Using data from the Special Education Elementary Longitudinal Study that included more than 11,000 students (ages 6-12), this study explored the primary disability classification assigned to students by their schools, the variety of disabilities that parents reported, functional limitations associated with students' disabilities, disability identification, and early intervention services. Findings indicate: (1) almost three-fourths of students with disabilities were classified as having a learning disability or a speech impairment; (2) parents reported an average of 1.5 disability categories, ranging from 1.4 for students in the speech/language impairment category to 3.0 for students classified with deaf-blindness; (3) speech was cited as the most frequently limited function, with 43% not able to speak as clearly as other children; (4) 5% of parents of white students and 6% of African American students asserted their children had no disability, whereas parents of 10% of Hispanic students did so; (5) 24% of the students were first recognized as having a disability when they were infants or toddlers, and 22% were identified in their preschool years; and (6) students from wealthier households were more likely to be identified as infants or toddlers and receive earlier services. (Contains 15 exhibits and 6 references.) (CR)