Special Education
Students with Disabilities
The Federal Government, through legislation entitled Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), states that a child with a disability refers to a school-age child who has been evaluated and determined to have one of the following disabilities that adversely affects the child’s educational performance and who, therefore, needs special education and related services:
- Intellectual disability (mental retardation);
- Hearing impairment (including deafness);
- Speech or language impairment;
- Visual impairment (including blindness);
- Emotional disturbance;
- Orthopedic impairment;
- Autism;
- Traumatic brain injury;
- Another health impairment;
- Specific learning disability;
- Deaf-blindness; or
- Multiple disabilities.
The law also required public schools to provide services to preschool age students (ages three to five) with disabilities if they are at least three years of age and younger than six years of age, have a disability demonstrated by a documented deficit in one of more areas of development, which has an adverse affect upon normal development and functioning.
The South-Western City School District Preschool Program has center-based preschool classrooms, head start inclusion classrooms, and provides itinerant services. Our center-based preschool programs are designed to provide early intervention for children between the ages of 3-5 years who are identified as special needs and/or preschoolers who are typically developing (peer models). Classes meet Monday through Thursday, following the South-Western City School District calendar. Assessments, home visits, training, and a variety of other activities are scheduled on various days.