For a child younger than 4 years with special needs, Contact Sarah Germany, BISD Special Services Coordinator, 817-547-3712
For a child 4 years or older with special needs, contact the Diagnostician or Speech-Language Pathologist at your local school.
For a school-age child with special needs or suspected disability who is not enrolled in school, contact your local school to enroll your child and meet with the Multidisciplinary Review Team (MRT) to discuss special education services.
Note: Services are provided at no cost to the parents
What does "child with a disability" mean?
The term "child with a disability" means a child who (1) has one of the following disability conditions and (2) needs special education services to benefit from education:
Speech/Language Impairment
Autism
Learning Disability
Intellectual Disability
Emotional Disturbance
Orthopedic Impairment
Vision Impairment
Hearing Impairment
Traumatic Brain Injury
Other Health Impairment
Who does Child Find apply to?
This notice applies to persons residing in Texas who are:
residing in their homes or foster homes;
not yet attending school or are attending day care centers, public schools, independent schools, parochial schools or are being home schooled;
highly mobile or homeless; or
suspected of having a disability even though they are advancing from grade to grade.
The above-described persons are entitled to a comprehensive evaluation to determine if their disability qualifies them for special education and related services to be provided through an Individualized Education Program (IEP) pursuant to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA) and to rules of the Texas State Board of Education.
Who can begin the Child Find process?
Anyone can start the process: a parent/guardian, doctor, teacher, relative or friend can call their local school district Child Find. If you are concerned about a child’s learning, contact your local school campus, district, or charter school.
Possible Services and Placement Options
Based on the results of the evaluation, placement decisions will be determined. Placement options could include instruction and therapy services in a special education classroom, instruction in a general education classroom with special education support, or speech therapy services.
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