Was your child denied an Individual Education Plan (IEP) or assessment by their school? This can be a discouraging situation, but the good news is this is not a dead end.
Before I (Laurie Adachi) opened my private practice, I was a school psychologist. From this experience, I am able to work collaboratively with schools and families to help find appropriate learning solutions for students.
It’s important to note that public schools test students who are significantly behind their peers in one or more subject areas to determine a need for special education services. This means if a student’s education is being supplemented by a tutor or other outside help, they may not qualify for an educational assessment.
It’s also important to note that public schools are not testing to determine students’ learning weaknesses or styles. They don’t have the resources for that. Therefore, the child who cannot thrive in general education but does not qualify for special education may find themselves in a gap. That gap may become evident when a student is denied an IEP or assessment. Let’s talk about five steps you can take to advocate for your child if this happens.
Five Ways to Help Your Child If They Are Denied an IEP
1. Work with an Educational Tutor
If you haven’t already been working with a tutor, I recommend doing so. Compassionate Solutions’ tutors offer two types of tutoring: remedial tutoring and special needs tutoring.
Remedial tutoring focuses on helping students grasp material. Special needs tutoring provides tailored support based on the learning style, strengths and weaknesses of the student. This often includes teaching students customized learning or studying strategies. Our tutors are qualified to work with students with learning challenges like dyslexia, ADHD, autism spectrum and more.
This support may help your child bridge the gap in their education. Alternatively, an educational tutor may confirm that an assessment and subsequent IEP are needed get your child the support they need. In this case, a private educational assessment is encouraged, but we will talk more about that shortly.
2. Build Evidence
Evidence of your child’s need for an IEP can come in the form of progress reports, communication with your child’s teacher and more. This material may help convice school representatives of a need to test or it can be given to an educational psychologist outside of the school to begin an assessment.
3. Do a Private Educational Assessment
If going through your school does not yield results, you can opt for a private educational assessment. An educational psychologist will perform a battery of tests to understand your student’s learning style and where their strengths and weaknesses lie.
There are many benefits to doing a private evaluation. First, a private educational assessment will be more extensive. It will reveal any existing learning disabilities and provide insight into your child’s way of learning. This assessment is very benefical, even when no disability is found.
Second, you get to decide if this evaluation should be submitted to your child’s school. You can take it to your child’s school to prove the need for an IEP or you can refrain from providing it if you do not want the results added to your child’s record.
Third, the evaluation can take place outside of school hours and around other obligations. When an evaluation is done by a school, students are removed from their classes and they miss out on teaching time. This sets them further behind and can place unnecessary stress on them.
Fourth, following a private evaluation, an educational psychologist can provide tailored recommendations for how you, the parent, can further advocate for your student.
4. Talk to an Educational Advocate
If you feel your child has been unfairly denied an IEP, you can go to an educational advocate. An educational advocate is someone who can ensure your student’s educational rights are respected. They are knowledgeable in areas such as IEPs and 504 plans. They can also refer you to community resources that will benefit your child.
Our office can provide that advocacy, we have a handful of professionals ready to gather resources and recommendations specific to your child’s individual needs.
5. Don’t Give Up
If your child needs learning support, do not hesitate to start the process of obtaining it. You are their strongest pillar of support and the person who knows them best.
You are not alone in this process! While this may be a daunting journey, we can help to point you and your family in the right direction and provide invaluable tools and support.
Do you have questions? Are you ready to get started? Contact us on our website or call us at (661) 255-2688. We are here to help!
