What do we mean by DEVELOPMENTAL DELAY?
Why do we have something called DEVELOPMENTAL DELAY?
Isn't a person just disabled or not?
Deciding who needs special services and how they are going to get them has always been an issue. The question is how can we be fair and equal. In addition to this question is that of when. When should children be identified as having special needs or needing special services? If they are identified too early they may be labeled incorrectly and then only perform at the level that is expected. This could lead to otherwise “average” children being taught at a slower rate simply because during their early childhood they hadn’t developed as quickly as others. On the other hand, if we wait too long to decide who needs services, those children may be set back further because they needed help way before it was given. This is why childre are often identified as 'developmentally delayed' when a specific diagnosis is not available or desirable.
Since 1975, Congress has been dealing with this problem and the many others that surround special services and children. With the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) it was now the state’s job to provide all disabled or special needs children with a fair education. This included the right to special education and related services.
