Understanding Special Education for the Learning Disabled

While my bachelor's and master's are both in elementary education, I have been a special education teacher for the past 4 1/2 years. My area of special education is in emotionally handicapped. I taught at the high school level for 1 1/2 years and I currently teach at the middle school level.

If you feel your child is in need of special education servicing, you have the right as a parent to request that your child be tested for servicing. If the school tries to give you the run around, demand that they test your child or you will bring a lawsuit against them for violating your child's civil rights. There is no excuse for not testing your child upon your request. Furthermore, the school is responsible for paying for the testing.

There are several different categories of special education. Amongst these categories are MoMH (Moderately Mentally Handicapped), MiMh (Mildly Mentally Handicapped), LD (Learning Disabled), ED (Emotionally Disabled), VI (Visually Impaired), HI (Hearing Impaired), CD (Communication Disorder) and OHI (Other Health Impaired).

Moderately Mentally Handicapped children are those with an extremely low IQ. These are the children who are often referred to as "Mentally Retarded." These are the children who have difficulty functioning in daily life skills.

Mildly Mentally Handicapped children are those who have a low IQ, but it is higher than the Moderately Mentally Handicapped child's IQ. These children can function in day to day living, but may be extremely low learners. Depending upon the school system and the state in which you live, the IQ cut off for MiMH is generally 75 or lower.

Learning Disabled students are students who may have an average or above average IQ. Some may even be gifted. These students will generally be average to strong in one area, such as math, but struggle in another, such as reading. Generally, IQ tests for an LD student will show a strong discrepancy between their IQ (what they are expected to be able to learn) and their performance (what they are actually learning).