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.
