How to Get Educational Assistance for a Special Needs Child
- 1). Ask your child's teacher, guidance counselor, principal, or assistant principal to test your child for special education. There are many different categories of special education, so be certain to test for the category you believe your child will qualify for. It is possible to test for more than one category at a time if you are uncertain.
- 2). Sign a release authorizing the school to perform psychological testing and allowing other professionals working with your child to share information with the school. This is often referred to as a "Release Form."
- 3). Meet with the school psychologist prior to the case conference committee meeting to determine eligibility. By meeting beforehand, you can develop an argument on your child's behalf that is based on the results.
- 4). Meet with the case conference committee to determine your child's eligibility. You have the right to disagree if the committee determines your child is not eligible and you will have an opportunity to advocate on your child's behalf.
- 5). If your child is found eligible for special education assistance, work with the committee to develop an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) for your child. The IEP should contain clear, measurable goals for your child and should detail how these goals will be achieved.
- 6). Monitor your child's progress toward achieving IEP goals and stay in regular contact with the school and your child's special needs teacher.