Students with Disabilities
What to know
IDEA recognizes 13 disability categories, and eligibility always requires two things: a qualifying condition and an adverse effect on educational performance. A medical diagnosis by itself never qualifies a student. ADHD is served under 'other health impairment,' dyslexia under 'specific learning disability,' and a fluency disorder under 'speech or language impairment.' Section 504 is broader - any impairment that substantially limits a major life activity - and yields accommodations, not an IEP. 'Developmental delay' is a state-optional category for ages 3 through 9.
You should be able to link characteristics to classroom behavior: a student with an intellectual disability may need task analysis and concrete examples; a student with emotional disturbance may show chronic withdrawal or aggression across settings and over time; a student with visual impairment needs tactile and auditory access plus orientation and mobility support. Know typical development in language, cognition, and social-emotional domains well enough to recognize when performance is atypical, and know family-systems and cultural considerations - use trained interpreters rather than the student, provide translated procedural notices, and avoid reading cultural difference as deficit.
Traps: treating prevalence as criteria; assuming a physical disability automatically means special education; forgetting the exclusionary clause (SLD may not stem from lack of appropriate instruction, limited English proficiency, or sensory impairment); and mixing IDEA and 504 rights.
Worked example: A fourth grader with ADHD earns average scores but needs extended time and a quiet seat to finish work. Because achievement is adequate, an IEP is not warranted; a 504 plan fits. If grades and work completion fall despite those supports, the team reconvenes to consider OHI eligibility.
Rule of thumb: eligibility = condition + educational impact + need for specially designed instruction.