(From PL 105-17 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), New Hampshire RSA 186-C, and the NH Standards for the Education of Students with Disabilities) Child with Educational Disability In order for a child to receive the special education and related services that may be necessary, there must be an identification of an educational disability. Identification of a disability, or "coding" is necessary to describe the kinds of modifications, changes, or additional services that the child needs in order to benefit from education. The identification process must follow the guidelines set by state and federal laws, including evaluations by experts in the area of the disability. Medical reports and evaluations may be required depending on the suspected disability. A child with a condition that does not effect educational progress is not eligible for special education.
New Hampshire RSA 186-C: defines a child with a disability as "…any person three (3) years of age or older but less than twenty-one (21) who has been identified and evaluated by a school district according to the provisions of Ed 1107 and is determined to have autism, deafness, deaf-blindness, developmental delay, hearing impairment, mental retardation, multiple disabilities, orthopedic impairment, other health impairment, serious emotional disturbance, a specific learning disability, speech or language impairments, traumatic brain injury or visual impairment and who because of such impairment is in need of special education and educationally related services.
Child Experiencing Developmental Delays The identification of a child as having a developmental delay allows the school district to put in place services and modifications that a qualified examiner has determined are necessary for the child to make meaningful progress in his or her education.
Young children who are experiencing delays in one or more area of development benefit from early identification. In order to place children into programs where they can receive the services they require as early as possible, the identification of "developmental delay" has been established. Many tests of academic ability and learning styles are not accurate with young children. Medical diagnosis of certain disabilities is also a lengthy process. Developmental delay allows children ages 3 to 9 to begin receiving the special education and related services they may need. Other necessary evaluations may follow placement.
Defined in PL 105-17 as a child aged 3 through 9, who is "experiencing developmental delays … in one or more of the following areas: physical development, cognitive development, communication development, social or emotional development, or adaptive development, and who as a result of these delays is in need of special education and related services." Delays are defined by the state and as measured by appropriate diagnostic instruments and procedures.
Special Education PL 105-17 defines special education as "...specially designed instruction to meet the unique needs of a child with an educational disability."
Identification of a Child as Having an Educational Disability This was formerly referred to as "coding". In order to receive special education or related services, a child must be determined to have an educational disability according to provisions of State Law RSA 186:C.
Approved Program NHRSA 186-C: 2 "… a program of special education that has been approved by the state board of education and that is maintained by a school district, regional special education center, private organization or state institution for the benefit of educationally disabled children and may include a home-based program."
Pupil Placement Team A child suspected as having an educational disability is evaluated by a multidisciplinary team. The evaluation team includes the child's parent or legal guardian, a special education teacher, a classroom teacher, a representative of the local education agency (This may be the Diagnostic Prescriptive Teacher &emdash; DPT for the school.) Other members may be included as determined by the child's educational needs.
Parent The use of the word "parent" in the special education process refers to a child's parent, a guardian, or a surrogate parent. Parent involvement is required at every level from referral through the process of evaluation and in the determination of placement and program needs for a child believed to have an educational disability,
IEP - Individualized Education Plan NHRSA 186-C: 2 "… a written plan for the education of an educationally disabled child that has been developed by a school district in accordance with rules adopted by the state board of education and that provides necessary special education or special education and educationally related services within an approved program." This IEP must be developed, reviewed and revised according to PL 105-17 by a multidisciplinary team.
The IEP must be developed before final placement in a special education program and must address all modifications and special education services. The parent or guardian (or the student if he is 18 years or older) must be involved in the IEP development and indicate approval of the IEP by signing the document.
FAPE - A Free and Appropriate Public Education State and federal law provides that a free and appropriate public education, including special education and related services, is available to all children between the ages of 3 and 21, who have been identified as having an educational disability by the special education evaluation team.
LRE - Least Restrictive Environment Children with disabilities are educated with non-disabled peers to the extent that the child can make meaningful progress towards educational goals, in the same school the child would attend if he/she did not have a disability, unless it is determined by the multidisciplinary team, which includes the parent, that the child's educational needs requires some other arrangement.
Educationally Related Services Services that "may be required to assist a child with a disability to benefit from special education". Examples of related services include, but are not limited to transportation, speech and/or language therapy, occupational and physical therapy, counseling. Medical services are for diagnostic or evaluation purposes only.
SPEDIS &emdash The Special Education Information System is designed to protect your child's confidentiality. Each child receiving special education services is assigned a number to be kept in a computer based information system. This number referred to as a SPEDIS number is written on all special education documents. The SPEDIS system maintains information used for program development, to monitor programs, and to ensure compliance with state and federal regulations.
LEA A representative of the Local Education Agency (your local school district) must be present at all meetings regarding placement and services for your child. This may be the diagnostic prescriptive teacher (DPT) from the school, a school administrator, or the preschool coordinator.
SAU State of NH School Administrative Unit. The Governor Wentworth Regional School District (GWRSD) is SAU 49.