Special-Education Eligibility Categories, State by State

By Terri Mauro, About.com Guide

ALABAMA

Chapter 290-8-9 of the Rules of the Alabama State Board of Education, State Department of Education specifies the following disabilities as making a child eligible for special education:

• Autism
• Deaf-Blindness
• Developmental Delay (ages 3-9)
• Emotional Disability
• Hearing Impairment
• Intellectual Disability
• Multiple Disabilities
• Orthopedic Impairment
• Other Health Impairment
• Specific Learning Disability
• Speech or Language Impairment
• Traumatic Brain Injury
• Visual Impairment

Download the .pdf for more on the definitions and evaluation criteria for these disabilities.

Read more about special education in Alabama and share your own experience.

ALASKA

4 AAC 52.130 of the Alaska Administrative Code specifies the following disabilities as making a child eligible for special education:

• Cognitive Impairment
• Learning Disability
• Emotional Disturbance
• Deaf
• Hearing Impairment
• Deaf and Blind
• Orthopedic Impairment
• Visual Impairment
• Speech or Language Impairment
• Other Health Impairments
• Multiple Disabilities
• Early Childhood Developmental Delay (ages 3-8)
• Autism
• Traumatic Brain Injury

Go to the Alaska State Legislature site for more on the definitions and evaluation criteria for these disabilities.

Read more about special education in Alaska and share your own experience.

ARIZONA

Title 15, Chapter 7, Article 4 of the Arizona Revised Statutes specifies the following disabilities as making a child eligible for special education:

• Autism
• Developmental Delay (ages 3-10)
• Emotional Disability
• Hearing Impairment
• Other Health Impairments
• Specific Learning Disability
• Mild, Moderate or Severe Intellectual Disability
• Multiple Disabilities
• Multiple Disabilities With Severe Sensory Impairment
• Orthopedic Impairment
• Preschool Severe Delay
• Speech/Language Impairment
• Traumatic Brain Injury
• Visual Impairment

Go to the Arizona State Legislature site for more on the definitions and evaluation criteria for these disabilities.

Read more about special education in Arizona and share your own experience.

ARKANSAS

The Special Education Eligibility Criteria and Program Guidelines for Children with Disabilities from the Arkansas Department of Education specifies the following disabilities as making a child eligible for special education:

• Autism
• Deaf-Blindness
• Hearing Impairment (Including Deafness)
• Emotional Disturbance (ages 5-21 only)
• Mental Retardation (ages 5-21 only)
• Multiple Disabilities
• Orthopedic Impairment
• Other Health Impairment
• Specific Learning Disability (ages 5-21 only)
• Speech or Language Impairment
• Traumatic Brain Injury
• Visual Impairment (Including Blindness)
• Noncategorical (ages 3-5 only)

Go to the Arkansas Department of Education site for more on the definitions and evaluation criteria for these disabilities.

Read more about special education in Arkansas and share your own experience.

_{Note: Information for this article was gathered in September 2011. As state laws and regulations change, this information may change as well. The NECTAC page on States' Part B Rules, Regulations and Policies, which was a big help in finding references for this article, updates links to state laws and regulations monthly, and is a good place to check for additional information.}