ADVOCACY ISSUES

Summary of Steps to Take if Your Child Needs Special Education

1. Go to your child's local public school and request in writing that an Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) be initiated (local schools usually have forms for this purpose). If your child is too young to have started school, if you have recently moved to the neighborhood, or if your child has currently been attending a private school, you will still usually have to initiate the IEP process at the local public school in your neighborhood.
   
   
2. The school will usually begin their assessment process within a week or two after your request. You ordinarily will not have to do so; but, if you wish, you may contact the school psychologist assigned to that school (local school personnel can provide his/her name and phone number and/or the name and phone number of the person from the special education office who is designated to coordinate the assessment and IEP process) and do any or all of the following:
   
   
   1. Inform the school psychologist (or the person designated) that you have formally requested an IEP for your child and ask them what else you may need to do to expedite the process (remember that the school psychologist or local school personnel may not be fully aware of your child's need for special education and you may need to explain to them why you are requesting an IEP).
      
      
   2. If your child has been evaluated by anyone else such as a physician or psychologist and if you feel comfortable doing so, let the school psychologist (or the person designated) know that your child is being evaluated by a physician or other clinician (this may help in the evaluation process).
      
      
   3. Ask the school psychologist (or the person designated) what reports or other information they may need to complete the IEP process (such as results of annual physical examinations, vision or hearing screenings, reports of prior evaluations, information from previous teachers or schools). Be sure to ask for the specific address where these should be sent or delivered.
      
      
   4. Ask the school psychologist if the services or special classes your child may need are available at the local school or what other options there may be, if and when he or she qualifies for special education.
      
      
3. Request any reports from previous schools or prior evaluations that might be needed. You can either ask that they be sent directly to the address given for the school psychologist (or the designated person) or to speed things up, pick up these reports and hand deliver them to that address.
   
   
4. Remain in contact with the school psychologist (or designated person) in order to make sure that all information has been received and that a date is set as soon as possible for the IEP meeting. Remember that there is a timeline for the IEP process, but that it does not usually continue during the summer months (July/August) and that there are often unavoidable delays at the beginning (September) and the end (May/June) of the school year when lots of parents or guardians tend to request IEP meetings or annual reviews of existing IEP programs.
   
   
5. Remember that you will be a participant in the IEP meeting and have the right to have your suggestions heard and to be reasonably satisfied with the outcome of the meeting (i.e., the decisions made about your child's eligibility category and the type and extent of classroom programs or services to be provided). If you have any serious objections, you do not have to (and should not) sign your agreement on the IEP form until these are resolved through continuation of the IEP meeting, a mediation process, or a fair hearing.