A child must meet four criteria in order to be placed in a learning disabilities program. The first of these is intellectual ability. The child must have normal or have the potential for normal intellectual functioning.
Academic criteria is the second criteria.
A significant discrepancy between the student's expected achievement and the students's actual functioning in one basisc skill area must exist. Lastly, the learning problems can't be due to an exclusionary factor such as hearing, visual, or physical impairment. The child's leaning problems cannot be explained by emotional interference,extended absences, lack of motivation, cultural, economic, or environmental deprivation. An IEP is a written contract between parents and the school that is developed as a plan to meet the specific educational needs of a child. Parental consent is needed before an initial evaluation is conducted, for a reevaluation, and before placement into a program.