Special Education Eligibility Checklist

SPECIAL EDUCATION

ELIGIBILITY CHECKLIST

This document provides a broad overview of the eligibility process, describes how

to read assessments, and outlines the criteria for the most common eligibilities.

Index

The Eligibility Process 2

Understanding Assessments 3

Eligibility Categories & Rule-outs 5

Checklists For Common Eligibilities 6

Other Health Impairment (OHI) 6

Emotional Disturbance (ED) 7

Speciﬁc Learning Disability (SLD) 9

Speech Or Language Impairment (SLI) 13

Autism 14

Federal guidelines are provided throughout except where noted. We have also provided California citations. All states must follow the federal laws described, but

state regulations may add additional detail.

SPECIAL EDUCATION

ELIGIBILITY CHECKLIST

The Eligibility Process

20 U.S.C. § 1414(a).

Cal. Educ. Code § 56043.

20 U.S.C. § 1414(a).

STEP 1

Identify a Struggling Student

Someone must notice indicators that a student’s

education may be impacted by a disability. Some

common red ﬂags include:

• Poor grades or attendance;

• Diculty with classroom activities like writing, coloring,

or learning letters/numbers;

• Speech and language problems;

• Problems with memory or attention; and/or,

• Social or emotional problems.

STEP 2

The Referral

Anyone, including a teacher or parent/caregiver/education

rights holder, may refer a student for an evaluation to

determine special education eligibility. See Requesting

a Special Education Assessment: Step-by-Step Guide

- kids-alliance.org/assessment-requests. Schools must

evaluate any student “suspected” of having a disability.

This is a low threshold. If a student presents with any of

the indicators outlined in Step 1, an evaluation likely is

appropriate. Schools must respond by refusing to evaluate

the student or describing what assessments will be included

in the evaluation and by whom. In California, the response

must be provided in writing within 15 days of the referral.

See Education Manual - kids-alliance.org/edmanual.

STEP 3

The Evaluation

Once the school agrees to evaluate a student, and the

parent consents to an assessment plan, the school will

conduct assessments.

STEP 4

The IEP

Within sixty days of parental consent to an assessment

plan, the school must complete the evaluation and hold an

Individualized Education Program (IEP). At the meeting,

the IEP team will discuss the assessment results and reach

an agreement about whether a student is eligible and,

if so, under what eligibility category. This meeting is the

opportunity to make your case about why your student

should receive special education and related services.

Make sure to ask the school to provide assessment reports in advance of the IEP meeting,

so you have an opportunity to review them closely in preparation for the meeting.

The Following Steps

Generally Precede An

Eligibility Determination

SPECIAL EDUCATION

ELIGIBILITY CHECKLIST

Understanding Assessments

Assessments measure dierent types of educationally relevant information including cognitive ability, academic

achievement, language ability, and behavior. Assessment results are reported using standardized scores. It is important

to understand how to read and interpret these scores when assessing eligibility.

Standardized Scores

Standardized scores are objective and normed across a representative sample of students in the United States. They

provide proof of how a student is doing that may be more reliable than the subjective information gathered by parents

or teachers (e.g., report cards).

The Bell Curve

The distribution of standardized scores is shown on a “bell curve.”

Standard Deviations

-3 -2 -1

MEAN

+1 +2 +3

Standard Scores (SS)

55 70 85 100 115 130 145

Scaled Scores (ss)

1 4 7 10 13 16 19

Percentiles

% 2

% 16

% 50

% 84

% 98

% 99

T Scores

20 30-39 40 50 59 60-69 70+

Clinically

Signiﬁgant

At Risk Average At Risk Clinically

Signiﬁgant

SPECIAL EDUCATION

ELIGIBILITY CHECKLIST

STANDARD SCORE (SS)

Standard scores are the most reliable and common

scores used in special education evaluations. For most

tests, the average, or mean, standard score is 100 with a

standard deviation of plus (+) or minus (-) 15. A SS falls

within the average range if it falls between 85 and 115. A

SS between 70 and 84 is below average and shows that

the student has a deﬁciency. A SS between 55 and 69

shows that the student is scoring in the markedly below

average range and is an area of extreme deﬁcit.

SCALED SCORE (SS)

Scaled scores are used in conjunction with standard

scores, often to report subtest results. Scaled scores

have a mean of 10 and a standard deviation of +/- 3. The

average range is between 7 and 13. The below average

range between is 4 and 6. The markedly below average

range is between 1 and 3.

