I favor extending the age range to 9, as allowed by current federal regulations, because some children under the age of 9 have disabilities that cannot be accurately determined because of their young age.

I agree with the the Virginia Office for Protection and Advocacy that allowing such children to be found eligible under the more general category of "developmental delay" will help avoid inaccurate labeling and potentially inappropriate or unnecessary services.

Thank you for the opportunity to post this comment online.