As I begin the listing of special education categories in South Carolina, you may have noticed that I skipped over Autism. Since Autism is a hot topic in much of the country, I figured I would address it near the end while I go through some of the less controversial and/or more medically based eligibility categories.
In South Carolina, deaf and hard of hearing is a category of disability that is primarily driven from an audiological report, conducted by a licensed audiologist. South Carolina's criteria are as follows:
One thing to note as we go through these eligibility categories is that the last criteria will be present in each category. There could be a student who has significant hearing loss but is able to compensate for this loss and does not require additional educational supports in order to demonstrate success in the general education environment.
In South Carolina, deaf and hard of hearing is a category of disability that is primarily driven from an audiological report, conducted by a licensed audiologist. South Carolina's criteria are as follows:
- The student has a hearing loss that is 20 dB or greater at any one frequency, either unilaterally or bilaterally, or
- The student has a fluctuating hearing loss, either unilaterally or bilaterally. AND
- The student’s hearing impairment adversely affects his or her educational performance.
One thing to note as we go through these eligibility categories is that the last criteria will be present in each category. There could be a student who has significant hearing loss but is able to compensate for this loss and does not require additional educational supports in order to demonstrate success in the general education environment.