The Hawai'i Department of Education is responsible for providing
special education services for any child residing in Hawai'i between the ages of
3 and 20. Currently, there are approximately 1100 children with special needs
being serviced in Hawai'i schools.
The following disability areas will
be reviewed when eligibility for special education is
considered:
-Autism
-Deaf-Blindess
-Deafness
-Developmental
Delay
-Emotional Disturbance
-Hearing Impairment
-Mental
Retardation
-Multiple Disability
-Orthopedic Impairment
-Other Health
Impairment
-Specific Learning Disability
-Speech-Language
Impairment
-Tramatic Brain Injury
-Visual Impairment Including
Blindess
Comprehensive services are provided in accordance with Public
Laws 94-142 and 99-457. All preschoolers with special needs are
served based on the Individualized Education Program (IEP).
***The (IEP)
is a written statement that serves as a management tool used to ensure that a
child with special needs receives necessary special education and related
services. It also serves as an evaluation device to determine the extent of the
child's progress toward accomplishing projected goals. The IEP is utilized not
only at the preschool level, but throughout a child's career in public school to
ensure services are provided***
Each school will be able to provide
additional information regarding testing and other special needs-related
services.
ASSETS School
The Armed Services Special Education Training
Society (ASSETS) was established in 1955 for military families who wanted
specialized education in Hawai'i to be comparable to the services provided in
the mainland.
Situated in close proximity to Pearl Harbor, Hickam AFB and
the Honolulu International Airport, ASSETS is a K-12 school fully accredited by
the Western Association for Schools and Colleges. It is a school that features
both a highly specialized remediation for dyslexic children, and an acceleration
program for the gifted.