{"id":22,"date":"2018-07-16T18:41:39","date_gmt":"2018-07-16T18:41:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.usnh.edu\/understandingandsupportinglearnerswithdisabilities\/chapter\/chapter-1-2\/"},"modified":"2025-10-29T15:15:44","modified_gmt":"2025-10-29T15:15:44","slug":"chapter-1-2","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.usnh.edu\/understandingandsupportinglearnerswithdisabilities\/chapter\/chapter-1-2\/","title":{"raw":"IDEA Definitions","rendered":"IDEA Definitions"},"content":{"raw":"<div style=\"font-weight: 400\">\r\n<div class=\"textbox shaded\"><strong>\u00a0Federal Definition from IDEA 2004<\/strong><\/div>\r\nIDEA\u00a0refers to the\u00a0<strong>Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.\u00a0<\/strong>\r\n\r\nIDEA is a federal law that ensures students with disabilities are provided with Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) tailored to their individual needs.\r\n\r\nThe categories of disability under the<span>\u00a0<\/span><strong>Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)<\/strong><span>\u00a0<\/span>were determined by the<span>\u00a0<\/span><strong>U.S. Congress<\/strong><span>\u00a0<\/span>when the law was originally enacted as the Education for All Handicapped Children Act in 1975. There have been several revisions to the law since then.\r\n\r\nThe<strong>\u00a0disability categories<\/strong><span>\u00a0<\/span>defined under IDEA are part of the law\u2019s regulations and are used to determine eligibility for special education services. These categories were developed based on research, expert input, and policy considerations to cover a broad range of disabilities that can impact a child\u2019s educational performance.<span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nWhile the federal government, through IDEA establishes the framework and definitions, individual states have some flexibility in how they implement these categories, but they must work within the federal definitions and requirements. Some states also have the option to include \"developmental delay\" as an additional category for children aged 3-9.\r\n\r\nThe U.S. Department of Education also plays a role in interpreting and enforcing these categories through regulations and guidance to states.\r\n\r\n<hr \/>\r\n\r\n<div>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Each summary will begin with the <strong>IDEA definition of the disability.<\/strong><\/li>\r\n \t<li>\u00a0Keep the wording exactly as found in IDEA 2004.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div>\r\n\r\n<b>\u00a0Keep the wording exactly as found in IDEA 2004.<\/b>\r\n\r\nA good online resource for these definitions is:\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div>\r\n\r\nCenter for Parent Information and Resources (2017). Categories of Disability Under IDEA. Retrieved from: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.parentcenterhub.org\/categories\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/www.parentcenterhub.org\/categories\/<\/a>\r\n<div class=\"textbox textbox--key-takeaways\">\r\n<div class=\"textbox__content\">\r\n\r\nFor example,\u00a0<strong>the IDEA definition\u00a0of\u00a0specific learning disability is:<\/strong>\r\n\r\n\u201cSpecific learning disability means a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, that may manifest itself in the imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or to do mathematical calculations, including conditions such as perceptual disabilities, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia. Specific learning disability does not include learning problems that are primarily the result of visual, hearing, or motor disabilities, of mental retardation, of emotional disturbance, or of environmental, cultural, or economic disadvantage\u201d\r\n\r\n(Center for Parent Information and Resources, 2017).\u2190(<strong>in text citation<\/strong>)\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div>\r\n\r\n<hr \/>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div><strong>Reference<\/strong><\/div>\r\n<div>\r\n\r\nCenter for Parent Information and Resources (2017). Categories of Disability Under IDEA.\r\n<div>Newark, NJ, Author. Retrieved from<a href=\"http:\/\/www.parentcenterhub.org\/repository\/categories\/\"> http:\/\/www.parentcenterhub.org\/repository\/categories\/<\/a><\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div><strong>This product is in the <a href=\"https:\/\/fairuse.stanford.edu\/overview\/public-domain\/welcome\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">public domain.<\/a><\/strong> Authorization to reproduce it in whole or in part is granted. While permission to reprint material from this website is not necessary, the citation should be: Center for Parent Information and Resources (retrieval date). Title of the document, Newark, NJ, Author.<\/div>\r\n<div style=\"font-weight: 400\">\r\n\r\n<hr \/>\r\n\r\nupdated 10\/29\/2025\r\n\r\n<hr \/>\r\n\r\n<\/div>","rendered":"<div style=\"font-weight: 400\">\n<div class=\"textbox shaded\"><strong>\u00a0Federal Definition from IDEA 2004<\/strong><\/div>\n<p>IDEA\u00a0refers to the\u00a0<strong>Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>IDEA is a federal law that ensures students with disabilities are provided with Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) tailored to their individual needs.<\/p>\n<p>The categories of disability under the<span>\u00a0<\/span><strong>Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)<\/strong><span>\u00a0<\/span>were determined by the<span>\u00a0<\/span><strong>U.S. Congress<\/strong><span>\u00a0<\/span>when the law was originally enacted as the Education for All Handicapped Children Act in 1975. There have been several revisions to the law since then.