PERCENTILE (%)

A student’s score along the bell curve can also be

expressed in percentiles. For example, a SS of 70 means

the student is in the second percentile, performing worse

than 98 out of 100 students. A student falls within the

average range if they are between 16% and 84%. Any

score below 16% is below average and may be considered

an area of deﬁcit.

AGE EQUIVALENT (AE)

A student’s current age (CA) is measured by year and

month. For example, if a student is twelve years and ten

months old, his CA is 12.10. Standardized assessment

results may be reported in age equivalents, which report

the age at which that student’s test performance might,

on average, be expected. If a student has an AE of 10.5,

he or she is performing at the level of an average student

who is ten years and ﬁve months old. AE that is one or

more years below a student’s CA is a potential area of

deﬁcit. For example, a CA of 12.6 with an AE of 10.5 in

Reading Comprehension means that the student has a

delay of 2.1 years, showing a deﬁcit in this area.

GRADE EQUIVALENT (GE)

A student’s current grade (CG) is measured by year and

month. This diers from age measurement because it is

measured by a ten month school year. For example, if a

student is in ﬁfth grade and it is February, that student’s

CG is 5.6 (assuming they started the school year in

August). Standardized assessment scores may be given in

GEs. If a student has a GE of 3.9, the student is performing

at the level of a student who is in the third grade during

the ninth month. A GE that is one or more years below a

student’s CG is a potential area of deﬁcit. For example,

if a student’s CG is 5.5 and he scores a GE of 3.9 in

mathematics, then there is a delay of 1.6 years, showing a

deﬁcit in this area.

T-SCORE

A dierent unit of measurement is often used to quantify

behavior—the T-score. Looking at the bell curve, the mean

for T-scores is 50 with a standard deviation of +/- 10.

T-scores are qualitatively dierent from the other scores

because they are not fully standardized. A behavior rating

scale asks a rater (e.g., teacher, parent, student) to rate

certain behaviors of the student along a continuum. For

example, a teacher would rate a student’s aggressive

behavior as something that never occurs, sometimes

occurs, or always occurs. Ratings are always subjective

to the rater. T-scores can be considered partially

standardized because scores from across the nation are

gathered and normed based on how often raters rate

kids high and low. Behaviors typically rated are attention,

hyperactivity, depression, impulsivity, etc.

On most assessments, we look at the incidence of

negative behaviors; thus, scores are higher when the

behavior occurs more frequently. Higher scores indicate

areas of concern. For example, when rating the negative

behavior of aggression, a T-score of 60 to 69 is at-risk and

a score of 70 or above is clinically signiﬁcant. Behavior

rating scales may also measure the incidence of positive

behaviors. These are behaviors that we want our students

to display, so lower scores indicate areas of concern. For

example, when rating the positive behavior of social skills,

a T-score of 31 to 40 is at-risk and a score of 30 or below

is clinically signiﬁcant.

UNDERSTANDING

ASSESSMENTS CONTINUED

SPECIAL EDUCATION

ELIGIBILITY CHECKLIST

Eligibility Categories & Rule-outs

Rule-outs

There are ﬁve general eligibility “rule-outs.” That is, even

if a student otherwise meets eligibility criteria, they may

not be eligible for special education services if the primary

reason for their meeting eligibility criteria is: (1) a lack of

appropriate instruction in reading and/or math; (2) limited

English proﬁciency; (3) temporary physical disability; (4)

social maladjustment; or (5) environmental, cultural, or

economic factors.

Schools often argue that poor attendance causes a lack

of instruction rendering students ineligible for special

education services. However, if attendance problems are

not the primary cause of the delay, and there is other

evidence that there is a disability causing the delay, that

student may still be eligible for special education services,

even if they have inconsistent attendance. Attendance

problems may signal that special education services are

needed, because some students ﬁnd ways to avoid school

as a result of diculties in the classroom. And, attendance

problems cannot be used to deny a special education

evaluation, nor can failing to attend a school for a speciﬁc

period of time.

