The Gatekeeper for Special Education Eligibility- Specially Designed Instruction (SDI)
By, Megan Swaim
Specially Designed Instruction, or SDI, is instruction that is adapted, modified, or intentionally designed to meet a child’s unique disability-related needs, so they can access and make effective progress in the general curriculum. SDI must be delivered by a special educator or specialist; it is not the same as the support provided by a general education teacher.
When the IEP team begins discussing special education eligibility, the question of whether a student requires SDI becomes a pivotal part of the process. In fact, it can feel like the gatekeeper of whether a child qualifies for an IEP. Under IDEA, teams must answer three questions in order:
Does the child have a disability? If yes, move to question 2.
Does their disability adversely impact educational performance? If yes, move to question 3.
Does the student require specially designed instruction? Pause. A student only qualifies for special education services if the answer is yes. This is where SDI becomes so critically important.
Schools will sometimes claim, “The student doesn’t need SDI; they only need accommodations.” But accommodations alone are not enough when the child requires explicit, individualized instruction to learn skills impacted by their disability. Your response may be,
“Accommodations support access. My child requires instruction taught differently, explicitly, and repeatedly because of their disability.”
Because special education is full of gray areas, this determination can feel especially unclear. I was recently in a meeting where the team wrestled with this very question: Does a high school student require SDI for their executive functioning deficits?
To answer that, we walked through what executive functioning SDI actually looks like. It is not homework help or organizational reminders. It is teaching new skills through explicit instruction, modeling, repeated practice, data collection, and opportunities for generalization across settings provided by a special educator. Here are examples of what SDI in executive functioning may include:
1. Planning & Organization:
Teaching students how to break down long-term assignments
Modeling how to create timelines and task sequences
2. Working Memory:
Teaching active recall techniques
Introducing structured note-taking systems step-by-step
3. Task Initiation & Completion:
Teaching routines for starting work independently
Pre-task coaching and post-task reflection
4. Self-Monitoring:
Teaching students how to evaluate accuracy and quality
Using lists, check routines, rubrics, and self-check tools
5. Stamina & Sustained Attention:
Teaching strategies for re-engagement during difficult tasks
Developing personalized focus strategies
6. Time Management:
Teaching how to map tasks against realistic time expectations
Developing systems to estimate the required time
If you are navigating the eligibility process and wondering whether your child requires SDI, you are not alone. Determining what is support vs. what is instruction is complicated, and it has real implications for securing appropriate services for your child.
Please reach out to our team of consultants and advocates if you have questions about SDI, eligibility, or the IEP process. We are here to help you make sure your child receives the support they need to be successful.
