[+] Read about the specific criteria used to determine eligibility in the educational category of young child with a developmental delay.
Missouri Department of Elementary & Secondary Education – Criteria for Eligibility in the Educational Category of Young Child with a Developmental Delay
A child age 3 to 5 has a developmental delay when:
- The child’s development is at or below 1.5 standard deviations, or equivalent levels, of the mean in any two areas of development or at or below 2.0 standard deviations, or equivalent levels, in any one area of development. Areas of development that can be used to determine eligibility include physical, cognitive, communication, social/emotional or adaptive
- The child needs special education and related services
NOTE ON PROFESSIONAL JUDGMENT: A child may also be deemed eligible when:
A. The evaluation report documents through formal and informal assessment that a significant deficit exists and a child is eligible for services even though the standard scores, or equivalent levels, do not meet the stated criterion levels in A above
B. The team may determine that a child who is functioning above the stated criterion level and because of intensive early intervention, is eligible for services based on expected regression if services were to be terminated
NOTE ON KINDERGARTEN-ELIGIBLE CHILDREN AGE 5: Children kindergarten age eligible may continue eligibility as a young child with a developmental delay if they were identified as such prior to attaining kindergarten age eligibility
[+] Other local, state and national resources related to young child with a developmental delay
(Many of the resources listed are generic in nature or pertain to early childhood specifically. To find additional resources for a specific disability please refer to
that section.)
Local Resources
The Belle Center
www.bellecenter.com
Child Day Care Association
www.childcarestl.org
Parents as Teachers National Center (PAT)
www.parentsasteachers.org
St. Louis Arc
www.slarc.org
St. Louis Easter Seal Society
http://ucpesh.easterseals.com
www.mo.easterseals.com
State Resources
Early Childhood Special Education Department of
Elementary and Secondary Education
www.dese.mo.gov/divspeced
Head Start
www.moheadstart.org
National Resources
Child Care Bureau
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ccb
Council for Exceptional Children
Division for Early Childhood
www.dec-sped.org
Head Start
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ohs/
National Association for the Education of Young Children
www.naeyc.org
National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities
www.nichcy.org
National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center
www.nectac.org
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
www.nichd.nih.gov 
