disability category" qualifying their child for special education and related services is different from their medical "diagnosis." For young children moving from First Steps to preschool, the criteria that qualified them for services may not be the same as the criteria that makes them eligible for public school services when they turn threee. Federal law (IDEA 2004, Part B) has 13 disability categories that States must use to determine if students, age 3-21, are eligible to receive special education and related serviecs.

Here are some examples:

* A child with Down Syndrome may be eligible for IDEA services under "Mental Retardation (MR)" or "Speech Impairment (SI)." Down Syndrome is the child's Medical Diagnosis; MR or SI is his or her Disability Eligibility Category.

* A child with Cerebral Palsy who qualifies for special education and related services under "Orthopedic Impairment (OI)." CP is the medical diagnosis; OI is the disability category.

The federal law (IDEA) uses the following terms to define a child with a disability.
* Autism
* Deaf-Blindness
* Hearing Impaired/Deafness
* Emotional Disturbance
* Other Health Impairment
* Mental Retardation/Intellectual Disorder
* Orthopedic Impairment
* Specific Learning Disability
* Language Impaired
* Traumatic Brain Injury
* Multiple Disabilities
* Sound System Disorder
*Speech Fluency/Speech Voice
* Young Child with a Developmental Delay

IDEA contains definitions for each of these disability terms.

What Parents Need To Know:

Parents should recognize that a diability label should open doors for their children, allowing them access to services-not limiting them. When schools assign a child a disability category , it is being done only to ensure that a student is eligible to receive special education or related services. A student's disability category should not take away from his or her individual gifts and talents or lower expectations.

For More Information:
Please view the link Missouri State Plan for Special Education