What is the IDEA?

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) ensures special services to children with disabilities nationwide. This act provides each state with specific regulations, guidelines and requirements that guarantee every child a fair education. There are many aspects of education that are made to be extremely difficult when a child with a disability enters the classroom and often in the past these children were not given the chance to receive an adequate education. The IDEA along with other groups/organizations have allowed these children to be given an impartial opportunity in our classrooms and our world. 

Children with disabilities are often identified in the early elementary grades and sometimes even pre-school. Normally a teacher or qualified professional identifies the child however a parent can ask for an evaluation if they believe their child may need extra attention. There are thirteen different ways for a child to qualify under the IDEA for special related services; autism, deaf, blind, developmental delays, emotional disturbed, hearing impaired, visual impairment, mental retardation, multiple disabilities, orthopedic impairment, health impairment, specific learning disability, speech/language impairment and traumatic brain impairment (Gifted and Talented children are also considered in some circumstances and in only specific states). Once a child has been identified they must be evaluated and a decision must be made as to whether or not the child truly is disabled?

There are nine steps that are made when a child is under consideration; 1- Identification, 2-Evaluation, 3-Evaluator(s) must determine their eligibility, 4- If the child is eligible they schedule an Individual Education Plan (IEP) meeting. This meeting must be set in the thirty days following the determination of eligibility and usually includes the general classroom teacher, school psychiatrist, special education teacher and sometimes a paraprofessional and principle. 5-They all sit down and write an IEP, 6-the teachers and parents carry out the plan determined, 7-they measure the students progress, 8-the team gets back together and reviews and/or rewrites the IEP and 9-the student must be reevaluated. This nine step program helps to ensure the students growth and advancement. The IDEA uses programs such as this to make a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) available to every student.

A child/student that qualifies under one or more of the thirteen criteria listed above is eligible for many different services. These services are provided to make possible the education of all students. Some of these services include; transportation, speech pathology, audiology, psychology, medical care, counseling, and rehabilitation along with many others. The legislation is consistently revamping the criteria that is provided under IDEA so make sure that you are receiving current information when researching the IDEA. Here are some website that can give you more information on the topics that I have presented to you today. 

1- Building the Legacy of IDEA 2004.  http://idea.ed.gov

2- All About IDEA.      http://specialed.about.com/od/idea/a/ideadefined.htm

3- IDEA related services.    http://www.autism-pdd.net/services.html