Eligibility Category

% of Population

Served

Speciﬁc Learning Disability 36.7

Speech or Language Impairment 21.7

Other Health Impairment (Including

ADHD)

11.1

Intellectual Disability 7

Autism 6.5

Serious Emotional Disturbance 6.1

Developmental delay (Ages 3-9 Only) 5.9

Multiple Disabilities 2

Hearing Impairment 1.2

Orthopedic Impairment 1

Traumatic Brain Injury .4

Visual Impairments .4

Deaf-Blindness 0

Deafness 0

20 U.S.C. § 1401(3); 34 C.F.R. § 300.8(a); 34 C.F.R. § 300.8(c)(1).

Institute Of Education Science, National Center For Education Statistics: Digest Of Education Statistics (2012), Table 48, available at http://nces.ed.gov/

pubs2014/2014015.pdf

20 U.S.C. § 1414(b)(5); Cal. Educ. Code § 56026(e).

Federal law identiﬁes 13 eligibility

categories, including an optional

eligibility for developmental delays for

students ages three through nine.

The

prevalence of the students being served

under each eligibility category varies

widely, and changes over time.

SPECIAL EDUCATION

ELIGIBILITY CHECKLIST

Checklists For Common Eligibilities

Other Health Impairment (OHI)

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

A student must meet ALL of the following requirements:

 An OHI is a condition which causes limited strength, vitality or

alertness, including a heightened alertness to environmental stimuli.

AND

 The limited strength, vitality, or alertness is due to chronic or acute

health problems such as asthma, attention deﬁcit disorder or attention

deﬁcit hyperactivity disorder (“ADHD”), diabetes, epilepsy, a heart

condition, hemophilia, lead poisoning, leukemia, nephritis, rheumatic

fever, sickle cell anemia, and Tourette syndrome. These disabilities

cannot be temporary in nature.

AND

 The health impairment must adversely aect the student’s

educational performance.

IS AN ADHD DIAGNOSIS REQUIRED?

Guidance from the Oce of Special Education Programs (OSEP) states that a

formal ADHD diagnosis is not required to determine that a student is eligible

under OHI. If a school district requires a medical evaluation and formal ADHD

diagnosis, that evaluation must be done at no cost to the family.

Jack and Jill both have ADHD.

Jack’s ADHD is being managed by medication. He is calm in class and can work on his own without constant monitoring.

Despite her medication, Jill has trouble managing her behavior (she inappropriately speaks out, has diculty starting and

completing her work, and talks excessively).

Jack is probably not OHI eligible, but Jill may be.

COMMON ASSESSMENTS

Connors’ Rating Scales

Behavior Assessment System for Students (BASC)

TYPES OF EVIDENCE

Review incident reports, teacher’s notes,

report cards, cumulative notes, and

disciplinary actions to ﬁnd evidence of ADHD

symptoms. This information may provide

strong evidence of how a student’s attention

disorder negatively aects their classroom

performance. Some examples include:

1. Inattention (e.g., avoids or does not

pay close attention to school work or

other activities, is easily distracted, has

trouble following directions, is forgetful,

doesn’t appear to listen when spoken to,

is disorganized, loses school supplies and

homework)

2. Hyperactivity (e.g., ﬁdgets or squirms,

leaves seat when being seated is

expected, talks excessively, is on the go

or “driven by a motor”)

3. Impulsivity (e.g., has diculty waiting

their turn, blurts out answers before

questions are completed, interrupts or

intrudes in inappropriate situations)

APPLICABLE LAW

Federal: 20 U.S.C. § 1401(3), 34 C.F.R. § 300.8(9)

California: Educ. Code § 56339(a), 5 C.C.R. § 3030(b)(9)

34 IDELR 35 (OSEP 2000); 18 IDELR 963 (OSEP 1991).

SPECIAL EDUCATION

ELIGIBILITY CHECKLIST

Emotional Disturbance (ED)

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

 A student must exhibit at least one of ﬁve emotional disturbance

characteristics.

1. An inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal

relationships with peers and teachers.

• This characteristic does not refer to a student who has a conﬂict with

one teacher or certain peers. It is a pervasive inability to develop

appropriate relationships with others across settings and situations.

• Behaviors to look for include but are not limited to: (1) physical

or verbal aggression towards others; (2) delayed social skills; (3)

consistent deﬁance towards authority; (4) withdrawal from all social

interactions; and/or (5) few or no friends.

• Possible Diagnosis: Oppositional Deﬁant Disorder (ODD).

2. Inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal

circumstances.

• Inappropriate behaviors could include: (1) physical aggression; (2)

hurting self/others; (3) destroying property; (4) hallucinations; and/or

(5) low frustration tolerance.

• Inappropriate feelings could include: (1) rapid mood changes; and/or

(2) emotional overreactions.

• Possible Diagnoses: Bipolar Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

(OCD), Conduct Disorder.

