4 Steps to Securing Special Education
For many students, a professional diagnosis is the first step toward receiving special education services. However, a diagnosis alone is not enough to qualify for an IEP or special education placement.
If you plan to seek special education services for your student, here are 4 things you’ll need:
1. A Defined Diagnosis
A formal diagnosis allows educators to understand your student’s challenges and provide them with appropriate support. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) is an authoritative guidebook that helps psychologists and psychiatrists identify disorders related to cognitive, mental, and emotional functioning. The DSM details nearly 300 conditions with their respective symptoms, potential causes, diagnostic criteria, and recommended interventions.
The International Classification of Diseases (ICD) is a globally implemented medical classification for all medical conditions. Psychologists use the DSM and ICD to evaluate patient’s challenges and assess whether their symptoms meet the criteria for one or more diagnoses in the DSM/ICD.
If the student has a diagnosis that is covered under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) , then the student may be eligible for special education.
Think your child or teen might qualify for special education? Schedule your consultation below to learn how our diagnostic testing services can help.
2. Identified Impairments
Even if your student has a diagnosis that is covered under IDEA, they can only qualify for special education if an expert provides evidence that demonstrates how the condition impairs their learning and necessitates special education. This requires a thorough assessment by an approved evaluator, which typically includes classroom observations, a detailed records review, parent, student, and teacher interviews, and the administration of a battery of tests that can demonstrate the student’s level of impairment. Examples of commonly evaluated conditions include:
Difficulty reading or writing words and numbers, caused by specific learning disabilities (SLD) such as dysgraphia, dyslexia , and dyscalculia .
Difficulty with attention span, alertness, or executive functioning caused by conditions such as ADHD or Tourette’s Syndrome
Autism spectrum disorder and nonverbal impairments
Visual or auditory impairments as they are connected to other conditions
3. An Understanding of Roles
Determining a student’s eligibility for special education is a collaborative process, and everyone involved has important roles to fulfill. As you advocate for your child’s best academic options, it’s important to understand the expectations and limitations of each participant:
District-Approved Evaluator:
The role of a district-approved evaluator (typically an Educational Psychologist) is to assess whether a student has a diagnosis and, if applicable, provide evidence of how their diagnosis impairs their learning. Evaluators also provide recommendations on interventions, services, and accommodations that they believe would create a fair and equitable learning environment for the student. While the independent evaluator’s assessment report will provide an opinion on eligibility that can greatly influence eligibility decisions, it is not within the evaluator’s power to formally qualify students for special education as this is done collectively by the IEP team, which includes you as the parent/guardian.
Do you disagree with the findings of your school district’s evaluator?
Click here to learn how an IEE can help.
Private Evaluators:
These evaluations are conducted in the same way as those performed for a district-funded Independent Educational Evaluation, and parents can subsequently involve the district after the independent assessment is completed.
As with district-contracted assessments, the evaluator’s job is to apply relevant medical diagnoses and translate these into special education eligibility. They do so by analyzing the symptoms and behaviors of the diagnoses to determine whether those diagnoses impair academic performance under one of the 13 categories of IDEA.
Schools/School Districts:
The role of the school district is to determine special education eligibility and to implement all qualifying services in a timely manner. When parents request an IEP evaluation, the school typically provides parents with an initial assessment plan within 15 days and conducts a full IEP assessment within 60 days.
Once the assessment is concluded, the district must consider the evaluator’s findings to make informed decisions about the student’s eligibility for a 504 Plan, IEP, or other supportive interventions and special education placement .
When a student is found eligible for an IEP, the district must conduct a meeting to develop their IEP. If a student is found ineligible by the school district, and the parent requests an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE), the school must respond to the parent without delay - typically within 10-15 days of their request.
Parents:
Parents play an active role before, during, and after diagnostic testing. From attentively observing their child’s struggles and strengths to requesting school evaluations, providing detailed interviews and academic/medical records to evaluators, learning about their student's test results and how to support them, and actively engaging on their child’s IEP team, parents are integral to ensuring their kids receive appropriate support.
4. Support From Independent Experts
Comprehensive testing provides specific, evidence-backed opinions on the categories of IDEA that your student may be eligible for. Our diagnosticians at Variations Psychology can provide the necessary tests and documentation that your school needs to make informed eligibility decisions. Schedule your consultation to learn how our services can create a pathway for your student to receive accommodations, services, specialized academic instructions, and/or specialized educational placements based on their needs.
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More about Variations Psychology
Variations Psychology is a group practice specializing in diagnostic testing to identify psychological conditions.
