Exceptional Children
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Assessment of Disabilities in Texas: Legal Frameworks and Educational Categories
In Texas, the assessment of disabilities for educational purposes follows the guidelines of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This federal law defines specific categories of disabilities used to determine eligibility for special education services. The Texas Education Agency (TEA) adheres to these federal guidelines while also incorporating state-specific definitions and processes.
- Autism: A developmental disability significantly affecting verbal and non-verbal communication and social interaction, generally evident before age three, that adversely affects educational performance.
- Deaf-Blindness: A combination of hearing and visual impairments causing severe communication, developmental, and educational needs.
- Deafness: A hearing impairment severe enough that a child struggles with processing linguistic information through hearing, with or without amplification, affecting educational performance.
- Emotional Disturbance: A condition exhibiting one or more specific emotional or behavioral characteristics over a long period and to a marked degree that adversely affects educational performance, such as an inability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, or health factors.
- Hearing Impairment: An impairment in hearing, whether permanent or fluctuating, that adversely affects a child's educational performance but is not included under the definition of deafness.
- Intellectual Disability: Significantly subaverage general intellectual functioning, existing concurrently with deficits in adaptive behavior and manifested during the developmental period, affecting educational performance.
- Multiple Disabilities: Simultaneous impairments (such as intellectual disability-blindness), the combination of which causes severe educational needs that they cannot be accommodated in a special education program solely for one of the impairments.
- Orthopedic Impairment: A severe orthopedic impairment that adversely affects a child's educational performance, which might include impairments caused by congenital anomaly, disease, or other causes.
- Other Health Impairment: Having limited strength, vitality, or alertness, including heightened alertness to environmental stimuli, that results in limited alertness with respect to the educational environment, due to chronic or acute health problems like asthma, ADHD, diabetes, epilepsy, etc.
- Specific Learning Disability: A disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, that may manifest in the imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or do mathematical calculations.
- Speech or Language Impairment: A communication disorder, such as stuttering, impaired articulation, a language impairment, or a voice impairment that adversely affects a child's educational performance.
- Traumatic Brain Injury: An acquired injury to the brain caused by an external physical force, resulting in total or partial functional disability or psychosocial impairment.
- Visual Impairment, including Blindness: An impairment in vision that, even with correction, adversely affects a child's educational performance. The term includes both partial sight and blindness.
TEA Disability Condition Eligibility Definitions
TEA Disability Condition Eligibility Definitions
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the Texas Administrative Code (TAC) offer comprehensive guidelines and criteria for determining disability conditions within the educational system. These legal frameworks ensure that students with disabilities receive appropriate assessments and services tailored to their individual needs. By clicking the link provided, you can explore detailed explanations of the specific criteria used to identify and categorize disabilities, ensuring compliance with federal and state regulations. This information is crucial for educators, parents, and administrators to understand the processes involved in developing effective Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and ensuring that students receive the necessary support to succeed academically.
For more detailed information about the disabilities assessed under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and by the Texas Education Agency (TEA), you can explore resources provided by educational service centers or official state education websites. These resources typically offer comprehensive insights into the assessment processes, eligibility criteria, and specific accommodations available for each disability category. If you're looking for specific documents or frameworks, I recommend visiting the Texas Education Agency's official website or contacting local educational service centers for guidance.
Crafting Success: Understanding and Developing Individualized Education Programs (IEP)
An Individualized Education Program (IEP) is a customized plan developed for students with disabilities to address their unique educational needs. It is a critical component under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and ensures that students receive appropriate support and services for educational success.
Important Components of an IEP:
Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance (PLAAFP): Describes how the student is currently performing in school. This section includes academic achievements and functional performance.
Measurable Annual Goals: Specifies short-term and long-term educational goals tailored to the student's needs. These goals should be measurable and achievable within a year.
Special Education Services: Details the specific special education services, aids, and modifications the student will receive. This may include accommodations like extended time on tests, assistive technology, or classroom aids.
Participation with Non-Disabled Peers: Explains the extent to which the student will participate in regular classes and activities with peers who do not have disabilities.
Progress Monitoring: Outlines how the student's progress towards meeting the annual goals will be measured and reported to parents.
Transition Plan: For students aged 16 and older, the IEP must include transition services focusing on the student’s post-secondary goals, including employment and independent living skills.
Steps to Create an IEP:
Referral and Evaluation: Typically initiated by a teacher or parent, a referral for an evaluation assesses whether a student qualifies for special education services. Evaluations include academic, psychological, and medical assessments.
Eligibility Determination: Based on the evaluation results, a team determines whether the student qualifies as having a disability under IDEA.
IEP Meeting: An IEP team, including educators, parents, a school district representative, and when appropriate, the student, collaboratively develops the IEP. This meeting focuses on setting goals and identifying services based on the student's unique needs.
Drafting the IEP: The team documents the detailed plan, including goals, services, accommodations, modifications, and the progress monitoring strategy.
Implementation: Once completed, the school is responsible for implementing the IEP as designed, with all educators involved adhering to its outlined strategies.
Review and Revision: The IEP is reviewed at least annually to assess the student's progress and make necessary adjustments. However, revisions can occur at any time if new needs or challenges arise.
Creating an effective IEP requires collaboration, clear communication, and a focus on measurable outcomes to ensure each student can achieve their full educational potential.
model-iep-form-english.pdfFor a comprehensive understanding and example of an Individualized Education Program (IEP), you can access the Texas Education Agency (TEA) IEP Model Form. This resource provides a detailed framework and guidance on creating an effective IEP, including sections on the student's current educational performance, measurable annual goals, specific special education services, and strategies for progress monitoring. The TEA model form serves as an excellent reference for educators and parents to ensure that the IEP is tailored to meet the unique needs of the student, facilitating their academic success and integration with non-disabled peers.
This expanded explanation highlights the availability of a specific resource for further details and examples.
EDUA 5312 - Final Project
EDUA 5312 - Infographic (2).pdfExplore my final project for EDUA 5312, which examines the Texas Education Agency's (TEA) criteria for Emotional Disability, formerly known as Emotional Disturbance. The project provides detailed insights into the eligibility guidelines and aims to enhance understanding of this definition and its educational implications. Click the link to access.
References:
Texas Education Agency. (2024, October 15). Special education resources. TEA. https://tea.texas.gov/special-education-resources
Home: Legal framework. Home | Legal Framework. (n.d.-b). https://fw.escapps.net/
Disability condition eligibility definitions. Disability Condition Eligibility Definitions | Texas SPED Support. (n.d.). https://spedsupport.tea.texas.gov/resource-library/administrator-toolkit-sped-and-intervention-101/disability-condition-eligibility
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