Deaf or hard of hearing is an impairment in hearing, whether permanent or fluctuating, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance but that is not included under the definition of deafness of this section.  Deaf is a hearing impairment that is so severe that the child is impaired in processing linguistic information through hearing with or without amplification that adversely affects a child’s educational performance.

Autism is a developmental disability significantly affecting verbal and nonverbal communication and social interaction, generally evident before age three, which adversely affects a child’s educational performance. Other characteristics often associated with autism are engagement in repetitive activities and stereotyped movements, resistance to environmental change or change in daily routines, and unusual responses to sensory experiences.

Emotional Disturbance is a condition exhibiting one or more of the following characteristics over a long period of time and to a marked degree that adversely affects a child’s education performance.

• An inability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory or health factors.
• An inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships with peers and/or teachers.
• Inappropriate type of behavior or feelings under normal circumstances.
• A general pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression.
• A tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or school problems.
• The term includes schizophrenia. It does not apply to children who are socially maladjusted, unless it is determined that they have a serious emotional disturbance.

Click the link below to refer a child ages 3 to 5 years old for a Full Individual Evaluation with Anna ISD.  

Referral Form

• Parents with concerns about a child's (ages 3 to 5) development should contact Jamie Posada via email at jamie.hood-posada@annaisd.org to initiate the evaluation referral process.  
• A representative from the home campus preschool evaluation team will contact the parent in order to gain informed consent for a Full and Individual Evaluation.
• Once consent has been signed, the team will set a mutually agreed upon time for the completion of the direct evaluation. Depending on the needs of the student, one or two testing sessions may be required.
• The evaluation team will generate a written report of the evaluation results which will be provided to the parent and reviewed in an ARD meeting.

The evaluation team includes a Speech-Language Pathologist and an Educational Diagnostician. The team may also include any of the following professionals based upon the student's unique needs: Licensed Specialist in School Psychology, Occupational Therapist, Physical Therapist, Deaf or Hard of Hearing Specialist, and/or Visual Impairment Specialist.

The preschool evaluation team uses a play based assessment approach to evaluate preschool aged children in Anna ISD. Play based assessments provide a flexible, dynamic and holistic perspective on your child’s individual development, including their strengths and needs. This assessment process also recognizes the importance of play as a natural context for development, and acknowledges the expertise and contributions of family members as well as of a variety of early childhood professionals. Families are involved in all portions of the assessment, and are treated as partners in the assessment process.

Helpful Links: 

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Developmental Milestones Checklist by Age Developmental Milestones Checklists

Admission/Review/Dismissal (ARD) meeting will be held within 30 calendar days from the date of the full individual evaluation. Should the ARD Committee determine that the student is eligible to receive special education services, an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) will be developed by the ARD Committee for your child. At a minimum, the ARD Committee includes parents/guardians, teachers, evaluator, and an administrator/principal.

For children attending Anna ISD campuses, information on services for children ages 5-21 is provided through your campus counselor or administrator.  Parents have the right to request a special education evaluation at any time.

The districts' child find duties also include students with disabilities living within our district boundaries who are not attending public school. This includes access to evaluations (at no cost to the parent) as well as services available to students with disabilities attending private school or home school. For additional information, please call 972-924-1016.