PART 2 – A Tale of Two Labels: One Child, Two Different Ways of Being “Identified”
If you read our previous blog entitled School vs. Psychological Evaluation: Which Path Is Right for Your Child?, you saw an overview of major differences between school-based and psychological evaluations and were introduced to the reality that educational classifications and diagnoses are not synonymous. The sections that follow will help to illustrate why that is.
Navigating the gap between a diagnosis and an educational classification is often the most frustrating part of a parent’s journey, yet it is where true advocacy begins. Often, families are confused by the use of Autism, Intellectual Disability, and Specific Learning Disability as educational classifications, given that there are diagnoses with similar labels. Many school-based evaluations also mistakenly interchange the terms “classification” and “diagnosis,” adding to the confusion. However, educational criteria (based on IDEA) for Autism, Intellectual Disability, and Specific Learning Disability are separate, distinct, and different from diagnostic criteria as you can see below. There are no diagnoses, for example, of Other Health Impairment, Emotional Disturbance, or Orthopedic Impairment. These are all educational classifications.
Comparison of IDEA and DSM-5 Criteria
| LABEL | CRITERIA | |
| IDEA | Autism | Significant impairment in verbal and nonverbal communication.Impairment in social interaction.Characteristics evident before age 3.Must cause adverse educational impact. |
| Intellectual Disability | Significantly subaverage intellectual functioning.Concurrent adaptive deficits.Manifested during the developmental period.Must cause adverse educational impact. | |
| Specific Learning Disability | Lack of response to evidence-based intervention OR severe gap between IQ and achievement.Must affect 1 of 8 academic domains – oral expression, listening comprehension, written expression, basic reading skills, reading fluency skills, reading comprehension, mathematics calculation, mathematics problem solving. Must cause adverse educational impact. | |
| DSM-5 | Autism Spectrum Disorder | Deficits in Social Communication & Interaction (All must be met): social-emotional reciprocity, nonverbal communication, and relationships.Restricted, Repetitive Behaviors (At least 2 must be met): stereotyped/repetitive movements, insistence on sameness, fixated interests, sensory.Significant interference with daily life. |
| Intellectual Disability (Intellectual Developmental Disorder) | Deficits in Intellectual Functions: reasoning, problem-solving, planning, abstract thinking, judgment, and academic learning. IQ about 70. Deficits in Adaptive Functioning: Failure to meet developmental and sociocultural standards for personal independence and social responsibility across 3 domains (Conceptual, Social, Practical).Onset During the Developmental Period: Intellectual and adaptive deficits must have started before age 18 (during childhood).Significant interference with daily life. | |
| Specific Learning Disorder | Persistent academic difficulty (6+ months).Skills substantially below age expectations.Early onset (school years).Significant interference with daily life. | |
While a school may use a term like “Autism” or “Intellectual Disability” or “Specific Learning Disability” to describe a child’s special education eligibility, it is vital to remember that this is not a diagnosis. Having a diagnosis does not automatically qualify a child for special education, nor does an educational classification ensure that criteria will be met for a diagnosis. By understanding that an educational classification and a diagnosis are separate tools, you can ensure your child is not only “eligible” for services within the educational setting but also gain understanding of the cause(s) and mechanisms of a condition(s) to guide treatment for all areas of life.