3. A general pervasive mood of unhappiness, or depression.

• Behaviors to look for include but are not limited to: (1) irritable mood; (2)

diminished interest or pleasure in daily activities; (3) signiﬁcant changes

in weight/appetite; (4) insomnia; (5) feelings of worthlessness; (6)

diminished ability to think or concentrate; and/or (7) recurrent thoughts

of death or suicidal ideation.

• Possible Diagnoses: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Depression.

4. A tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated

with personal or school problems.

• Symptoms must have no demonstrable medical causes or be linked to

psychological factors or conﬂict. The student cannot be intentionally

producing the symptoms.

• Behaviors to look for include but are not limited to: (1) psychosomatic

symptoms like headaches or gastrointestinal problems; (2)

incapacitating feelings of anxiety (i.e. hyperventilating, dizziness); and/

or (3) sleep disturbance.

• Possible Diagnosis: Anxiety Disorder.

5. An inability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual,

sensory, or health factors.

• Assessments must rule out other reasons for the suspected disability

such as OHI or SLD.

• This category is rarely used.

• Possible Diagnoses: This eligibility is often accompanied by a serious

mental health diagnosis like schizophrenia.

CHECKLISTS FOR COMMON

ELIGIBILITIES CONTINUED

COMMON ASSESSMENTS

Behavior Assessment System for Students

(BASC)

TYPES OF EVIDENCE

Review incident reports, teacher’s notes,

grade reports, cumulative notes, teacher/

parent observations and disciplinary

actions to look for information that

demonstrates that the emotional

disturbance is negatively aecting the

student’s educational performance.

APPLICABLE LAW

Federal: 20 U.S.C. § 1401(3); 34 C.F.R. § 300.8(c)(4)

California: Educ. Code § 56339(a); 5 C.C.R. § 3030(b)(4)

SPECIAL EDUCATION

ELIGIBILITY CHECKLIST

See, Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High School District, 41 IDELR 227 (SEA CA 2004); Maine School Administrative District 49, 35 IDELR 174 (SEA ME 2001);

Manhattan Beach Uniﬁed School District, 34 IDELR 249 (SEA CA, 2001); Sierra Sands Uniﬁed School District, 30 IDELR 306 (SEA CA 1998).

For further information, see Carl R. Smith et al., Eligibility for Students With Emotional or Behavioral Disorders: The Social Maladjustment Dilemma Continues, J. of

Disab. Policy Studies (2014); Merrell, K. Deconstructing a Deﬁnition: Social Maladjustment versus Emotional Disturbance and Moving the EBD Field Forward, 41 8

Psychol. In Sch., 899, 901 (Nov. 2004); Torrance Uniﬁed Sch. Dist. v. E.M., 51 IDELR 11 at 10 (Cal. SEA Aug. 21, 2008).

AND

 The ED characteristic(s) are present over a long period of time.

The length of time required to establish a long period of time is not

deﬁned by federal law. Six months is often used as a guideline, but

may vary depending on the facts.

The longer the characteristic can be

evidenced over time, the greater likelihood of satisfying this prong.

AND

 The ED characteristic(s) are present to a marked degree. The

characteristic must be more severe in intensity than the normally

expected range of behavior for students of the same age, gender, and

culture. The characteristic(s) must be persistent across environments

(e.g., school, home, classroom, playground).

AND

 The ED characteristic(s) adversely aect educational performance.

Look for evidence that despite interventions, educational deﬁciencies

persist over time. Examples include poor: (1) grades; (2) standardized

test scores; (3) classroom performance; (4) attendance; and/or (5)

social skills and aect.

AND

 A student is not solely exhibiting “social maladjustment.”

Emotional Disturbance versus Social Maladjustment: Social

maladjustment is an exclusionary category often used by school districts

to disqualify students from being ED eligible. Social maladjustment is

not deﬁned in the law, legislative history, or intent, or even education

literature prior to its inclusion in the law. If a student meets any other

eligibility criteria, arguments you can use to argue that a student is

eligible as ED include: (1) even if a student is socially maladjusted, if they

independently meet the ED qualiﬁcations, they do qualify as ED; (2) ED

persists over time while social maladjustment can be resolved with short

term counseling; and/or (3) ED is characterized by acting uncontrollably

and unpredictably, while social maladjustment is believed to be driven

by the student’s intent to participate in bad behaviors.

