Special Education - How to Use an Independent Educational Evaluation to Benefit Your Child

Do you have a child with a learning disability or with autism that is

not making academic progress, even though they are getting special

education services? Would you like to know what educational and

related services your child needs in order to learn how to read, or do

other academics? This article will discuss what an Independent

Educational Evaluation (IEE) is, and how you can use one to benefit

your child with a disability.

The definition of an Independent Education Evaluation (IEE) is:

An independent educational evaluation is an evaluation conducted by a

qualified person, who does not work for the school district. Parents

of children with a disability often get IEE's so that they understand

what educational needs their child has and what services they require.

Most independent evaluations are parent initiated and paid for by the

parent.

Once you have decided to get an IEE, there are several things to

consider about the evaluator:

a. Make sure that they are qualified to perform the educational

evaluation. For Example: a registered Occupational Therapist could

conduct an Occupational Therapy evaluation. If sensory processing

disorder (used to be called sensory integration disorder) is an issue,

make sure that you find a registered Occupational Therapist who is

SIPT certified. If your child has autism, make sure the evaluator

specializes in educational evaluations for children with all types of

autism.

b. Whether this person is now, or ever has been an employee of

your school district. Talk to the person, and make sure that they do

not have a relationship with your school district. Be careful, even if

they used to work for another school district, make sure they are

truly independent, and willing to make recommendations for what your

child needs.

c. Make sure that the evaluator is willing to write a detailed

report, to include recommendations for related and educational

services. Ask the evaluator if they are willing to recommend specific

amount of minutes of service and specific methodology for educational

and related services. If they are not, consider going to a different

evaluator.

Once you have answered these questions, make an appointment and take

your child. Bring up any concerns that you have, and make sure that

you understand what tests will be conducted on your child. When the

report is finished, have the evaluator mail a copy to you. If you have

concerns about what is written, you may contact the evaluator and tell

them your concerns. Make sure recommendations are specific for

minutes, #of times per week, goals, methodology, etc.

Call the school district and set up an IEP meeting to discuss the

results of the IEE. If they request a copy up front, you can give it

to them. If possible, set up with the evaluator, a time that she or he

can participate in the IEP meeting by telephone. By having the

evaluator participate, special education personnel will have a harder

time not including the evaluators recommendations.

At the IEP meeting, if the school personnel will not put the

recommendations in your child's IEP, they must give you prior written

notice (PWN), as to why they are not willing to accept, the evaluators

recommendations. This notice must include the reason that they are not

accepting the recommendations, and what evaluations they are using to

refuse. If at the IEP meeting the school personnel do include the

recommendations, ask for reimbursement of the independent educational

evaluation.

An independent educational evaluation can be invaluable to your child.

By understanding what your child's educational and related needs are,

you may be a more effective advocate, for needed educational and

related services. If your child does not receive an appropriate

education their future may be in jeopardy!

JoAnn Collins is the parent of two adults with disabilities, has been an educational advocate for over 15 years, an author, as well as a speaker. JoAnn's recently released book: Disability Deception; Lies Disability Educators Tell and How Parents Can Beat Them at Their Own Game helps parents develop skills to be an assertive and persistent advocate for their child. For more free articles, press release, upcoming speaking engagements, go to http://www.disabilitydeception.com Can be reached at Phone Number 815-932-9263

You are welcome to publish this article in its entirety, electronically or in print, free of charge, as long as you include my full signature file, and my Web site address in hyperlink for other sites. Please send a courtesy E-mail to JoAnn@disabilitydeception.com.

JoAnn Collins Copyright 2008

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Emotionally Disturbed Children May Significantly Benefit From Individualized Education Programs

Many emotionally disturbed children are eligible for special education if their emotional condition occurs over a period of time to a significant degree and it adversely affects their educational performance. According to the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) a child with an emotional disturbance must exhibit one or more of the characteristics: " an inability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, or health factors, and inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships with peers and teachers, inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal circumstances, a general; a pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression and/or a tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or school problems."

Each state in the United States has regulations of their own to carry out the policies in IDEA. Some parents find it confusing that each state is allowed to determine what to name their categories of disabilities. For example; children with emotional and/or behavioral disabilities may be categorized under many different names, such as; emotionally disturbed, behaviorally disordered, significant identifiable emotional disability, emotional/behavioral disability and likely others I am unaware of. Regardless of what the disability category is called, if your child qualifies he or she is entitled to an Individualized Education Program (IEP) with annual goals and objectives, services and accommodations and modifications.

I have worked with many children with emotional disturbances who were in a self-contained classroom setting or integrated into the general education population with pullout and/or inclusion support. The diagnoses of the children I have worked with most often over my career as an educator are children with bi-polar disorder, anxiety disorder, reactive attachment disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and depression. Some children with emotional disabilities are stabilized through medication and private therapy and their emotional disability does not negatively affect their education for long periods. Other children with these diagnoses tend to exhibit many behaviors as well as learning difficulties because of their emotional disabilities.

If your child qualifies for special education under the category of emotional disturbance, many interventions may be used in either the general education or special education setting to assist your child in experiencing more educational success. Some of the most common are: individual psycho-educational counseling, general group counseling or topical group counseling such as anger management or social skills, classes or participation in curricula in social skills, study skills and life skills, having a check-in/check-out person, graphic organizers to help with organizational skills, a designated "cool down" place to can go if the child gets overly angry, anxious or emotional, designated seating, testing and/or instruction in a smaller environment and a regular home-school communication system.

If you have a child with an emotional disability who has experienced significant struggles with school for an extended period of time and meets one or more the criteria listed in the first paragraph of this article, you may want to request, in writing, a special education evaluation from your child's school to determine their eligibility.

If your child is deemed eligible for special education you may see a significant increase in their educational performance, which is not only academic success but also their social and emotional health, their behavior and there ability to care for and advocate for themselves. For more information about emotional disabilities, IEPs, parental advocacy for your child with special needs and parenting your child with special needs please visit my website at, http://www.whatisiep.com

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