If you think your child might have a disability, your first step should be to get a diagnosis. You can ask your pediatrician for a referral if they can not make the diagnosis.

If a Professional is needed and you don't know where to turn for an evaluation, the PAC can help you with finding evaluators.

If you have a diagnosis of any disability and you are not receiving services....

You can request an evaluation by the school department. If you do not know what the problem is, request a core evaluation. This takes a good look at any educational deficits your child might have.

Requests must be may in writing to the Special Education Chair at your school. The chair will send you a consent form to sign once they receive the request. The testing will be done and a team meeting will be called. A team is a group of people including parents, the Chair (person with Authority to approve services) and the childs teachers. OT or PT as well as reading specialist and any other party that will be involved in your childs education.

 

Make sure you have a traveling folder, notebook or container with all information on your child easily accessible.

The folder should contain:

Medical - copy of annual physical, any testing that has been done, medication history.

Evaluations - copy of results from any Educational or Neurological testing you have had. 

IEPs / 504s - copy of past IEP's and 504 documents.

Communication - copies of all letters, emails, telephone conversations or talks in the hall that you have had with school staff.

Progress - Report cards, progress reports and samples of your Childs work.

 

 

 

A team meeting works the same, if doesn't matter if it's your first to create a 504 or IEP or if it's an Annual Meeting.

 

You will receive an invitation to the meeting, it will have a list of people attending. If you would like to add other school staff, notify the chair in writing. You should never attend the meeting by yourself. Bring someone to take minutes and keep you on track. Let the chair know who you will bring.

Some people to consider: Day care provider, therapist, DMR/DMR case manager, evaluator, it's a good idea to bring people who know your child. This is especially important if some or all of you child's issues only happen outside the school.

 

If you have an IEP or 504, make a copy - never write on an original!

 

Review all evaluations. Make a list of every recommendation. Do this even if the evaluation was done in the past. Many times, we can forget or miss recommendations that may still be appropriate.

 

If you have an IEP or 504, compare the recommendations to the IEP, are they all listed? If not, add them in red pen.

 

Add any new accommodations that you would like to see on the IEP or 504.

 

Work on the first page of the IEP. This is for you. It's your chance to tell your story. Some schools in Norton send home a colored paper with you invitation - this represents the first page.

Write your concerns. Work on this for a while - it's important. Ask you child what his/her concerns are. Interview people involved with your child. Make sure that you list social/emotional issues - not just academic IE: Johnnie has trouble keeping friends, Johnnie has difficulty doing Math homework.

Next work on your vision statement. This should be for coming years. Would you like to see him/her stay on grade, make more friends, make a smooth transition to Middle School, stay out of the hospital, return to the district, learn to write a check, get a job? Anything goes here. Remember life skills are part of an education.