According to the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES; 2023), there were 7.3 million students between the ages of 3 and 21 served under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) during the 2021-2022 academic year. The IDEA, signed into law in 1975, provides individualized education services to students with disabilities ensuring all students have access to a free and appropriate public education and defines 13 categories of disability (IDEA, 300.8[c]). According to the NCES (2023) most students receiving services were served under the category of specific learning disability (32%), and approximately the same number of students were provided special education services under the IDEA for behavior-related disabilities (i.e., Autism, Other Health Impairment for attention difficulties, and Emotional Disturbance).
Emotional Disturbance (ED) is defined to include difficulties with depression, anxiety, general emotional regulation, and social relationships (IDEA, 300.8 [c][4]), but this does not include students who struggle with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); they are often served under the category of Other Health Impairment (OHI; IDEA, 300.8 [c][9]). Further, students served under the Autism category may require mental health services as these students often experience symptoms of anxiety, depression, ADHD, and other mental illness (Hossain et al., 2020; Lecavalier et al., 2019). Students with specific learning disabilities, intellectual disabilities, and speech and language disabilities are also at risk for developing mental health difficulties (Briley et al., 2021; Buckley et al., 2020; Grigorenko et al., 2020).
Recent statistics on the prevalence of mental health difficulties in the U.S. population of children and youth suggested that approximately 25% experience a mental health disorder in a given year and approximately 33% experience a mental health disorder in their lifetimes (Merikangas et al., 2022). Many fewer students (5%) are reported to be served under the ED category defined within the IDEA (NCES, 2023). Given the current method of categorizing student disabilities for eligibility under the IDEA, it is difficult to estimate the number of students served under the IDEA who are struggling with mental health difficulties and who are receiving services to support those difficulties. One explanation is that the IDEA does not define mental health difficulties as a category of disability (Skaar et al., 2021).
In this practice brief, learn six evidence-based steps for securing mental health services in schools through IDEA special education programs, including prevention, identification, and intervention strategies supported by case law.