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Exceptional Children

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The Exceptional Children’s Program currently serves more than 1,400 students in Lenoir County with one of the following areas of eligibility: Autism, Developmental Delayed, Serious Emotional Disability, Hearing Impairment, Intellectual Disability (Mild, Moderate, Severe), Specific Learning Disability, Other Health Impairment, Orthopedic Impaired, Speech or Language Impairment, Traumatic Brain Injury, Visually Impaired, Deaf/Blind, deafness and multiple disability.

The placement in exceptional children is determined by state procedures, Policies Governing Services for Children with Disabilities. Each student when placed in Exceptional Children is placed by eligibility criteria defined in the Policies Governing Services for Children with Disabilities for each area of eligibility. The majority of the students are referred by SST teams to an EC Compliance Specialist at each school and the EC process begins. Additionally, some referrals are received from parents.

Exceptional Children’s Services for students are based on their Individualized Education Plans (IEP) that is developed annually by parents and school staff. The IEP addresses the services each individual student needs as well as accommodations and /or modifications required in the general education class and for state testing. All students with IEP’s are expected to progress in general curriculum and all students are included in state testing program. All exceptional students are up for reevaluation every three years. The IEP teams decide if testing is necessary based on the data and observations they have collected on the student.

All students are served in their least restricted environment based on their needs. Lenoir County Exceptional Children’s Services provide services in a variety of settings. The level of services ranges from inclusion to self-contained placement. LCPS also offers Day Treatment Services for the students who have severe behavioral challenges.

The Exceptional Children’s Services are provided by physical therapists, speech therapists, visually impaired teachers, hearing impaired teachers, certified exceptional children teachers and teacher assistants, occupational therapist, autism specialist, program compliance specialist and behavior support and psychological services.

Important Links

LCPS Exceptional Children's Department homepage

N.C. Department of Public Instruction's EC homepage

Project Child Find

North Carolina has a continuing Child Find procedure in place to locate all children with mental, physical or emotional disabilities residing in the state who are in need of special education and related services, including children with disabilities attending private schools, regardless of the severity of their disability.

This effort also includes highly mobile children with disabilities (such as migrant and homeless children) and children who are suspected of having a disability and are in need of special education even though they are advancing from grade to grade. The purpose of this procedure is to enhance public understanding of Exceptional Children and youth with special needs, to identify and locate the children and youth and to inform the public of available services.

Services include a complete evaluation, an individualized education program designed specifically for the child and a referral to other agencies providing special services.

Superintendent, Brent Williams and Exceptional Children Director Vivian Roach encourage anyone with knowledge of a child or youth not receiving special assistance for disabilities to urge the parents/guardians to contact: the Superintendent, the Exceptional Children Director, Principal or the Department of Public Instruction's Exceptional Children Division.

Project Child Find NC Department of Public Instruction