To determine who qualifies to receive special education services at the K-12 educational level, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 1984 identified 13 different disability categories. Each category includes a specific definition that describes the characteristics of the disability type and eligibility requirements. Most states strictly adhere to the definition of each category while some will allow a broader definition (i.e., in Minnesota, rather than adhering strictly to the definition of ED, the state acknowledges those who are labeled as socially maladjusted when determining eligibility for special education, using the term Emotionally and Behaviorally Disordered (EBD).

The IDEA recognizes the following disability types:

This module provides an overview of each disability type and includes strategies for educators to teach students with disabilities more effectively. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (2022):

In 2021–22, the number of students ages 3–21 who received special education and/or related services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was 7.3 million, or the equivalent of 15 percent of all public school students. Among students receiving special education and/or related services, the most common category of disability was specific learning disabilities (32 percent).

As you can imagine, you will work with several students with disabilities throughout your career as an educator, and you will need tools to be an effective educator.

While working to support students with disabilities, you will want to be mindful of the identities your students hold. Historically, students of color have been disproportionally identified as needing special education services. Research shows that there is a much greater chance for a minority student or those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds to be identified with a disability and placed in special education (Cruz and Rodl, 2018; Johnson, Anhalt, and Cowan, 2018; Monroe, 2005).

Compared to previous years, students receiving special education services currently spend more time in the general education classroom. In 1989, students receiving special education services spent only 31% of their time in a general education classroom; in 2020, students receiving special education services spent 66% of their time in a general education classroom (Riser-Kositsky, 2022).

The Importance of a Strengths-Based Approach

As a teacher, you will want to be careful not to make assumptions about your students’ abilities, but you also will want to be aware of signs that might indicate your students are struggling and would benefit from special education services. In addition, you will want to be aware of your students’ strengths, recognizing that all students have strengths regardless of their abilities. You should continue to treat students who are identified as having a disability in the same way you treated them before their diagnosis; knowing their disability does not help to understand who they are, but rather helps to identify how to support them best in the classroom and beyond. Schools use the diagnosis primarily to identify who would benefit from special education services and to receive available funding for providing special education services.

How to Write a Strengths-Based IEP

Individualized Education Programs (IEP) support their individualized learning approaches for students with disabilities. As an educator, knowing the strengths of your students will help you develop an IEP that builds on students’ strengths rather than their weaknesses. Learn how to write strengths-based IEPs to support your students’ individualized learning needs better.

“Schools will no longer be required to determine whether a student has a severe discrepancy between achievement and intellectual ability, the traditional method of identifying learning disabilities. Instead, schools are allowed to use evidence of a student’s failure to respond to instructional interventions as part of the data documenting the presence of a specific learning disability.” (No More “Waiting to Fail,” 2007, pg. 1)

Early intervention practices like RTI help ensure equal educational opportunities for all students by providing mechanisms for students to receive supplementary instruction without the stigmatizing effects of a disability label. Under prior special education laws, students had to show a deficit – such as a developmental disability or a specific learning disability – to qualify for specialized instruction.

Becoming eligible for special education services under the former laws was time-consuming and often meant that a student must fail first before receiving additional instructional support. RTI also replaced the need to show a deficit prior to special education qualification by eliminating the wait-to-fail practice and changing the way educators approached special education.

“Under RTI, schools must not only ensure that they are providing scientifically based instruction in the general education program but also provide intervention to students not succeeding in the general education program before considering them for special education placement” (No More “Waiting to Fail”, 2007, pg. 3).