Part B, Section 619 Eligibility
IDEA '97 expanded the age range for which a state might apply the term "developmental delay" from ages 3 through 5 to ages 3 through 9. The most recent reauthorization, the IDEA Improvement Act of 2004, clarified a state may apply the term developmental delay to the age range 3 through 9, or any subset of that range, including ages 3 through 5.
State eligibility policies for young children under Part B, ages 3 through 5 and
beyond, where noted, are summarized in Eligibility
Policies and Practices for Young Children Under Part B of IDEA
(PDF: 189kb) (2007). This NECTAC
Notes paper includes a table with state by state policies including the use of
"developmental delay".
NECTAC routinely updates this information. An updated version of this paper is expected in November of 2009. State Section 619 Coordinators are asked to e-mail us with changes.
Other Resources on this Topic:
- Disability
Categories: State Terminology, Definitions & Eligibility Criteria
(PDF: 1,389kb) Project Forum, NASDSE,
February 2004.
- DEC Concept Paper on Developmental Delay as an Eligibility Category, April 2009.
- DEC Position Statement on Developmental Delay as an Eligibility Category, December 2005.
- Developmental
Delay: Review of Research and Future Directions - Proceedings Document
(PDF: 215kb) , Project Forum, NASDSE,
March 2001.
- Louisiana's Developmental Delay Pilot Study (2000)
- New Mexico's TA Document for the Category of
Developmentally Delayed and Use of Professional Judgment
(PDF: 1,796kb) (1999) -- Posted with the permission of
María Landázuri, former 619 Co-Coordinator for the New Mexico
Department of Education.
- Section 619 of Part B of IDEA Child Count Tables: Child Count data is one measure that can assist states in determining performance related to early identification and provision of services to children with disabilities, ages 3-5 years. This data is available for several fiscal years and the reports provide data on the number and percentage of children ages 3-5 served by disability and race/ethnicity.