CHECKLISTS FOR COMMON

ELIGIBILITIES CONTINUED

EMOTIONAL DISTURBANCE (ED)

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA CONTINUED

SPECIAL EDUCATION

ELIGIBILITY CHECKLIST

Speciﬁc Learning Disability (SLD)

Two Methods for Proving Eligibility

1. Response to Intervention (RTI): A student does not respond positively

to evidence-based programs designed to teach reading, writing, math

calculation, etc.

2. Severe Discrepancy Model: There is a severe discrepancy between the

student’s cognitive ability and academic achievement in math, reading,

and/or written language AND the severe discrepancy is caused by a

disorder in one or more basic psychological processes.

SLD ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA USING RTI

Using RTI to establish speciﬁc learning disabilities is a relatively new and

unstructured process, as compared with the severe discrepancy model

described below. Many schools are still uncomfortable with this method of

eligibility determination, but the law mandates that they consider it where

appropriate.

 The school implemented an evidence-based intervention. There

is no single deﬁnition of evidence-based or scientiﬁcally-based

interventions, but such interventions generally have been vetted by

academic institutions and supported by empirical data.

AND

 The student did not respond positively to the evidence-based

intervention. There also are no universally accepted measures or

time frames for determining when a student fails to respond to an

intervention. However, if your student makes little or no progress

in reading, writing, or math within six months of implementing an

evidence-based program, you might consider arguing that he or she is

eligible for SLD based on a failure to respond to interventions.

APPLICABLE LAW

Federal: 20 U.S.C. § 1401(3)(A); 20 U.S.C. §

1401(30); 34 C.F.R. § 300.8(c)(11)

California: Educ. Code §§ 56336-8, 5 C.C.R. §

3030 (b)(10)

CHECKLISTS FOR COMMON

ELIGIBILITIES CONTINUED

SPECIAL EDUCATION

ELIGIBILITY CHECKLIST

SLD ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA USING

SEVERE DISCREPANCY MODEL

 Determine Cognitive Ability: Cognition is a student’s ability to learn,

including memory and critical reasoning. Cognitive ability is measured

through standardized assessments.

 Determine Academic Achievement: Academic achievement is

determined by measuring skills in reading, writing, and math on

standardized assessments. Although it is important to look at

achievement in sub-areas (e.g., in reading, it is important to analyze

all areas including decoding, comprehension, and ﬂuency), for

eligibility purposes the following academic areas must be analyzed:

(1) oral expression; (2) listening comprehension; (3) written expression;

(4) basic reading skill; (5) reading comprehension; (6) mathematical

calculation; and (7) mathematical reasoning.

 Find A Severe Discrepancy: Finding a severe discrepancy involves

comparing a student’s cognitive ability to their academic achievement

and ﬁnding that their achievement is not on par with how they should

be performing, given their ability level. The IEP team decides whether

a severe discrepancy exists. In making this decision, all relevant

material must be taken into account. No single score or test should

be used as the sole criterion for determining eligibility. There are two

ways that the IEP team can ﬁnd a severe discrepancy:

1. A severe discrepancy exists if there is a 22.5 point standard

score dierence between a measure of cognitive ability and an

academic achievement area. In the example below, there is a 25

point discrepancy between the student’s cognitive ability (SS 115)

and reading comprehension (SS 90). Therefore, this student has

a severe discrepancy between her cognitive ability and academic

achievement in the area of reading comprehension.

Cognitive Ability: SS 115

- Academic Achievement: Reading Comprehension SS 90

Discrepancy = 25 pts

2. If standardized tests do not reveal a severe discrepancy, the IEP

team may decide that one exists anyways by looking at actual

classroom performance, such as grades, test performance, teacher

observations and work samples relative to age, grade-level

standards, or intellectual development.



IQ TESTING FOR AFRICAN

AMERICAN STUDENTS:

Early IQ tests faced criticism for

being biased against minority

populations. For example, in Larry

P. v. Riles, 793 F.2d 969 (9th Cir.

1984), the Ninth Circuit held that

culturally insensitive IQ tests

incorrectly and disproportionately

identiﬁed African-American

students as mentally retarded,

leading to a ban on the use such

tests. Since then, schools and

parents have recognized the

value of understanding what

we now call “cognition,” as long

as the assessment tool used to

measure cognition is not culturally

biased. Today, new tests have

been updated to include culturally

appropriate norms, and should

be used as part of the school’s

assessment of a student.

