Parenting Tips: How to Determine Your Child’s Eligibility for Special Education Services
by: JoAnn Collins
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Are you the parent of a young child (3 years and above) that has been
diagnosed with autism, and wonder about special education eligibility?
Have you been told by disability educatiors, that your child does not
qualify for special education services? Would you like to know what
the Individuals with Disability Education Act (IDEA) law states about
a child's eligibility for special education? This article will discuss
the criteria that school personnel must use, by law to determine a
child's eligibility. Once you know the criteria you can use them to
fight for your child.
In order for a child to be found eligible for special education
services, they must meet two criteria according to the Individuals
with Disability Education Act:
1. The child must have a disability, and
2. The child must have educational needs.
In order for special education personnel to determine if a child is
eligible, they must conduct a psychological evaluation called a case
study evalution, on the child. Below is a list of important things
parents must know about the case study evalution:
a. The parent must give written consent for the testing to be done.
The consent is to be "informed consent," which means you have the
right to know what areas are to be tested, and have input on type of
tests that will be performed.
b. Special education personnel have sixty days, from when the parent
signs the consent form, to finish the evaluation.
c. IDEA requires that more than one assessment tool be used; to gather
all of the academic, developmental, functional, information needed to
determine if the child has a disability.
d. Special education personnel must also assess the child in all areas
of suspected disability. If you are concerned that your child may have
autism, ask for a childhood autism rating scale (CARS).
e. They must use assessment tools, that provide important information
that assists them, in determining the child's educational needs.
f. If your child has behavioral issues that affect his or her
education, ask for testing in this area. Also, use teacher notes,
teacher conversations etc. to prove that your child has behavioral
issues, that affect his or her education. For Example: A behavioral
checklist, an adaptive behavior scale, and possibly an autism rating
scale etc. Also request a functional behavioral analysis (FBA), to
determine why your child is having behavioral difficulty. The FBA
needs to be used to develop a postive behavior plan.
After the case study evaluation is complete, an eligibility meeting
will be held between the special education personnel, and you. The
meeting is to go over the test results, and to determine the child's
eligibility for special education services. The parent is to be an
equal part of the team that determines if a child has a disability and
if they have educational needs. Parents may bring information on their
child to help the team make the decision. In case of behavioral
difficulty, specific things must be done to include, development of a
positive behavior plan.
If a child has a disability and educational needs, and does not
receive special education services, their lives may be negatively
affected. By knowing what criteria special education personnel are
required to use by law, you can become an effective advocate for your
child.
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About the Author
JoAnn Collins is the mother of two adults with disabilities, amd helps other parents navigate the special education system, as an advocate, for over 15 years. She is a presenter and author of the book "Disability Deception; Lies Disability Educators Tell and How Parents Can Beat Them at Their Own Game." The book has a lot of resources and information, to help parents fight for an appropriate education for their child. For a free E newsletter entitled "The Special Education Spotlight" send an E mail to: JoAnn@disabilitydeception.com. For more information on her book, testimonials, and a link to more free articles go to: http://www.disabilitydeception.
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