My Kid Has an Emotional Disability – Can They Qualify For an IEP?

Emotional challenges can impair social skills, behavioral health, physical wellness, and cognitive development, presenting numerous learning barriers for impacted students. The Emotional Disturbance (ED) category is one of the 13 categories in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) that can qualify a student for an Individual Education Program (IEP). In order for a student to qualify for an IEP under the ED category, two basic requirements must be met: they must receive a diagnosis by a school psychologist or district-contracted evaluator, and the evaluator must also specifically identify how the child’s emotional disturbance impairs them academically.

So what do evaluators look for to qualify a student for special education under the Emotional Disturbance category within the California education code?

1. An inability to learn that isn’t intellectual, sensory, or health-related

Learning disabilities (such as dyslexia or dysgraphia), health impairments (e.g., asthma and heart conditions), executive functioning disorders (e.g., ADD and ADHD), and sensory impairments (e.g., deafness or blindness) can impair a child’s ability to learn. While these disorders can co-occur with emotional disturbances, each of these diagnoses are recognized under separate categories in IDEA. If your child does not have a Specific Learning Disability and experiences difficulty learning - but does not meet the diagnostic criteria for other intellectual, sensory, or health impairments - then an emotional disturbance may be the cause. 

If you believe an Emotional Disturbance is the cause of your child’s academic challenges, you may be able to seek an Individual Education Program. Schedule your consultation below to ask questions about our diagnostic testing services.

2. Inability to build relationships with teachers and peers 

The social atmosphere within an education structure is vital for healthy child and adolescent development. Challenges with making friends or building healthy student-teacher connections can be as inhibiting to a student’s academic career as a specific learning disability or other health impairment. If a student’s social struggles are caused by emotional challenges and are impairing their academic performance, they may qualify for an IEP.

3. Pervasive unhappiness or depression

While certain levels of fear and moodiness are expected throughout life, some kids experience persistent feelings of worry or unhappiness due to depression or anxiety disorders. Both depression and anxiety can impair a child’s ability to focus and retain information, creating disruptions to effective learning. 

4. Physical symptoms and fear related to personal or school problems 

Students with emotional disturbances often experience bodily responses to fears that they associate with school. They may exhibit shaking, sweating, increased heart rate, gastrointestinal issues, or panic attacks in the face of otherwise mundane activities. Some kids experience intense fear over going to school altogether, while others only experience symptoms in certain situations, such as using the school restrooms.

5. Inappropriate behaviors & feelings in typical situations

Extreme reactions under normal circumstances are the final criteria that may qualify a child for special education under the ED category. This characteristic refers to a child exhibiting extreme moods during situations that would not typically cause feelings of rage, despair, or anxiety. Examples of conditions that can cause extreme emotional responses include:

- Conduct disorders: exhibiting rage, aggression, defiance, hysterics, swearing, and other over-reactions to daily occurrences
- Eating Disorders such as anorexia and bulimia: causing the student extreme distress around eating and body image
- Psychotic disorders including schizophrenia: Causing hallucinations and delusions that distort their perception of reality
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD): causing intrusive thoughts and ritualistic, compulsive behaviors
- Bipolar Disorder: Causing extreme, unpredictable mood swings, alternating between depressive and manic states

How Variations Psychology can help:

It’s important to recognize that each of these criteria alone are not enough to qualify a student for special education; a qualified evaluator must look at the whole picture of a student’s academic, medical, environmental, and developmental history to determine whether they have a diagnosis causing an emotional disturbance, and whether their diagnosis produces an academic impairment. Our doctors can streamline this process through comprehensive diagnostic testing and educational consulting to guide you in identifying the best options available for your child or teen.

So you know you need help, but aren’t sure how
to find the right help?  

If a loved one has a learning difference or other condition that impacts their mental health and education, you may feel lost in determining the best ways to support them. 

Our Diagnosticians can provide psychological testing to remove the
guess-work and guide your family on the best path toward mental health, emotional wellness, and academic success.

Click below to schedule your consultation.

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More about Variations Psychology

Variations Psychology is a group practice specializing in diagnostic testing to identify psychological conditions.

