This Webpage was developed to help parents get through the Special Education process. Many parents are unaware of what happens when a child is referred to Special Education. They do not know what the steps to the process are, what some of the terms used mean, and what their rights as parents are. One of the goals of this site is to make it easy for parents to gather information on what is going to happen or is happening during this process.

The focus of the site is geared toward showing the parents how a determination is made about special needs, and what types of services a child can receive. This site does not focus on one particular learning modality or type of intelligence. The focus is to show parents how it is determined what type of learning style best suits their child, and what modifications can be made to help their child make effective progress in school.

Assessing Your Child's Learning Difficulty or Learning Disability

A Brief Explanation...

If you or your child's teacher sees that your child may have trouble learning, you should probably pursue
a learning disabilities assessment. First, have the child's hearing and vision tested. Perhaps they just need a
hearing aid or a pair of glasses. If hearing and vision are fine, then the child should receive a learning
disabilities (LD) evaluation.

Parents have a federally mandated right to request a learning disabilities evaluation for their child at the
school district's expense. The most widely used model to test for a learning disability is the "discrepancy
model." If your state uses this approach, your child will receive an educational evaluation, consisting of
academic achievement testing, and a psychological evaluation, consisting of an IQ test. If a discrepancy
exists between the results of the two evaluations, particularly if a child has a high IQ but performs poorly
on the achievement tests, the child may have a learning disability.

A child who does not show an IQ/ Achievement discrepancy may still qualify for services if he or she
performs poorly in one or more academic areas. Each state does things a little differently, so check with
your local school district to get the details on how a child qualifies for special help and what help is
available if a child does not meet the criteria for a learning disability.

An EDUCATIONAL EVALUATION may be performed by a school psychologist or by a private
professional trained to test for learning disabilities.

A PSYCHOLOGICAL EVALUATION (IQ test) must be administered by a licensed psychologist.

Frequently Asked Questions

If my child attends a private school, will I have to pay for a private learning disabilities assessment?
No, by law each school district is required to provide learning disabilities assessments for children who
live within the district, even if they attend private school.

How can I request a learning disabilities assessment?
First, contact your local school and speak to the principal or Director of Special Education. Tell him or
her that you would like your child to be evaluated for a learning disability.
Follow-up with a written request (be sure to keep a copy for your files). Send the request via certified
mail. Within 15 days after the letter is received, you will be sent an assessment plan. After you sign and
return the plan, your child should be assessed within 45 days.

Suppose the results from your child's evaluation show no learning disability--what should you do?
Reevaluate-- Ask the school for an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE) or have your child
evaluated independently at your expense.
If the results still show no learning disability, your child will not be eligible for special education services
through the public school. You might want to check into general academic help at school (e.g. remedial
reading programs) or seek out a private tutor who can help your child.

Brief Disclaimer

This web site provides information and directory listings as a service to the special needs community. I do not endorse any particular method, practice, or professional. I have screened listings only to assess the accuracy of phone numbers, addresses, and contact names. I urge visitors to the sites to research each professional or resource center's credentials, including backgrounds of staff members and reviews of business practices and to exercise sound judgment in selecting a professional or resource center.