Our comprehensive evaluations test for conditions that impact mental health and development such as ADHD, autism spectrum disorders, depression, anxiety, learning disorders, and developmental delays.
In addition to diagnostic services, we offer Independent Educational Evaluations (IEEs) of K-12 students to assess needs for accommodations in school and determine their appropriate placements. IEEs provide an objective second opinion on existing IEP and 504 Plans.
For K-12 and post-secondary students, we offer evaluations to assess needs for accommodations on standardized tests, college entrance exams (e.g. - SAT, ACT, AP Exams), and graduate and professional licensing exams (e.g. - MCAT, LSAT, GRE, CBEST, NCLEX, GMAT, CA Cosmetology Exam, CA Contractors State Licensing Exam, CA Bar Exam).
Schedule your consultation below to learn how our diagnostic services can support you and your family.
Variations Psychology is located in Newport Beach, CA and provides psychological testing to residents throughout Orange County and its surrounding areas including Newport Beach, Newport Coast, Irvine, Shady Canyon, Laguna Beach, Laguna Hills, Coto de Caza, Corona del Mar, Costa Mesa, Yorba Linda, Dana Point, Laguna Niguel, Aliso Viejo, Mission Viejo, Pelican Hill, Crystal Cove, Rancho Santa Margarita, San Clemente, Lake Forest, Huntington Beach, Sunset Beach, Seal Beach, and more.
References:
California Special Education Guide (2015). Parental Readiness and Empowerment Program. Retrieved from https://prepparents.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/01/California_Special-Ed.pdf
ICD vs. DSM (2009). Monitor on Psychology, 40 (9), 63. Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/monitor/2009/10/icd-dsm
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, §300.304. (2017). Retrieved from https://sites.ed.gov/idea/regs/b/d/300.304
Shinn. M.M. (2023). 6 Things to Know About Your Student’s Math Struggles. Psychologically Speaking. [Variations Psychology blog post]. Retrieved from www.variationspsychology.com/blogs/6-things-to-know-about-your-students-math-struggles
Shinn. M.M. (2022). 9 Facts About Independent Educational Evaluations (IEEs).Psychologically Speaking. [Variations Psychology blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.variationspsychology.com/blogs/9-facts-about-independent-educational-evaluations-iees
Shinn. M.M. (2021). 10 Early Signs of Autism in Toddlers. Psychologically Speaking. [Variations Psychology blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.variationspsychology.com/blogs/10-early-signs-of-autism-in-toddlers
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Shinn. M.M. (2020). Detecting Dyslexia: Could My Kid Have It? Psychologically Speaking. [Variations Psychology blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.variationspsychology.com/blogs/detecting-dyslexia-could-my-kid-have-it
Shinn, M.M. (2022). My Kid Has an Emotional Disability – Can They Qualify For an IEP? Psychologically Speaking. [Variations Psychology blog post]. Retrieved from www.variationspsychology.com/blogs/my-kid-has-an-emotional-disability-can-they-qualify-for-an-iep
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Shinn. M.M. (2022). Specific Learning Disabilities and Special Education: 6 Facts for Parents. Psychologically Speaking. [Variations Psychology blog post]. Retrieved from www.variationspsychology.com/blogs/specific-learning-disabilities-special-education-6-facts-for-parents
Shinn. M.M. (2020). Understanding Education Plans: A Parent’s Guide to 504s and IEPs. Psychologically Speaking. [Variations Psychology blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.variationspsychology.com/blogs/understanding-education-plans-a-parents-guide-to-504s-and-ieps
Shinn. M.M. Understanding Least Restrictive Environment (LRE): A Parent’s Guide to Educational Placements). 2022. Psychologically Speaking. [Variations Psychology blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.variationspsychology.com/test-blog/understanding-least-restrictive-environment-lre-a-parents-guide-to-educational-placements
Shinn. M.M. (2024). What Parents Need to Know About Dysgraphia: The Learning Disability that Impairs Writing. Psychologically Speaking. [Variations Psychology blog post]. Retrieved from www.variationspsychology.com/blog/what-parents-need-to-know-about-dysgraphia-the-learning-disability-that-impairs-writing
Stanbury, K. (n.d.) Finding out if your child is eligible for special education. Understood.org. Retrieved from: https://www.understood.org/en/articles
IEP Timelines (2024). Undivided. Retrieved from: https://undivided.io/resources/iep-timelines-132#
How to Cite This Blog Article:
Shinn. M.M. (2024). 4 Steps to Securing Special Education. Psychologically Speaking. [Variations Psychology blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.variationspsychology.com/blogs/4-steps-to-securing-special-education