CHECKLISTS FOR COMMON

ELIGIBILITIES CONTINUED

COMMON ASSESSMENTS

Cognitive Assessment System (CAS)

Test of Nonverbal Intelligence (TONI)

Wide Range Assessment of Memory and

Learning (WRAML)

Weschler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC)

COMMON ASSESSMENTS

Woodcock Johnson (WJ)

Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement (KTEA)

WHAT IS SLD?

Students with SLD have trouble learning in at least one academic area and are not performing up to their potential. This

deﬁciency is caused by a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or

in using language, spoken or written, that may present itself in the imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write,

spell, or perform mathematical calculations. One common processing disorder is a visual processing disorder where the

student sees normally, but has trouble understanding what they see. For example, a student with dyslexia will see some

letters backwards (i.e., Instead of ‘dog’ the student will see 'bog'). The student’s eye is seeing correctly but their brain is

reversing the letter.

SPECIAL EDUCATION

ELIGIBILITY CHECKLIST

 Find A Processing Disorder: Once you have found a severe discrepancy,

you must also determine that the discrepancy is due to one, or more,

disorders in the basic psychological processes involved with not

understanding or using language. Look for areas of weakness pursuant to

standardized test results. While the analysis is similar to ﬁnding a severe

discrepancy, there is no speciﬁc point dierential between ability level

and area of processing. Typically, if the student has average cognitive

ability, any processing score below the average range (below SS 85)

could be considered a processing deﬁcit. Psychologists can identify many

processing disorders, but the most common include:

 Visual Processing Disorders aect the brain’s ability to process and

make sense of information coming from a person’s eyes. This does

not involve a person’s ability to physically see.

• Symptoms or indicators to look for include but are not limited to: (1)

skipping words, letters, or lines when reading or writing; (2) reversals

of letter or numbers when reading or writing; (3) problems copying

from the board or overhead projector; (4) high tension when reading/

writing; (5) headaches, eye fatigue that worsens during day; and/or (6)

inconsistent spacing of words/letters when writing.

 Auditory Processing Disorders limit the ability to understand

spoken language, such as instruction in the classroom. Although

the ear can hear the sounds, the brain has an impaired ability

to dierentiate, recognize, or understand sounds and auditory

information. Note that it does not include people who are deaf or

hard of hearing.

• Symptoms or indicators to look for include but are not limited to: (1)

problems following directions or repeating information just heard; (2)

problems paying attention in class; and/or (3) delays in response time

SLD ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA USING

SEVERE DISCREPANCY MODEL CONTINUED

COMMON ASSESSMENTS

Test of Visual-Perceptual Skills (TVPS)

VISUAL PROCESSING

DISORDER EXAMPLE

Visual Figure-Ground is the ability to

perceive and locate objects within a

busy ﬁeld without getting confused by

the background. This keeps students

from getting lost in the details. The most

famous example is “Where’s Waldo?”

USE OF THERAPY

Vision therapy is important for a student with a visual processing disorder.

Vision therapy is a series of eye exercises and treatment procedures

prescribed, created, and administered by doctors of optometry. Vision

therapy treats problems that cannot be corrected by glasses. During

therapy, students learn to gain control of their eye muscle coordination

and build eye teaming skills necessary for success in school. While vision

therapy doesn’t teach a student how to read, it does make it easier for a

student to learn how to read.

AUDITORY PROCESSING

DISORDER EXAMPLE

Auditory Figure-Ground is the ability

to understand spoken language when

there is background noise, such as

in a noisy classroom environment.

Someone with an auditory processing

disorder may be unable to dieren-

tiate between what a teacher is saying

and surrounding noises, such as other

students talking or an air conditioner/

heater blowing.

USE OF THERAPY

Auditory therapy can be used to remediate auditory processing deﬁcits

and can be very successful. Auditory therapies include but are not limited

to: (1) the Basic Auditory Training program; (2) Fast ForWord; (3) Tomatis

Method; (4) Brain Gym; (5) Edu Kinesthetics; (6) Auditory Integration

Training; and/or (7) speech and language therapy. Classroom accommoda-

tions could include: (1) FM device; and/or (2) preferential seating near the

source of instruction.

COMMON ASSESSMENTS

Test of Auditory Processing Skills (TAPS)

Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing

(CTOPP)

CHECKLISTS FOR COMMON

ELIGIBILITIES CONTINUED

SPECIAL EDUCATION

ELIGIBILITY CHECKLIST

 Attention Processing Disorders: if a student is having problems

paying attention in class, this may be causing a discrepancy

between academic achievement and cognitive potential. Although

assessed the same way as in OHI, an attention processing disorder

in SLD also requires the severe discrepancy. Note that you do

not need a diagnosis of ADHD to have an attention processing

disorder. However, the attention disorder must adversely aect

the student’s educational performance (i.e., by causing the

discrepancy between cognitive ability and academic achievement).

