Intro Are you wondering if your child needs special education services or an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or how children obtain an IEP? In order to qualify for an IEP, your child needs to receive an evaluation in school (or at home if your child has not started school yet or attends homeschool or cyber school). Depending on your child’s …
21 School Accommodations Available for Children with Special Needs
*This article pertains to U.S. public schools. If your child attends private school or school outside of the U.S., talk to the school team to find out which accommodations they are able to provide. Parents may not always know what accommodations or modifications are available to their child with special needs in school. This article provides that knowledge, along with …
What is an Intellectual Disability? (With Printable Milestone Checklists)
What is an Intellectual Disability (ID)?Intellectual disability (sometimes called cognitive disability, or previously mental retardation) is a term used to indicate that an individual demonstrates significant deficits in intellectual functioning (reasoning, learning, problem solving) and adaptive functioning (e.g., communication, self-help skills, social skills). Children with intellectual disabilities generally take longer to develop than average peers their age. They often take longer to speak, walk, potty …
Is Labeling Children Good or Bad? The View of a School Psychologist
I am a school psychologist. My main job is to evaluate students to see if they are eligible for special education. In order for a child to be eligible they have to meet criteria for one of 14 disabilities under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA). If they do not meet criteria for at least one of these …
What Can You Do if Your Child is Having Persistent Problems in School? (Tips for Parents)
The contents in this article refer to public schools in the United States. If your child attends private school or school outside of the United States, speak to your child’s school to find out if their policies for addressing the matters discussed in this article are the same or different. When Would You Request an Evaluation by a School Psychologist? …
Top 10 Tips to Get the Most from Your Child’s IEP
Published in Autism File Magazine Aug-Sept 2014 Issue 57-Republished with Permission When I first thought about the content of this article, I thought, well, this will be easy, I will just tell parents what I have found to be the key steps to take at Individual Education Program (IEP) meetings. After all, I just wrote a book that shows the reader, …