Millions
of children in the United States are classified as disabled under the Individuals
with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), a federal law that outlines special services
designed to meet the unique needs of children with disabilities. These services
are provided in two very different systems.
The early intervention system
is responsible for services from the time the child is born until the child’s
third birthday. From
age 3 through 21 years, the school system is responsible for providing special
education and related services. In order to obtain needed resources for children
with disabilities, nurses need a working knowledge of these two systems.