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Disability Category Criteria Forms and Guides

Wisconsin administrative rules for identifying disability category criteria can be found in Wisconsin Administrative Code, Section PI 11.36. This covers the areas of autismblind and visually impaireddeaf and hard of hearing, deafblindemotional behavioral disabilityintellectual disabilityorthopedic impairment, other health impairment, significant developmental delay, speech or language impairment, specific learning disability, and traumatic brain injury.

Disability Category Criteria Forms

DPI special education content area consultants developed disability category criteria forms for each disability category. When school districts use the disability criteria forms, the IEP team documentation of disability category criteria more likely adequately addresses all of the required elements and results in fewer cases of inappropriate identification. Use of the disability category criteria forms will also increase Wisconsin's performance when measured against Indicator #9 and #10 of the State Performance Plan related to the disproportionate representation of racial and ethnic groups in specific disability categories.

Disability category criteria forms are available in the following disability categories. All criteria forms were most recently updated June 2023, except SLD forms ER-2-A and ER-2-B (May 2022). All translations are current.

Autism 

Orthopedic Impairment

Blind and Visually Impaired

Other Health Impairment

Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Significant Developmental Delay

Deafblind

Specific Learning Disability

Emotional Behavioral Disability

Speech or Language Impairment

Intellectual Disability

Traumatic Brain Injury

If a student is determined to meet disability category criteria in one or more of the disability categories, the IEP team must then consider whether the student needs specially designed instruction. To assist IEP teams in addressing whether there is a need for specially designed instruction, see the guidance for model form ER-1, Evaluation Report. The model ER-1 form can be found on the DPI Sample Special Education Forms web page.

Specific Learning Disability Guidance

Disability Category Criteria Guides and Resources

DPI special education content area consultants developed disability category criteria guides to assist districts in appropriately applying disability criteria to individual students. These guides and other resource materials are available on the individual disability webpages:

Autism
Blind and Visually Impaired
Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Deafblind
Emotional Behavioral Disability
Intellectual Disability
Other Health Impairment
Orthopedic Impairment 
Significant Developmental Delay 
Specific Learning Disability
Speech or Language Impairment
Traumatic Brain Injury