Special-Education Eligibility Categories, State by State

By Terri Mauro, About.com Guide

CALIFORNIA

Cal-Ed Facts from the California Department of Education specifies the following disabilities as making a child eligible for special education:

• Intellectual Disabilities
• Speech or Language Impairment
• Visual Impairment
• Emotional Disturbance
• Orthopedic Impairment
• Other Health Impairment
• Specific Learning Disability
• Deafness
• Hard of Hearing
• Deaf-Blindness
• Multiple Disabilities
• Autism
• Traumatic Brain Injury

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

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

COLORADO

The Rules for the Administration of Exceptional Children's Education Act, 2220-R-2.08, specifies the following disabilities as making a child eligible for special education:

• Physical Disability
• Vision Disability
• Hearing Disability
• Significant Limited Intellectual Capacity
• Significant Identifiable Emotional Disability
• Specific Learning Disability
• Speech or Language Impairment
• Multiple Disabilities

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

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

CONNECTICUT

The IEP Manual and Forms booklet from the Connecticut State Department of Education specifies the following disabilities as making a child eligible for special education:

• Intellectual Disability
• Hearing Impairment
• Speech or Language Impairment
• Visual Impairment`
• Emotional Disturbance
• Orthopedic Impairment
• Other Health Impairment (including ADD/ADHD)
• Specific Learning Disability
• Deaf-Blindness
• Multiple Disabilities
• Autism
• Traumatic Brain Injury
• Developmental Delay (ages 3-5)

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

Read more about special education in Connecticut 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.}