Our comprehensive evaluations test for conditions that impact mental health and development such as ADHD, autism spectrum disorders, depression, anxiety, learning disorders, and developmental delays. 

In addition to diagnostic services, we offer Independent Educational Evaluations (IEEs) of K-12 students to assess needs for accommodations in school and determine their appropriate placements. IEEs provide an objective second opinion on existing IEP and 504 Plans.

For K-12 and post-secondary students, we offer evaluations to assess needs for accommodations on standardized tests, college entrance exams (e.g. - SAT, ACT, AP Exams), and graduate and professional licensing exams (e.g. - MCAT, LSAT, GRE, CBEST, NCLEX, GMAT, CA Cosmetology Exam, CA Contractors State Licensing Exam, CA Bar Exam).

Schedule your consultation below to learn how our diagnostic services can support you and your family. 

Variations Psychology is located in Newport Beach, CA and provides psychological testing to residents throughout Orange County and its surrounding areas including Newport Beach, Newport Coast, Irvine, Shady Canyon, Laguna Beach, Laguna Hills, Coto de Caza, Corona del Mar, Costa Mesa, Yorba Linda, Dana Point, Laguna Niguel, Aliso Viejo, Mission Viejo, Pelican Hill, Crystal Cove, Rancho Santa Margarita, San Clemente, Lake Forest, Huntington Beach, Sunset Beach, Seal Beach, and more.

References:

Children’s Mental Health, Anxiety and Depression (2022). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/childrensmentalhealth/depression.html 

Guidelines to Determine the Existence of an Emotional Impairment (EI) (2020). Livingston Educational Service Agency. Retrieved from https://cdn5-ss5.sharpschool.com/UserFiles/Servers/Server_6101938/File/Attachments/Special%20Education/EI%20Guidelines%20updated%207.28.20.pdf 

Shinn, M.M. (2022). Dealing with Dysgraphia: 7 Steps to Help Your Child Overcome Writing Challenges. Psychologically Speaking. Retrieved from www.variationspsychology.com/blogs/7-steps-to-help-your-child-overcome-writing-challenges 

Shinn, M.M. (2020). Detecting Dyslexia: Could My Kid Have It? Psychologically Speaking. [Variations Psychology blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.variationspsychology.com/blogs/detecting-dyslexia-could-my-kid-have-it 

Shinn, M.M. (2018). How to STOP Anxiety in its Tracks.  Psychologically Speaking. [Variations Psychology blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.variationspsychology.com/blogs/how-to-stop-anxiety-in-its-tracks 

Shinn, M.M. (2021). Is My Child or Teen Depressed? 10 Tell-Tale Questions to Consider. Psychologically Speaking. [Variations Psychology blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.variationspsychology.com/blogs/is-my-child-or-teen-depressed-10-tell-tale-questions-to-consider 

Shinn, M.M. (2020). My Kid Has OCD – How Will This Impact Their Education? Psychologically Speaking. [Variations Psychology blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.variationspsychology.com/test-blog/my-kid-has-ocd-how-will-this-impact-their-education 

Shinn, M.M. (2021). My Kid Refuses to Go to School – What Could be the Cause? Psychologically Speaking. [Variations Psychology blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.variationspsychology.com/blogs/my-kid-refuses-to-go-to-school-what-could-be-the-cause 

Shinn, M.M. (2022). The 13 Categories of IDEA: What Conditions Can Qualify My Student for Special Education? Psychologically Speaking. [Variations Psychology blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.variationspsychology.com/blogs/the-13-categories-of-idea-what-conditions-can-qualify-my-student-for-special-education

Shinn, M.M. (2022). Why Isn’t My Kid Making Any Friends? Psychologically Speaking. [Variations Psychology blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.variationspsychology.com/blogs/my-kid-refuses-to-go-to-school-what-could-be-the-cause-gnmey

How to Cite This Blog Article:

Shinn, M.M. (2022). My Kid Has an Emotional Disability – Can They Qualify For an IEP? Psychologically Speaking. [Variations Psychology blog post]. Retrieved from www.variationspsychology.com/blogs/my-kid-has-an-emotional-disability-can-they-qualify-for-an-iep