When a nursery or a school suggests "you might want to consider applying for special education eligibility," most parents start by weighing what the words carry. Is this a diagnosis? Does it stay on the school record? Can it be undone? In fact this procedure sits on a different level from a medical diagnosis. It is not a hospital attaching a condition to a child; it is an administrative decision by the education authority about whether to provide educational support. Which is why the law sets out who may start it, what the deadlines are, and how the result must be communicated. Here is the sequence, following the articles of the Act on Special Education for Persons with Disabilities.

"Special education eligibility" is a decision by the authority, not a diagnosis

The statutory definition makes the character of it clear. A person eligible for special education is someone whom the superintendent of an education office or the superintendent of education has selected, following diagnosis and assessment, as needing special education. A medical certificate does not amount to selection, and equally, selection can happen without one.

The distinction matters for two reasons. First, because the decision-maker is the education authority, any challenge runs through procedures inside that system. Second, the purpose of selection is not to attach a label but to determine, at the same time, what educational support will be provided. The written notice states not only whether the child was selected but what support will follow.

It starts with a request for diagnosis and assessment

The procedure opens with a request for diagnosis and assessment. A guardian may request it directly from the superintendent of the education office or the superintendent of education, and the head of a school may also request it. Where a school makes the request, it proceeds with the guardian's consent.

The thing worth knowing here is that there is no need to wait. Terms pass while families wait for the school to raise it first, but this is a procedure a guardian can start. Requests go to the district education office for kindergarten through middle school, or to the metropolitan or provincial education office for the high school stage.

If you are at an earlier stage and unsure whether there is anything to act on, it helps to read how the K-DST developmental screening in the national infant check-ups works first. The national infant and toddler health check-ups cannot be taken later once the window closes, so that schedule and this procedure need tracking separately.

Thirty days from referral — what the support centre does

On receiving a request, the superintendent refers it immediately to a special education support centre. The centre must then complete the diagnosis and assessment within 30 days of referral. This is the first deadline to have in mind.

When the assessment is finished the centre does two things. It notifies the guardian of the results, and it reports its final opinion on selection and on the educational support to be provided to the superintendent.

For a parent, knowing this makes the timeline calculable. If two months pass after a request with no word, you have grounds to ask which stage it is sitting at. You do not have to accept "your turn has not come up yet" and keep waiting.

The decision comes in writing within two weeks of the final opinion

Having received the final opinion, the superintendent must decide on selection and on the educational support to be provided within two weeks of that point, and must notify the guardian in writing. This is not a procedure that ends with a phone call.

A review comes before the decision, and who conducts it depends on the school stage.

• Middle school stage and below: the superintendent of the education office decides after review by the city/county/district special education committee
• High school stage: the superintendent of education decides after review by the metropolitan or provincial special education committee

So the deadlines come in two segments: 30 days from referral for diagnosis and assessment, plus two weeks from the final opinion for the selection decision. The time from request to referral and the committee's meeting schedule are added on top, so the real elapsed time can be longer — but those two are the periods the law fixes.

The categories that can be selected are listed in the Act

The statutory categories are these.

• Visual impairment, hearing impairment, intellectual disability
• Physical disability, emotional and behavioural disability, autism spectrum disorder
• Communication disorder, learning disability, health impairment
• Developmental delay, and other disabilities prescribed by Presidential Decree

The entry most parents should notice is developmental delay. It exists to keep the route to support open at young ages, where fixing on a specific category would be premature. It is also worth registering that learning disability and health impairment are on the list. A long illness that interrupts schooling can fall under the latter.

Stating your view is part of the procedure, not a courtesy

The Act provides that the guardian must be given a sufficient opportunity to state their opinion during the diagnosis and assessment process. That is a procedural requirement, not a formality.

In practice the way to use it is to arrive with records. Assessment tools observe a child for an hour or two; parents have watched for years. Notes on what you have seen at home and at the nursery, any therapy or counselling already under way, and the situations in which difficulties intensify all give the assessment something to work with. Bring observation records from the nursery or kindergarten and the results of any assessments already carried out.

If you disagree — 30 days for review, 90 days for appeal

There is a route in the Act for results that are hard to accept. A person eligible for special education, or their guardian, who objects to a measure taken by a superintendent or the head of a school may submit a request for review to the city/county/district or metropolitan/provincial special education committee.

Three things attach to that review.

1. The committee must review the request and issue a written notice of the review result to the applicant within 30 days.
2. The applicant must be given an opportunity to state their views during the review.
3. Superintendents, heads of schools and other relevant parties must comply with the review decision.

If you also object to the review decision, you may file an administrative appeal within 90 days of being notified. That 90 days has the same shape as the deadline for challenging a school violence measure. The clock starts from the date of notification, so keep a record of the day the written notice arrived.

The sequence

1. Request a diagnosis and assessment from your district education office, or the metropolitan/provincial office for the high school stage. A guardian can do this directly.
2. Once referred to a special education support centre, the assessment takes place within 30 days. Prepare observation records and any existing assessment results.
3. Use the opportunity to state your views during the assessment.
4. After the centre's final opinion goes up, selection and the educational support to be provided are notified in writing within two weeks.
5. Read what support the notice says will be provided. Do not stop at whether the child was selected.
6. If you disagree, request a review from the special education committee (result within 30 days); if you also disagree with that decision, file an administrative appeal within 90 days of notification.

If school entry is approaching, it is worth reading the primary school entry procedure and how to apply for deferral alongside this. And if cost is a concern, the education benefit and education cost support schemes have their own separate applications and need looking into on their own.

Sources. Act on Special Education for Persons with Disabilities, Article 14 — request for diagnosis and assessment by a guardian or the head of a school; the superintendent refers it immediately to a special education support centre; the centre conducts the diagnosis and assessment within 30 days of referral, notifies the guardian of the results, and reports its final opinion on selection and on the educational support to be provided to the superintendent; the guardian is guaranteed an opportunity to state their opinion during the process. Article 15 — categories for selection (visual impairment, hearing impairment, intellectual disability, physical disability, emotional and behavioural disability, autism spectrum disorder, communication disorder, learning disability, health impairment, developmental delay and other disabilities prescribed by Presidential Decree); for the middle school stage and below the superintendent of the education office decides after review by the city/county/district special education committee, and for the high school stage the superintendent of education decides after review by the metropolitan or provincial special education committee. Article 16 — the decision on selection and on the educational support to be provided must be made within two weeks of receiving the final opinion and notified to the guardian in writing. Article 36 — where there is an objection to a measure, a request for review may be submitted to the city/county/district or metropolitan/provincial special education committee; the committee must issue a written notice of the review result to the applicant within 30 days; an opportunity to state views must be given during the review; relevant parties must comply with the review decision; and where there is an objection to the review decision, an administrative appeal may be filed within 90 days of notification. Checked August 2026. Application channels, committee schedules and required documents differ between metropolitan and provincial education offices and district offices, so confirm the actual procedure with the special education support centre at your district education office. This article sets out the procedures and deadlines fixed by law; it does not assess an individual child's diagnosis or eligibility, and medical diagnosis remains the province of medical professionals.