Are people with borderline intellectual functioning eligible for special education?

Question

in my state, people who are borderline don't qualify to be classified as mentally retarded.

Answer 1

My daughter is borderline, and we live in California. Her achievement was compatible with her intellect. I worked very hard to get her into Special Education and lost the battle when she went to High School. In High School she was in RSP. Unless the parents are able to push the school district into providing services, they should look for a child advocate to help them get the services they need. There are no easy answers for these people.

Answer 2

not sure about that but any type of impairments should qualify for special ed, as far as I know.   My son has a speech imediment and takes speech therapy, which is under the special ed umbrella.

Answer 3

Honestly, a really pushy parent can get whatever they want their kid to have. I work in the special ed. dept. of a middle school and the people who run the school are so tied up in being politically correct and letting anyone into the school, that they are pretty easy to push if one pushes hard enough.

Answer 4

It is difficult for borderline students to qualify for special education because they are functioning to the best of their ability. This is demonstrated by the difference between abilty and achievement evaluations.

If there were other problems they might qualify under OI or OHI.

Answer 5

Even if they are borderline and don't qualify for MR, I'm sure they qualify for something else-like Specific Learning Disability. I assume you have already had testing done if you know they are borderline. Push your local school or school board to use the testing results as a basis for making an eligibilty determination.

Answer 6

I saw this definatition on a few websitrs

from the IDEIA-2004

Specific Learning Disabilities means a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, that may manifest itself in an imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or do mathematical calculations, including such conditions as perceptual disabilities, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia. The term does not include learning problems that are primarily the result of visual, hearing or motor disabilities, of mental retardation, of emotional disturbance, or of environmental, cultural, or economic disadvantage

according to this definition borderline does fit into SLD.  It does not require a discrepancy between ability and attainment.....

OHI (other health impaired) also fits