OSEP Releases IDEA Report to Congress

The 45th Annual Report to Congress on the Implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was recently released by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education (OSEP). The report provides insights into the provision of special education services in the United States. Drawing from data collected during the 2020-2021 school year, the report incorporates information from various sources, including studies, evaluations, and databases from the Institute of Education Sciences and the U.S. Census Bureau. Notable trends include an increase in the number of infants and toddlers served under IDEA Part C, rising from 3.2% to 3.7% of the population between 2020 and 2021. Additionally, for 3 to 5-year-olds (Part B Sec. 619-preschool), 741,510 children received services, representing 6.2% of the population. However, there was a very slight decline from the previous year in the proportion of school-age students served under IDEA Part B, dropping from 9.7% to 9.6%. The report also highlights the most prevalent disability categories among school-age children, with specific learning disabilities ranking highest at 34.5%, followed by other health impairments (18.1%), speech or language impairments (16.6%), autism (12.2%), intellectual disabilities (6.1%), emotional disturbances (4.8%), and "other disabilities combined" accounting for 7.8% of students. These findings provide valuable insights into the landscape of special education services and the prevalence of disabilities among school-age children in the United States.

Access the full report here.