- Mental Retardation
- Hearing Impairments
- Speech or Language Impairments
- Visual Impairments
- Serious Emotional Disturbance
- Autism
- Traumatic Brain Injury
- Orthopedic Impairments
- Other Health Impairments
- Specific Learning Disabilities
- Developmental Delay
Tennessee Categories of Special Education
- Autism
- Deaf-Blindness
- Deafness
- Developmental Delay
- Emotional Disturbance
- Functional Delay
- Hearing Impairment
- Intellectually Gifted
- Mental Retardation
- Multiple Disabilities
- Orthopedic Impairment
- Other Health Impairment
- Specific Learning Disabilities
- Speech or Language Impairment
- Traumatic Brain Injury
- Visual Impairment
Individuals with disabilities that fit into one of the categories above can receive services from birth to 21 years; however, a child can only receive services for a developmental delay until the age of nine years. Early intervention services are provided from birth to the age of 3. These services are not mandated by IDEA, but by state grants. Preschool services are provided form age 3 to five. These services are mandated by IDEA. Then from 6 to 21 years IDEA mandates students to have a FAPE and IEP.
