The provision of early educational identification, assessment and intervention services for children with intellectual disability in Tanzania

History shows that children whose disabilities diagnosed at a very young age were often abandoned or even killed. This study sought to find out how the children with intellectual disability were identified, assessed, placed in schools and provided with educational services. A qualitative case study of descriptive nature was employed. The study was conducted in Dar-es-Salaam region. The study included parents of children with intellectual disability, parents who did not have children with intellectual disability, regular primary school teachers, teachers in special needs education and an official from the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training. Data were gathered through questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, non-participant observation and documentary reviews. The findings revealed that children with intellectual disability were educationally diagnosed and assessed using interview and observation schedules which measured their ability of learning. It was learned that after identifying and assessing the children and know the diagnosed level of intellectual disability, the educational diagnostician determined the kind of educational programs and school in which the children were expected to be placed. The children were learning communication skills, daily living skills, physical education, vocational skills and limited academics. Eventually, it was found that there was positive preference regarding gender in the provision of early educational services to children with ID. From the findings, it was concluded that children with intellectual disability were delayed in early educational assessment and intervention. As a result, the number of untrained and/or dependent persons with intellectual disability in the country might increase.