Special Services
WELCOME TO SPECIAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT
The Lawrence County School System strives to adequately meet the needs of all
students with disabilities. We offer various programs based on research-based
curriculums to meet the needs of the students who fall under the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The system has procedures in place through child
find to locate and educate the above mentioned individuals. There are thirteen
exceptionalities that a student can be identified in and served based on an
Individualized Education Plan referred to as an IEP. When a student is referred for an
evaluation through the Special Education Program they are evaluated with a battery of
tests including hearing/vision screening, achievement, behavior, and psychological
testing. The selected tests vary depending on the exceptionality for which the student is
being evaluated.
Related Links and Documents:
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AUTISM:A developmental disability that significantly affects verbal and nonverbal communication and social interaction evident before age three that adversely affects educational performance.
DEAF-BLINDNESS:A combination of both hearing and visual impairments causing severe communication and other developmental and educational needs.
DEVELOPMENTAL DELAY:A significant delay in one or more of the following areas may identify a child for this area of the disability on his or her third birthday:
1. Adaptive development
2. Cognitive development
3. Communication development
4. Social and Emotional development
5. Physical development
EMOTIONAL DISTURBANCE:A disability in which one or more of the following characteristics are exhibited over a long period of time and to a marked degree, adversely affecting educational performance:
1. An inability to learn which cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory or health factors
2. An inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships
3. Inappropriate type of behavior or feelings under normal circumstances
4. A general pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression
5. A tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or school problems
HEARING IMPAIRMENT: An impairment in hearing, whether permanent or fluctuating, that adversely affects a child's educational performance. The term includes both deaf and hard of hearing.
MENTAL RETARDATION:Significantly below average general intellectual functioning existing along with deficits in adaptive behavior and manifested during the developmental period that adversely affects the child's educational performance.
MULTIPLE DISABILITIES:The combination of impairments such as mental retardation and blindness or mental retardation and orthopedic impairment which causes such severe educational needs that they cannot be accommodated in special education programs solely for one of the impairments. The term does not include fearfulness.
ORTHOPEDIC IMPAIRMENT:Orthopedic Impairment includes impairment caused by congenital abnormality, disease, and impairments from other causes. The impairment must adversely affect educational performance.
OTHER HEALTH IMPAIRMENT:Other Health Impairment means limited strength, vitality or alertness, due to chronic or acute health problems such as heart condition, diabetes, sickle cell anemia, or attention deficit disorder. The impairment must adversely affect educational performance.
SPECIFIC LEARNING DISABILITIES:Specific Learning disabilities 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 an imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell or to do mathematical calculations.
SPEECH AND LANGUAGE IMPAIRMENT:A communication disorder such as articulation, voice, language, or fluency, which adversely affects a child's educational performance.
TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY: An acquired injury to the brain caused by external physical force, resulting in total or partial functional disability or psychosocial impairment or both, that adversely affects educational performance.
VISUAL IMPAIRMENT: A visual impairment that, even with correction, adversely affects a child's educational performance.
PRE-SCHOOL SPECIAL EDUCATION:Children ,with the previously mentioned disabilities, may qualify for Pre-School Special Education Services between the ages of 3 and 6.
GIFTED PROGRAM:Intellectually gifted children that perform or who have demonstrated the potential to perform at high levels in academic or creative fields when compared with others of their age, experience or environment.