An Individual Education Plan or an IEP is an educational tool associated with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This is a law that makes a free appropriate public education available to eligible children with disabilities throughout the nation and ensures special education and related services to those children.
If you are considering an IEP plan, I am sure you have noticed an area that your child may be struggling in. Keep in mind that an IEP plan requires the student to have some difficulties that are attributing to areas of academics. For example, if my kiddo has ADHD but is performing well academically across the board and has in the past then the likelihood of my kiddo receiving an IEP is very low. In this instance, they would probably qualify for a 504 plan.
You notice your kiddo is struggling in reading or another area and you would like to determine if they qualify for services.
First, reach out to the school counselor or the primary teacher about your concerns. The best times to begin the IEP process is at the end of April or beginning of May, primarily because it is much calmer for administrators and teachers. This person will complete the entry form to begin the process for beginning testing through the school psychologist. This is called psychoeducational testing and will determine your kiddo’s academic level, cognitive functioning (IQ), social functioning, and behavioral functioning as it applies to school. This is very important to recognize.
Psychoeducational testing is related to the impact of school whereas a comprehensive psychological evaluation is related to all areas of life. The testing varies in how long it will take but must be completed within 90 days of the initial request of the parent. In addition to testing, the school requires medical information to rule out any medical conditions that may contribute to a mental health diagnosis or that may impact a mental health diagnosis. Typically, unless you did a private psychological evaluation, you will not receive the evaluation prior to the IEP unless the school is ahead of schedule. This is a great note to take. School psychologists are typically overbooked with students they have to test from a variety of schools and often provide the report to the school just before the 90-day deadline.
Following testing, the exceptional children’s (EC) teacher and other IEP team members will hold a meeting to discuss results and determine if a student qualifies. If you have an advocate that understands this process more than you do have them attend the meeting with you and make sure to take notes during the meeting so you can ask questions there that can be answered immediately.
Based on the testing results the team decides if a child will qualify and if they do, the EC teacher will have written various accommodations to meet the child’s needs that are quantifiable. At this time, it would benefit you to have an advocate who can request the needs of your child based on how goals are written in IEP format. Do your research ahead prior to the meeting and ask a lot of questions during the meeting.
If the team recommended an IEP at the meeting, schedule a 60-day follow up meeting with the team to follow your child’s progress. If your child did not qualify, see if they would qualify for a 504 plan and then get a second opinion from an outside source of testing.
The primary issue with receiving a second opinion right after the meeting is related to validity of testing. IQ testing cannot be done within 1 year of the original testing date. It is possible that another psychologist will have alternative testing measures but check with them before the second testing process begins because if you do not you will be wasting your time and money. If you are moving forward with a second opinion, this is a time that you would benefit from an advocate.
Let’s summarize
- Identify concerns
- Request psychoeducational testing (staff will complete form to begin)
- Receive results if they are available before the meet date
- Do your RESEARCH
- Consult with an expert or therapist with experience prior to meeting
- Attend meeting with an advocate or support person
- Schedule 60-day follow up meeting or begin process for second opinion
If you have an IEP/504, are in the process of setting one up, or need additional support with accommodations; Alyse can help. Alyse has years of experience in helping kids with ASD and ADHD thrive in a school setting!