Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/identifying-young-children-with-disabilities/5024440/
As the result of several lawsuits brought against state departments of education by parents of children with disabilities, the first federal law to require public schools in the United States to serve children with disabilities was passed in 1975. In 1990, this law became the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Over the years, the law has been reauthorized and changed many times. Today the law covers children from birth to 21 years. While its focus is still on children in public schools and early childhood programs, the law may also apply to children in private schools under certain conditions (U.S. Department of Education, Office of Innovation and Improvement, 2012). Historically the application of the law focused on K–12 schools; today, however, early childhood programs are increasingly expected to serve children with a variety of abilities.
A major reason for this new direction is the increased understanding that the earlier the intervention associated with many conditions, such as autism, the greater the chance for success (Dawson et al, 2012). Many believe these positive results of early intervention apply to any disability that can negatively impact a child’s school success (Allen & Cowdery, 2015). Thus, the sooner the intervention is initiated, the better ...