When a child is having difficulty at school, parents often wonder what to do. Fortunately, laws like the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) require schools to provide tailored support to students with learning disabilities. 

However, to get services under the IDEA, students must have a qualifying disability. But which disabilities qualify? 

This article explains the learning disabilities covered under the IDEA. It also answers questions like, “Does a medical diagnosis automatically make my child eligible for an IEP?” Finally, it explains how a therapeutic day school in New York City can help students who often have behaviors that meet the criteria for learning disabilities.  

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA): What it Does  

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires public schools to give students with qualifying disabilities the support that they need to learn. It must be provided in the same setting as non-disabled students unless there is a legitimate reason to put them in a separate educational environment. 

Students who qualify for IDEA support receive Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). IEPs require public school teachers and public schools to modify instruction so the student can learn effectively despite their disability. This makes it a powerful tool for parents of children with learning challenges.   

The 13 Disability Categories Under the IDEA 

After your child is evaluated by a qualified professional, the IEP team must determine whether the child has one of 13 possible qualifying disabilities as listed in the IDEA. (All quotes in this section come from Section 300.8 of the relevant federal regulations.) 

1. Autism. Autism is  “a developmental disability significantly affecting verbal and nonverbal communication and social interaction . . .” Autism can affect a student’s ability to work with teachers and peers. Reluctance to change and sensory issues can also make school challenging. 

2. Deaf-blindness. Deaf-blindness means simultaneous hearing and visual impairments, “the combination of which causes . . . severe communication and other developmental and educational needs” that cannot be accommodated in a program for students with just one of the disabilities. 

3. Deafness. Deafness is “a hearing impairment that is so severe that the child is impaired in processing linguistic information through hearing, with or without amplification, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance.” Students with hearing loss may exhibit language delays in the classroom. 

4. Emotional disturbance. A student has an emotional disability when they satisfy five factors, including “an inability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, or health factors” and “inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal circumstances.” This category includes schizophrenia but not social maladjustment. Emotional difficulties can lead to disciplinary issues and friction with teachers and peers.

5. Hearing impairment. This category covers hearing issues that “adversely affect a child’s educational performance” but do not fall under the definition of deafness. A student who is hard of hearing would fit in this category. 

6. Intellectual disability. This phrase refers to “significantly subaverage general intellectual functioning . . . that adversely affects a child’s educational performance.” These children typically have lower test scores and learn more slowly. 

7. Multiple disabilities. This category serves children who have one or more impairments that, when combined, cause “severe educational needs that . . . cannot be accommodated in special education programs solely for one of the impairments.” 

8. Orthopedic impairment. This category helps children affected by musculoskeletal issues, regardless of cause, that affect a student’s learning. Some of these impairments may make fine motor skills, such as writing, more difficult. 

9. Other health impairment (OHI). OHI applies when a student has “limited strength, vitality, or alertness” caused by a chronic condition “such as asthma, attention deficit disorder or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, diabetes, epilepsy, a heart condition, hemophilia, lead poisoning, leukemia, nephritis, rheumatic fever, sickle cell anemia, [or] Tourette syndrome” that negatively impacts their school performance. This category covers such a wide range of factors that it is often referred to as the “catch all” category of the IDEA. 

10. Specific learning disability (SLD). This category covers students who have flaws in the mental processes that control spoken or written language. These students tend to struggle with tasks related to their challenges. Dyslexia is one example.

11. Speech or language impairment (SLI). This category helps children with speech issues such as stuttering. These students often struggle with reading and grammar. 

12. Traumatic brain injury (TBI). A TBI is a brain injury that causes cognitive, language, memory, or other issues that affect a child’s academic progress. In the classroom, these students may experience memory issues, fatigue, and difficulty with emotional control. 

13. Visual impairment (including blindness). This category addresses students with vision issues that persist even with corrective lenses or other aids. Both full and partial blindness are covered.

Bonus category: Developmental delay. Congress added an optional fourteenth category, developmental delay. New York chose to allow IEPs under this category, but only until age five. 

Does a Disability Diagnosis Automatically Lead to Eligibility under the IDEA? 

After your child is evaluated by a qualified professional, the team (including the parents) must determine that your child has a disability that falls under one of the 13 categories above. Then, the term must decide whether the disability “affects the student’s academic progress such that individualized education services are necessary.” 

In other words, simply having a disability is not enough. For example, assume a student has been diagnosed with autism. Autism is a qualifying disability, but if their autism doesn’t affect their school progress in some way – academically, socially, behaviorally, or otherwise – they likely won’t meet the standard for an IEP. 

How Therapeutic Schools Help Students with Disabilities under the IDEA 

Even after students receive an IEP, traditional schools often struggle to ensure that teachers and other staff follow the plan as written. However, therapeutic schools have smaller class sizes and staff that are specially trained to handle the needs of children with learning challenges. As such, implementing the interventions listed in an IEP is not a burden for these teachers. It is simply one part of the normal school day. 

If you’re wondering whether a therapeutic school might be the right choice for your child and you live in New York City, consider Academics West. We take each student on a “Hero’s Journey” to help them discover their strengths, overcome their challenges, and achieve their true potential. To learn more about our school, take our virtual tour, call 212-580-0080, or use our booking tool to schedule an in-person visit.