Early Childhood Education Commons^™

Students Exiting Preschool Special Education: A Six -Year Examination Of Eligibility Patterns And Performance, Elisabeth Murphy Powers

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Substantial research supports the efficacy of early intervention services for children with developmental delays from birth to age 5. Federal legislation, IDEA, P.L. 101-476, now mandates that states provide services to infants and toddlers (Part C) and preschoolers ages 3--5 (Part B) using either categorical or noncategorical classifications.;Research relative to eligibility classifications and stability of classifications of preschool students transitioning to school age service is limited. The purpose of this study was to determine: (a) the initial eligibility classification at time of exit from preschool special education services, (b) the stability of classifications for students initially declassified and initially classified, …