 Sensory-Motor Processing; includes ﬁne motor skills, visual-motor

integration, and sensory processing.

1. Fine Motor Skills: refers to use of the small muscles in the

body that are required to complete a physical task (e.g., a

deﬁcit in the small muscles of the hand necessary for writing

• Symptoms or indicators to look for include but are not limited

to: (1) problems forming numbers and letters while writing; (2)

problems writing on the lines; (3) gripping the pencil too hard or

too softly; (4) pressing too hard or too softly on the paper when

writing; (5) hand and arm fatigue while writing; (6) problems

dressing, especially with buttons and zippers or tying shoes; and/

or (7) problems feeding, including holding utensils properly.

2. Visual-Motor Integration (VMI): measures the interaction

between ﬁne motor skills and visual processing.

3. Sensory Processing: refers to the method the nervous system

uses to receive, organize, and understand sensory input. It

enables people to ﬁgure out how to respond to environmental

demands based on sensory information (such as auditory and

visual input) and cues within the person’s body (such as touch).

• Symptoms or indicators to look for include but are not limited to:

(1) oversensitivity/sensory defensiveness; (2) undersensitivity/

sensory seeking behaviors; (3) complaints about how clothing

feels or needing certain textures; (4) picky eating habits; (5)

oversensitivity or undersensitivity to sounds; (6) impulsive or

distractible; and/or (7) persistently walks on toes to avoid sensory

input on the bottom of feet.

SLD ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA USING

SEVERE DISCREPANCY MODEL CONTINUED

VMI EXAMPLE

In order for a student to copy notes from the

board, the student must be able to: (1) see

the board; (2) process what they are seeing;

and (3) use ﬁne motor skills to write notes.

USE OF SENSORY PROCESSING THERAPY

Sensory processing therapy is provided in a gym/playground

environment called “Clinic OT.” Therapy looks like play with

movement on dierent types of gym equipment.

CHECKLISTS FOR COMMON

ELIGIBILITIES CONTINUED

COMMON ASSESSMENTS

Connors’ Rating Scales

Behavior Assessment System for Students (BASC)

SPECIAL EDUCATION

ELIGIBILITY CHECKLIST

Speech Or Language Impairment (SLI)

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

 The student has a communication disorder. A student must demonstrate at

least ONE of the following disorders:

1. Language Disorder:

• Method One: On two separate standardized tests, a student

must score at least 1.5 standard deviations below the mean

(22.5 standard score points), or below the 7th percentile,

for their chronological age or developmental level, in one or

more of the following areas: morphology, syntax, semantics,

phonology or pragmatics.

• Method Two: On one standardized test, a student must:

Score at least 1.5 standard deviations below the mean (22.5

standard score points), or below the 7th percentile, for his/her

chronological age or developmental level in one or more of the

following areas: morphology, syntax, semantics, phonology or

pragmatics; AND display inappropriate use of expressive or

receptive language, as measured by a language sample with a

minimum of ﬁfty utterances/words.

2. Articulation Disorder is marked by reduced intelligibility, or

inability to use the speech mechanism, that signiﬁcantly interferes

with communication and attracts adverse attention.

• “Signiﬁcant interference” occurs when the student’s

production of speech sounds on a standardized articulation

test is below expected levels for their chronological age or

developmental level.

3. Abnormal Voice is characterized by persistent defective voice

quality, pitch, and/or loudness.

4. Fluency Disorder is when the ﬂow of verbal expression, including

rate and rhythm, adversely aects communication between the

student and the listener. This includes inappropriate rate or rhythm

of speech (stuttering), excessive repetition, pauses, and/or other

breaks in the ﬂow of speech.

AND

 The communication disorder adversely aects educational

performance. Look for evidence that, despite interventions, educational

deﬁciencies persist over time. Examples include but are not limited

to poor: (1) grades; (2) standardized test scores; (3) classroom

performance; (4) attendance; and/or (5) social skills and aect.

CHECKLISTS FOR COMMON

ELIGIBILITIES CONTINUED

APPLICABLE LAW

Federal: 20 U.S.C. § 1401(3); 34 C.F.R. § 300.8(c)(11)

California: Educ. Code § 56333; 5 C.C.R. § 3030(b)(11)

COMMON TERMINOLOGY

Expressive language: the ability

to express, through use of words,

sentences, gestures, one’s thoughts,

feelings, wants, and needs.

