the Education of the

Handicapped Amendments
of 1986

Public Law 99-457*

• Also referred to as: Part H prior to 1994 IDEA

reauthorization, and Part C post 1994.
 Summary

Congress enacted and President Reagan

signed into law on October 8, 1986,
P.L. 99-457, the Education of the
Handicapped Act Amendments. These
amendments reauthorize the Education
of the Handicapped Act (EHA) and
include a rigorous national agenda
pertaining to more and better
services to young special needs
children and their families.
 Table of Contents
• Background
• The Population To Be Served
• Who Diagnoses a Disability?
• Controversy Over Defining a Disability
• Programs
• Implementation
• Implementation Obstacles
• References
 Background
• Benefits of early intervention
• Addresses gaps in EAHCA of 1975.
• Congressional response and goals.
• Funding
 Research and Benefits
of Early Intervention
• The mental, physical and emotional health of the very young
child is the foundation for all further development.

• Research, along with programs such as Head Start, have proven

that early intervention is effective.

• Research indicates that support and services to disabled

children and families will have the following effect:

• The child’s development will not be as delayed as it would be

if left unattended until age 6 or older.
• The stress for the family of having a handicapped child is
lessened and they are able to function more productively.
• Because of these results, children and families are more able
to contribute to their community.

• Because of these results, early intervention can prevent the

need for many costly services later in life.
Addressing Gaps in P.L. 94-142
• P.L. 94-12, the Education for All Handicapped
Children Act of 1975, created a “right to
education” for handicapped children between
ages six and eighteen.

• Along with that Act, Congress created the

Preschool Incentive Grant, which instead of
mandating that states serve children below
the ages of six, it provided a money
incentive.

• P.L. 99-457 included a new Preschool Grant

Program which was a mandate rather than an
incentive and provided three times the
funding for 3-5 year-olds.
Congressional Response and Goals
P.L. 99-457 states:
“The Congress finds that there is an urgent and
substantial need:
• To enhance the development of handicapped infants
and toddlers and to minimize their potential for
development delay.
• To reduce educational costs to our society,
including our nation’s schools, by minimizing the
need for special education and related services
after [they] reach school age.
• To minimize the likelihood of institutionalization
of handicapped individuals and maximize the
potential for their independent living in society.
• To enhance the capacity of families to meet the
special needs of their infants and toddlers with
handicaps.
Funding
 The Population To Be Served
P.L. 99-457 states that “handicapped infants and
toddlers” are individuals from birth to age 2,
inclusive, who need early intervention services
because they:
• are experiencing developmental delays, as measured
by appropriate diagnostic instruments in one or
more of the following areas:
cognitive development
physical development
language and speech development
psychosocial development
self-help skills

b) Have a diagnosed physical or mental condition

which has a high probability of resulting in
developmental delay.
Who Diagnoses a Disability?
• It is a multidisciplinary
evaluation that will be taken by
either a;
a) psychiatrist
b) school psychologist
c) other mental health professional

• The evaluation will vary from one

situation, school to another and
from urban to suburb to rural
systems.
Controversy of Defining a
Disability
• The science of diagnosing mental
and emotional disorders in children
under three is at its developing
stages.

• “Labeling” young children is often

viewed as discriminatory.
 P.L. 99-457 Programs
• Preschool Grant Program (3-5 year-olds)

• Handicapped Infant and Toddlers Program

• Individualized Family Service Plan(IFSP)*

- These plans require that families participate in
defining the child's intervention program.
* This is the centerpiece of Part C of IDEA.

• Early intervention services may include:

-family training -case management services
-counseling -medical(diagnostic/evaluative)
-home visits -health services
-speech pathology -social work services
-occupational therapy -vision services
-physical therapy -assistive technology devices
-psychological services -transportation
 Implementation
• Public awareness campaign
• Federal funding
• States determine eligibility
definitions and standards for program.
• Mandates participating states to
develop statewide interagency programs
of early intervention services for
infants and toddlers with disabilities
and their families.
• Calls for Identifying an agency in
each State responsible for
implementing P.L 99-457.
 Implementation Obstacles

• Fragmentation of services.
• Inadequate resources for referral
and coordination.
• The lack of common vocabulary
among personnel of different
disciplines and agencies.
• Delivery inflexibility to
accommodate the schedules of
working families.
 References
Schrag, Emily. Sensitivities, Skills, and Services: Mental Health Roles in
the Implementation of Part H PL 99-457 the Education of the Handicapped
Act Amendments of 1986. An Issue Paper. (1988)
http://eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/contentdelivery/servlet/ERICServlet?
accno=ED300990

Martin, EW., Martin, R., & Terman, DL. The Legislative and Litigation
History of Special Education, The Future of Children, (1996)
futureofchildren.org

Katsiyannis, Antonis, Yell, Mitchell L., & Bradle, Renee. Reflections on the
25th anniversary of the individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
Remedial and Special Education; Nov/Dec 2001; 22, 6; Research Library,
pg. 324.

Photo references
http://chrismetcalf.imagekind.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/shutterhack/2328014257/sizes/o/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ernstl/290427121/sizes/m/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cdm/72250667/sizes/m/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thomashawk/42972816/sizes/m/
Created by

Rajesh Barnabas
rbarnabas@hotmail.com