<\/p>\n<p>The<strong>\u00a0disability categories<\/strong><span>\u00a0<\/span>defined under IDEA are part of the law\u2019s regulations and are used to determine eligibility for special education services. These categories were developed based on research, expert input, and policy considerations to cover a broad range of disabilities that can impact a child\u2019s educational performance.<span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>While the federal government, through IDEA establishes the framework and definitions, individual states have some flexibility in how they implement these categories, but they must work within the federal definitions and requirements. Some states also have the option to include &#8220;developmental delay&#8221; as an additional category for children aged 3-9.<\/p>\n<p>The U.S. Department of Education also plays a role in interpreting and enforcing these categories through regulations and guidance to states.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<div>\n<ul>\n<li>Each summary will begin with the <strong>IDEA definition of the disability.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>\u00a0Keep the wording exactly as found in IDEA 2004.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><b>\u00a0Keep the wording exactly as found in IDEA 2004.<\/b><\/p>\n<p>A good online resource for these definitions is:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Center for Parent Information and Resources (2017). Categories of Disability Under IDEA. Retrieved from: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.parentcenterhub.org\/categories\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/www.parentcenterhub.org\/categories\/<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"textbox textbox--key-takeaways\">\n<div class=\"textbox__content\">\n<p>For example,\u00a0<strong>the IDEA definition\u00a0of\u00a0specific learning disability is:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cSpecific learning disability means a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, that may manifest itself in the imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or to do mathematical calculations, including conditions such as perceptual disabilities, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia. Specific learning disability does not include learning problems that are primarily the result of visual, hearing, or motor disabilities, of mental retardation, of emotional disturbance, or of environmental, cultural, or economic disadvantage\u201d<\/p>\n<p>(Center for Parent Information and Resources, 2017).\u2190(<strong>in text citation<\/strong>)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<hr \/>\n<\/div>\n<div><strong>Reference<\/strong><\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Center for Parent Information and Resources (2017). Categories of Disability Under IDEA.<\/p>\n<div>Newark, NJ, Author. Retrieved from<a href=\"http:\/\/www.parentcenterhub.org\/repository\/categories\/\"> http:\/\/www.parentcenterhub.org\/repository\/categories\/<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><strong>This product is in the <a href=\"https:\/\/fairuse.stanford.edu\/overview\/public-domain\/welcome\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">public domain.<\/a><\/strong> Authorization to reproduce it in whole or in part is granted. While permission to reprint material from this website is not necessary, the citation should be: Center for Parent Information and Resources (retrieval date). Title of the document, Newark, NJ, Author.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-weight: 400\">\n<hr \/>\n<p>updated 10\/29\/2025<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"menu_order":1,"template":"","meta":{"pb_show_title":"","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[49],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-22","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry","chapter-type-numberless"],"part":21,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.usnh.edu\/understandingandsupportinglearnerswithdisabilities\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/22","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.usnh.edu\/understandingandsupportinglearnerswithdisabilities\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.usnh.edu\/understandingandsupportinglearnerswithdisabilities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.usnh.edu\/understandingandsupportinglearnerswithdisabilities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.usnh.edu\/understandingandsupportinglearnerswithdisabilities\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/22\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":284,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.usnh.edu\/understandingandsupportinglearnerswithdisabilities\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/22\/revisions\/284"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.usnh.edu\/understandingandsupportinglearnerswithdisabilities\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/21"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.usnh.edu\/understandingandsupportinglearnerswithdisabilities\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/22\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.usnh.edu\/understandingandsupportinglearnerswithdisabilities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.usnh.edu\/understandingandsupportinglearnerswithdisabilities\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=22"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.usnh.edu\/understandingandsupportinglearnerswithdisabilities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=22"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.usnh.edu\/understandingandsupportinglearnerswithdisabilities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=22"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}