Special Education Processes
Referral/Child Find
Evaluation (Assessment)
Eligibility (Classification)
- Autism
- Deaf/blindness
- Emotional disturbance
- Hearing impairment/deafness
- Intellectual disability
- Multiple disabilities
- Orthopedic impairment
- Other health impairment (such as asthma, attention deficit disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, diabetes, epilepsy, a heart condition, hemophilia, lead poisoning, leukemia, nephritis, rheumatic fever, sickle cell anemia, Tourette syndrome, and some kinds of acquired brain injuries, etc.)
- Specific learning disability
- Speech/language impairment
- Traumatic brain injury
- Visual impairment (including blindness)
- Developmental delay (ages 3 - 7 only)
- A process based on the student response to scientific, research-based intervention.
- Identification of a severe discrepancy between intellectual ability and achievement.
- A combination of these.
Individualized Education Plan (IEP)
IEP Meeting
Placement
Annual Review
Due Process Rights
Transition
Resources
Information & Support
For Parents and Patients
Center for Parent Information and Resources (DOE)
Parent centers in every state provide training to parents of children with disabilities and provide information about special
education, transition to adulthood, health care, support groups, local conferences and other federal, state, and local services.
See the "Find Your Parent Center Link" to find the parent center in your state; Department of Education, Office of Special
Education.
Parental Rights under IDEA
For the majority of parents, the most relevant procedural safeguards under IDEA are identified on the Center for Parent Information
& Resources website. Dated Oct. 5, 2017. Also in Spanish.
IDEA Parent Guide (National Center for Learning Disabilities) ( 1.1 MB)
A comprehensive guide for parents on rights and responsibilities under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA
2004). Helps parents determine if their child might be eligible for services, what kind of services to expect, how to request
an evaluation, how to develop a plan for services, and what their legal rights are. (105 pages, 2014)
Sample Individualized Health Plan (IHP)
Read a sample IHP at the PACER Center website. An IHP has important information about the child's health care needs while
in school, and is created by the family, school nurse, and health care providers.
National Center on Secondary Education and Transition
This easy-to-use website provides information about transition during high school and to opportunities after high school including
jobs, vocational education, and college. Provides links to contacts in each state for State Transition Contact, Regional Resource
Center Contact, State Director of Special Education, Part B Contact, and State Director or Vocational Rehabilitation.
Services for Patients & Families in New Mexico (NM)
Service Categories | # of providers* in: | NM | NW | Other states (5) (show) | | ID | MT | NV | RI | UT |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Early Childhood Education/Preschool | 232 | 10 | 22 | 31 | 7 | 76 | ||||
Educational Advocacy | 31 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 2 | 7 | 17 | |||
School Districts | 120 | 116 | 21 | 48 | 54 | |||||
Special Education/Schools | 187 | 1 | 6 | 85 | 14 | 52 | 54 |
For services not listed above, browse our Services categories or search our database.
* number of provider listings may vary by how states categorize services, whether providers are listed by organization or individual, how services are organized in the state, and other factors; Nationwide (NW) providers are generally limited to web-based services, provider locator services, and organizations that serve children from across the nation.