IDEA Disability Categories in Michigan
What disability categories qualify for an IEP in Michigan?
Michigan recognizes 13 disability categories under MARSE, which correspond to the federal IDEA categories but use Michigan-specific terminology and criteria. The categories are defined in MARSE R 340.1705 through R 340.1717: (1) Cognitive Impairment (R 340.1705) — Michigan's term for Intellectual Disability; development at a rate at or below approximately 2 standard deviations below the mean in intellectual functioning; (2) Emotional Impairment (R 340.1706) — Michigan's term for Emotional Disturbance; behavioral problems primarily in the affective domain over an extended period, adversely affecting educational performance; (3) Deaf or Hard of Hearing (R 340.1707) — any degree of hearing loss interfering with learning; (4) Visual Impairment (R 340.1708) — visual acuity of 20/70 or less corrected, or peripheral field restricted to 20 degrees; (5) Physical Impairment (R 340.1709) — physical challenges affecting learning (e.g., musculoskeletal, neurological, cardiovascular disorders); (6) Other Health Impairment (R 340.1709a) — limited strength, vitality, or alertness due to chronic/acute health conditions including ADHD; (7) Speech and Language Impairment (R 340.1710) — difficulty understanding or using language, including articulation, fluency, voice, and language disorders; (8) Early Childhood Developmental Delay (ECDD) (R 340.1711) — covers children through age 7 whose primary delay cannot be differentiated through other MARSE categories; Michigan's ECDD applies through age 7, narrower than the federal maximum of age 9; (9) Specific Learning Disability (R 340.1713) — disorder in one or more basic psychological processes; Michigan permits both RTI (Response to Intervention) and Pattern of Strengths and Weaknesses (PSW) approaches for SLD identification; (10) Severe Multiple Impairment (R 340.1714) — multiple disabilities requiring intensive intervention; (11) Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) (R 340.1715) — lifelong developmental disability affecting social interaction and communication; (12) Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) (R 340.1716) — acquired injury from external force or internal occurrence (e.g., stroke, infection not addressed); (13) Deaf-Blindness (R 340.1717) — concomitant hearing and visual impairment. Eligibility requires both a qualifying disability AND adverse educational impact requiring special education.
What Michigan Requires
Michigan recognizes 13 disability categories under MARSE R 340.1705–1717; eligibility requires both a qualifying disability AND adverse educational impact requiring special education (R 340.1701b).
Eligibility is determined by the Multidisciplinary Evaluation Team (MET) — a minimum of 2 persons including a specialist with knowledge of the suspected disability (R 340.1701b) — and presented to the IEP team.
Michigan uses 'Cognitive Impairment' (R 340.1705) for Intellectual Disability, and 'Emotional Impairment' (R 340.1706) for Emotional Disturbance — these are Michigan-specific terms.
Early Childhood Developmental Delay (ECDD, R 340.1711) applies through age 7 — narrower than the federal maximum of age 9; after age 7, a specific categorical disability must be identified.
For Specific Learning Disability (R 340.1713), Michigan permits both RTI (Response to Intervention) and Pattern of Strengths and Weaknesses (PSW) methods for identification — districts may use either approach.
Key Timelines
Eligibility determination must occur within 30 school days of receiving parental consent for evaluation — this is Michigan's stricter timeline vs. the federal 60-calendar-day default (R 340.1721b(1)).
Reevaluation must occur at least every 3 years unless parent and district agree it is unnecessary (34 CFR 300.303).
Early Childhood Developmental Delay eligibility (R 340.1711) applies through age 7 — by age 7, a specific disability category must be identified if the student continues to require services.