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7.3: Multidisciplinary Comprehensive Evaluation for Determining Eligibility for Special Education

  • Page ID
    319123
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    Children who may need more individualized support and/or might benefit from specialized services or individualized accommodations due to disability or developmental delay must qualify for special education services following a multidisciplinary comprehensive evaluation.

    According to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (2004), "each publi agency must conduct a full and individual initial evaluation...before the initial provision of special education and related services to a child with a disability. The initial evaluation - must be conducted within 60 days of receiving parental consent for the evaluation...must consist of procedures to determine if the child is a child with a disability under IDEA and to determine the educational needs of the child."

    Before the Evaluation

    Parents must sign consent for the evaluation prior to the start of any data collection. Before signing consent, parents should discuss and decide with the child's educational team (including teachers, relationed services providers, administrators, etc.) what developmental domains will be evaluated, how, and by whom. Additionally, parents should be provided with a copy of procedural safeguards related to special education. The date that the parent's consent is signed begins the 60-day timeline for comprehesive evaluation.

    During the 60-Day Evaluation Period

    A multidisciplinary comprehensive evaluation for eligibility determination should include a variety of assessment data that can include (but is not limited to): standardized assessment, authentic assessment, observation or anecdotal notes/records, environmental assessment, parent interviews/report, background, social and medical history, and vision/hearing screening and/or assessment. The parents should be active participants in their child's evaluation process.

    Reporting the Results and Determining Eligibility for Special Education

    IDEA requires that the child's educational team (including the parents) determine if the child is eligible for special education services under at least one of the 13 categories of disability described in the law (see below). Additionally, and importantly, the team must also determine that the child requires extra educational assistance or individualized educational programming. Meaning, not all children with a disability may qualify for special education unless the team determines that they require it.

    If a child's educational team determine a child is eligible for special education, then together they create a child's Indvidual Education Program (IEP) based on the child's strengths and needs - which includes specific, measurable goals based on evaluation results, as well as accommodations, modifications, and supports necessary for the child to make progress towards those goals.

    IDEA's Categories of Disability

    • Autism
    • Deaf-blindness
    • Developmental Delay
    • Emotional Disturbance
    • Hearing Impairment/Deafness
    • Intellectual Disability
    • Multiple Disabilities
    • Orthopedic Impairment
    • Other Health Impairment
    • Specific Learning Disability
    • Speech or Language Impairment
    • Traumatic Brain Injury
    • Visual Impairment, Including Blindness

    Creating Inclusive Learning Environments

    To ensure that all children feel safe, secure and nurtured, teachers must strive to create a climate of cooperation, mutual respect and tolerance. To support healthy development, teachers must offer multiple opportunities for children to absorb learning experiences, as well as process information, at their own pace. While one child may be comfortable with simple verbal instructions to complete a particular task, another child may benefit from a more direct approach such as watching another child or adult complete the requested task first. Teachers who are devoted to observing their children are motivated to provide experiences that children will enjoy and be challenged by. The classroom is not a stagnant environment - it is ever-changing. In order to maintain a high-quality classroom setting, it is essential to utilize your daily observations of children and the environment to monitor the experiences and interactions to ensure there is a good fit. [48]

    Contributions from

    Michelle Sands, Northern Illinois University


    This page titled 7.3: Multidisciplinary Comprehensive Evaluation for Determining Eligibility for Special Education is shared under a CC BY 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Gina Peterson and Emily Elam.

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