Regulations Governing Special Education Programs for Children with Disabilities in Virginia
	IDEA definition and regulations

Autism is a complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life. The result of a neurological disorder that affects the functioning of the brain, autism and its associated behaviors have been estimated to occur in as many as 4-7 in 1,000 individuals. Autism is four times more prevalent in boys than girls and knows no racial, ethnic, or social boundaries. Family income, lifestyle, and educational levels do not affect the chance of autism's occurrence. (National Alliance for Autism Research)

Characteristics
Autism is referred to as a spectrum disorder due to the wide range of characteristics and abilities. These characteristics generally fall into three categories: social interaction, communication, and behavior.

	Social Interactions: The child often has difficulty with social interactions resulting in inappropriate social responses and difficulty with social relationships choosing to spend most time alone.
	Communication: The child often has difficulty with verbal and non-verbal communication. He or she may be delayed in speech and language development and have trouble interpreting social gestures such as facial expressions and other nonverbal gestures.
	Behavior: The child often has difficulty with typical child play. He or she may fixate on one behavior with an object (e.g. spinning the wheels on a car) rather than more common play behaviors such as playing racing games with a car.

For further information on indicators of autism spectrum disorders visit the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development web site.

The wide range of abilities and characteristics of children with autism spectrum disorder makes diagnosis and identification of the appropriate educational placement difficult. Education of students with Autism is regulated under PL 101-476 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1997 (IDEA).

IDEA guarantees a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment (LRE) to all children with disabilities. In Virginia, the identification and educational placement of children with disabilities is developed through an Individualized Education Program (IEP), which is the responsibility of the local public school divisions.

As determined by IDEA, appropriate school placement for any child with a disability is a two-step process. The first step is the evaluation process where the child’s current levels of functioning and associated education needs are determined. Step two: once it is determined that the child is eligible for special education services under IDEA, a multidisciplinary team of specialists and the parents review the child’s levels of functioning and develop an Individualized Education Program (IEP) specifically designed to meet the child’s educational needs in the least restrictive environment. The IEP team determines the appropriate placement, develops the education goals for the student, and discusses the student’s progress. Detailed information regarding the evaluation and IEP process and links for additional information can be found on the Virginia Department of Education web site under the Division of Special Education and Student Services.

The Virginia Department of Education provides a variety of supports to administrators, teachers and parents of children with autism spectrum disorders.