Receptive language: receiving

communication from others and

understanding meaning.

Syntax: correct use of words when speaking.

Semantics: proper use of words in

sentences and the ability to string

words together correctly.

Morphology: word structure, phrasing,

and verb tenses.

Phonology: correct use of speech

sounds/patterns, known as phonemes.

Pragmatics: relates to social skills,

including use of appropriate reciprocal

conversation.

Fluency: rate and intonation of speech

(e.g., stuttering).

COMMON ASSESSMENTS

Comprehensive Assessment of Spoken Language

(CASL)

Comprehensive Evaluation of Language

Functioning (CELF)

ARTICULATION DISORDER EXAMPLE

A twelve-year-old student who says “Wabbit”

instead of “Rabbit” may have an articulation

disorder, but a ﬁve year old who does the

same thing may not be eligible because that

delay is developmentally appropriate.

SPECIAL EDUCATION

ELIGIBILITY CHECKLIST

Autism

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

A student must meet all of the following criteria:

 A student must have Autism, a developmental disability signiﬁcantly

aecting verbal and nonverbal communication and social interaction.

Autism can be established with a medical diagnosis, or by showing all

of the following:

1. Deﬁcits in verbal communication. Students with Autism may

demonstrate: (1) delays in learning how to understand language

or in speaking; (2) echolalia (i.e., repeats words or phrases instead

of using normal language); (3) speaking in an abnormal tone

of voice or with an odd rhythm; (4) trouble using reciprocal

communication (e.g., doesn’t respond to questions, walks away

while being spoken to, carries on a one-sided conversation);

and/or (5) an inability to understand ﬁgurative language, humor,

irony, or sarcasm (e.g., asking where the dogs and cats are when

someone says, “It’s raining cats and dogs.”)

AND

2. Deﬁcits in nonverbal communication. Students with Autism may

demonstrate: (1) poor eye contact; (2) an inability to read body

language or facial expressions; and/or (3) a failure to understand

or use gestures appropriately.

AND

3. Deﬁcits in social interaction. Students with Autism may

demonstrate: (1) a history of extreme withdrawal or of relating

to people inappropriately; (2) wariness to approach others or to

pursue social interaction; (3) inappropriate use of social greetings

for age (e.g., begins a conversation with a stranger without

introducing themselves ﬁrst); (4) diculty making friends with

students the same age; (5) using scripted greeting rituals (e.g.,

asks all new people the same question); and/or (6) diculty

understanding other people’s feelings and reactions.

AND

 The autistic-like behaviors must aect educational performance. If

a student’s educational performance is negatively impacted due to

emotional disturbance, autism does not apply.

CHECKLISTS FOR COMMON

ELIGIBILITIES CONTINUED

APPLICABLE LAW

Federal: 20 U.S.C. § 1401(3); 34 C.F.R. § 300 8 (a)(1)

and (c)(1)(i-iii)

California:

EDUC. CODE § 56846.2; 5 C.C.R. § 3030(B)(1)

COMMON ASSESSMENTS

Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS)

Gilliam Autism Rating Scale (GARS)

Studenthood Autism Rating Scale- Second Edition

(CARS)

OTHER CHARACTERISTICS

ASSOCIATED WITH AUTISM

Additional signs of Autism include: (1)

engagement in repetitive activities (e.g.,

opening and closing doors, turns lights

on and o over and over); (2) stereo-

typed movements (e.g., hand ﬂapping,

ear ﬂapping, rocking); (3) resistance to

environmental change or change in daily

routines (e.g., cries excessively if bath time

is skipped); and/or (4) unusual responses

to sensory experiences. (e.g., upset by soft

sounds or normal lighting, cringing at a pat

on the back).

AUSTIC BEHAVIOR EXAMPLES

(1) poor communication (e.g., diculty

speaking in class or communicating needs);

(2) poor social interaction (e.g., diculty

participating in class or making friends);

(3) ritualized behavior (e.g., struggles to

transition from one activity to the next); (4)

inappropriate use of objects (e.g., lining up

pencils instead of using them to write); (5)

extreme resistance to controls (e.g., refuses

to follow instructions); (6) unusual motor

patterns (e.g., toe walking could interfere with

PE participation); and/or (7) self-stimulating

behavior (e.g., hand ﬂapping interferes with

work completion).