Do You Suspect a Learning Disability?

Here’s how to get your child evaluated—and what to do next

WORDS KATELIN WALLING

IS YOUR CHILD STRUGGLING IN SCHOOL despite tutoring and extra help? Are they not meeting expected reading, math or writing goals for their grade level? Or maybe they have anxiety or low self-esteem when it comes to school? If any of this sounds familiar, your child may have a learning disability.

LEARNING DISABILITIES INCLUDE:• Dyslexia: affects reading and language-based processing skills• Dyscalculia: impacts the ability to understand numbers and learn math facts• Dysgraphia: affects handwriting and fine motor skills• Auditory processing disorder: hearing loss caused by something affecting the part of the brain that processes how you hear• Language processing disorder: impacts understanding, writing or speaking language• Nonverbal learning disabilities: affects the ability to interpret facial expressions or body language

The good news? Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), all children with disabilities are entitled to a free appropriate public education that emphasizes special education and related services designed to meet their unique needs, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

And with IDEA’s Child Find, schools are responsible for locating, identifying and serving students with special education eligibility, says attorney Sharon Ramage, who practices special education law with The Ramage Law Group in McKinney.

STARTING THE PROCESS

If you suspect your child has a learning disability, here’s what you need to do:

1. TALK TO YOUR CHILD’S TEACHER.

Since your child spends the majority of the school day with their teacher, they generally have a good idea of what most students in the class are able to do, says Melissa Griffiths, advocate, speaker, trainer and owner of DFW Advocacy. Request a parent-teacher conference. Let your child’s teacher know your concerns and ask if the teacher has done anything to try to remediate the issues.

2. REQUEST AN EVALUATION.

If the teacher or school doesn’t request a special education evaluation, send a formal written request for one. Briefly describe your concerns, including any behavioral, social and academic issues you’ve observed. Remember: You don’t have to prove that your child has a learning disability to get an evaluation; you just have to say you suspect your child has one.

Once the request is written, Ramage suggests sending it to:• The district’s special education director• The school’s special education coordinator• Your child’s teacher• The assistant principal or principal

3. UNDERSTAND THE TIMELINES.

The written request for special education evaluation triggers a specific timeline the school must follow. Note: The timeline refers to school days, meaning days the child is in school. This doesn’t include weekends, school breaks, student holidays and staff development days.

After receiving the written request, the school has 15 school days to provide parents the opportunity to consent to an evaluation.

After getting consent, the district has 45 school days to conduct the evaluation.

After completing the evaluation, the school has 30 school days to hold an Admission, Review and Dismissal (ARD) meeting to review the results, determine the student’s eligibility for services and develop an Individualized Education Program (IEP).

If the school refuses your request, you can file a request for a due process hearing.

4. UNDERGO EVALUATION.

The special education evaluation must focus on and assess the child in all areas related to the child’s suspected disability and include information from the parent, according to Partners Resource Network. The evaluation will help determine the child’s eligibility for special education and related services.

5. ATTEND THE ARD MEETING.

The initial ARD meeting looks a little different than annual ones, according to Griffiths. The first ARD meeting will determine your child’s eligibility to receive special education and related services.

If your child is eligible, an IEP will be created for them. The IEP will outline your child’s academic goals and objectives for the school year, the related services and accommodations they will need and where they will receive those services.

After reviewing the IEP, you will have to consent to services. “Even if your student has a disability, you still have the right to refuse special education services,” Griffiths says. “But until you agree to special education services, the school will not be providing them.”

6. REVIEW YOUR CHILD’S PROGRESS.

Once an IEP is in place, you should expect regular reports throughout the school year to keep track of your child’s progress. Griffiths says these progress reports typically come with report cards.

If you’re concerned with your child’s progress at any time, you have the right to request an ARD meeting in writing.

SHOULD I GET AN INDEPENDENT EVALUATION FOR MY CHILD?

If you disagree with the school’s evaluation or want a second opinion, you can request an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE). “The district either has to fund the independent evaluation or the district can file for due process” to avoid footing the bill, Ramage says.

And if your child gets an IEE, “the school has responsibility to consider that evaluation, but they’re not required to accept the evaluation,” Griffiths says.

504 VS. IEP

If your child has been evaluated but isn’t eligible for an IEP, they may still qualify for a 504 Plan. While an IEP includes accommodations and modifications to the curriculum for a student, a 504 focuses on ensuring a student receives accommodations that remove barriers to learning.

These accommodations can include, but aren’t limited to:• Extra time for testing• Having text read aloud• Flexible seating• Being able to leave the classroom as needed• Having a calm-down area• Access to fidget and sensory toys

ABOVE ALL, REMEMBER THIS

Now that you have a basic understanding of how to get your child diagnosed with a learning disability, there’s one important thing to remember. While the process can feel long and arduous, it will open doors.

“If a teacher is reaching out and asking for help, or suggesting help, that’s a good thing. That means they care enough about your child to want to have them succeed,” Griffiths says. “Diagnoses and evaluations and conversations can help open the doors to get students the support that they need.”