Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Special Education is defined as: "Specially designed instruction, at no cost to parents, to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability." Special education provides additional services, support, programs, specialized placements or environments to ensure that all students' educational needs are provided for so academic progress can be made.

There are 13 Categories for classification under IDEA. The link below gives a brief description of each:

 13 categories for classification under IDEA

Helpful Links:

The Office of Educational Partnership through the New York State Education Department (NYSED)

Parent Resources on NYSED Website

Preschool information on NYSED Website