Intellectual Disability
A child may be found eligible for special education and related services as a child with an intellectual disability if there is an adverse effect on the child's educational performance due to documented characteristics of intellectual disabilities which are described as a significantly sub average general intellectual functioning, existing concurrently with deficits in adaptive behavior and manifested during the developmental period. Children must be found eligible for special education and related services under IDEA before an Individualized Education Program (IEP) is developed. Children who are suspected of having a disability should be referred to their local school division for evaluation and to initiate the process for determining eligibility.
Resources
- Training & Technical Assistance Centers (T/TAC)
- Fast Facts: Intellectual Disability: Why the term mental retardation was changed to intellectual disability (PDF) – State guidance to assist eligibility teams in accurately identifying students.
- Guidance Document on Significant Cognitive Disabilities (PDF)
Outside Resources
- Frequently Asked Questions on the AAIDD 11th edition of Intellectual Disability: Definition, Classification, and Systems of Supports (PDF) – Resource on the definition of Intellectual Disability.
- Virginia Commonwealth University’s Partnership for People with Disabilities
- TTAC Online – A community linking people and resources to help children and youth with disabilities.
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