Obtaining an Evaluation

There are many public and private entities available to assist you in determining your child’s strengths and needs for learning. The best place to start your search for an appropriate evaluation would be with your pediatricians office. They maintain current information on both public and private options for child evaluations and can point you in the right direction. Next, check with your local school district who will help guide you in the appropriate direction for evaluation based upon the age of your child.

This post will focus on the publicly mandated requirements of screening and evaluation through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The IDEA is a law ensuring services to children with disabilities throughout the nation. IDEA governs how states and public agencies provide early intervention, special education and related services to eligible infants, toddlers, children and youth with disabilities.

• Contact your pediatrician and share with him/her the concerns you have about your child’s development. Your pediatrician will have current information on both public and private options for evaluations so they may be able to point you in the right direction.
• Check with your child’s school district about the concerns you have and ask them about obtaining an evaluation.
• If you need further assistance, you may choose to connect with your State’s education department – contacting the lead agency responsible for IDEA part B or part C (depending on your child’s age). The lead agency will be able to connect you to the local agency in your city with whom you can discuss obtaining an evaluation for your child.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a law ensuring services to children with disabilities throughout the nation. IDEA governs how states and public agencies provide early intervention, special education and related services to more than 6.5 million eligible infants, toddlers, children and youth with disabilities.

 

Infants and toddlers with disabilities (birth-2) and their families receive early intervention services under IDEA Part C. Children and youth (ages 3-21) receive special education and related services under IDEA Part B.

 

Your first contact may include a screening of your child’s development. A screening is a quick and easy process, usually just a few questions about your child’s development. The screening helps to determine if an evaluation is needed. You may request a multidisciplinary evaluation at any point during the screening process.

 

A multidisciplinary evaluation may include a variety of team members based upon the concerns you have presented or were identified during the screening. This team may include such specialists as psychologists, speech and language therapists, physical and occupational therapists, educational specialists, vision/hearing therapists,etc. Once all the evaluations have been completed including parent information and other outside evaluations an evaluation report summarizing the results will be written and provided to you.

 

The team will meet with you and discuss the findings of the evaluation and what might be appropriate next steps.

• Child's Age: 0-2, 3-5, 6-10, 11-13, 14-17
• Planning Effort: Low
• Difficulty Level: Easy

1. Contact your pediatrician about the concerns you have with your child’s development. Ask about an obtaining an evaluation (i.e., development, behavioral, academic, etc)

2. Contact your local school district about the concerns you have with your child’s development. Ask about an obtaining an evaluation (i.e., development, behavioral, academic, etc)

3. If you need further assistance you may want to connect with your State’s education department.

   1. Determine the lead contact Agency responsible for IDEA part B and/or Part C in your state via the websites below

   2. Contact the lead agency for Part C if your child is 0-3 years of age

   3. Contact the lead agency for Part B if your child is between the ages of 3 -21.

      1. Request the contact information of the local lead agency in your city.

      2.  Contact the lead agency and explain your concerns about your child’s growth and development and request and evaluation.