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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>86043</law_id><section_number>22.1-213</section_number><catch_line>Definitions</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><referred_to_by><reference>16.1-293</reference><reference>2.2-5211</reference><reference>22.1-129.1</reference><reference>22.1-214</reference><reference>22.1-253.13:3</reference><reference>22.1-253.13:4</reference><reference>22.1-289</reference><reference>22.1-7</reference><reference>23.1-902.1</reference><reference>9.1-153</reference><reference>9.1-156</reference></referred_to_by><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="22.1">Education</unit><unit label="chapter" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="13">Programs, Courses of Instruction and Textbooks</unit><unit label="article" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="2">Special Education</unit></structure><text>
						<section><p>As used in this article:
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Children with disabilities</span>&#x201D; means those persons (i) who are age two to 21, inclusive, having reached the age of two by the date specified in &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Compulsory attendance required; excuses and waivers; alternative education program attendance; exemptions from article" href="/22.1-254/">22.1-254</a>; (ii) who have intellectual disability or serious emotional disturbance, are physically disabled, speech impaired, deaf or hard of <span class="dictionary">hearing</span>, visually impaired, or multiple disabled, are otherwise health impaired, including those who have autism spectrum disorder or a <span class="dictionary">specific learning disability</span>, or are otherwise disabled as defined by the <span class="dictionary">Board</span> of Education; and (iii) who because of such impairments need <span class="dictionary">special education</span>.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Instructional practices to support <span class="dictionary">specially designed instruction</span> in inclusive settings</span>&#x201D; means structured instructional practices, including sequential, systematic, explicit, and cumulative teaching, that (i) are based on reliable, trustworthy, and valid <span class="dictionary">evidence</span>; (ii) provide access to grade-level content in core or general instruction, supplemental instruction, intervention services, and intensive intervention services; (iii) are developed based on reliable data collection and progress monitoring from both valid and reliable assessments and tracking of progress toward individual goals and objectives; (iv) are able to be differentiated in <span class="dictionary">order</span> to meet the individual needs of students; and (v) align with student need based on <span class="dictionary">special education</span> eligibility, present level of performance, and related goals and objectives.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Related services</span>&#x201D; means transportation and such developmental, corrective, and other supportive services as are required to assist a child with a disability to benefit from <span class="dictionary">special education</span>, including speech pathology and audiology, psychological services, physical and occupational therapy, recreation, early identification and assessment of disabilities in children, counseling services, and medical services for diagnostic or evaluation purposes. &#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Related services</span>&#x201D; also includes school health services, social work services in schools, and <span class="dictionary">parent</span> counseling and training.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Special education</span>&#x201D; means <span class="dictionary">specially designed instruction</span> at no cost to the <span class="dictionary">parent</span> to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability, including classroom instruction, home instruction, instruction provided in hospitals and institutions, instruction in physical education, and instruction in career and technical education.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Specially designed instruction</span>&#x201D; means instruction for which the content, methodology, or delivery is adapted, as appropriate to the needs of an eligible child, to (i) address the unique needs of the child that result from the child&#x2019;s disability and (ii) ensure that the child has access to the general curriculum so that the child can meet the educational standards that apply to all children within the <span class="dictionary">jurisdiction</span> of the local educational agency.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Specific learning disability</span>&#x201D; means a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or using language, spoken or written, which may manifest itself in an imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or do mathematical calculations. &#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Specific learning disability</span>&#x201D; does not include children who have learning problems that are primarily the result of visual, <span class="dictionary">hearing</span>, motor, or intellectual disability, or of environmental, cultural, or economic disadvantage.</p></section></text><history>Code 1950, &#xA7; 22-10.3; 1974, c. 480; 1978, c. 386; 1980, c. 559; 1983, c. 538; 1990, c. 444; 1994, c. 854; 2001, c. 483; 2012, cc. 476, 507; 2019, c. 288; 2023, cc. 148, 149; 2024, cc. 468, 502.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
