For children ages birth to 3 – A physical or mental condition that may result in a developmental delay. For children under the age of 3 should be referred through Babies Can't Wait or a medical physician.
For children ages 3 through 5 – A documented deficit in one or more of the following developmental areas: communication, vision, hearing, motor skills, social emotional/behavioral functioning, self-help skills, and/or cognitive skills.
For children ages 5 through 21 – Identification of one or more of the following conditions: autism, deaf blindness, hearing impairment including deafness, mental retardation, multiple disabilities, orthopedic impairment, other health impairment, emotional disturbance, specific learning disability, speech or language impairment, traumatic brain injury, and/or visual impairment including blindness.
Local school districts are required by federal and state laws to find children who may need special education services and related services.