Many times in my career, parents who have seen their child struggle with academics in school have asked me for suggestions. My perspective is that of a special education teacher, and this blog will discuss a progression of the evaluation process that should exist in every public school today.
How much struggle is too much is not defined in any law; however, as a parent, when you see that your child is becoming frustrated, refusing to do homework or making up excuses not to go to school, it is most likely time to seek assistance. Other clues might be that your child is taking much longer than other children of his or her age to do the same work, or continues to make errors that you have corrected over and over again. I suggest that you use your parental instinct and seek assistance when you feel it is necessary. Teachers will usually listen and respond.
Most of the time, parents start interventions at home and the first intervention is to help the child with his or her homework. The first thing you need to do at home is to create a structure that encourages learning. In my home, my four children knew exactly when “homework time” occurred. They were given play time when they came home from school and we started homework right after dinner and chores. Whether they had work to do from school or not, they all knew that this was time to study. They would complete the work assigned from school or read a book or magazine; however, television was not allowed during this time. The time was kept consistent until the children were old enough to negotiate a different time, such as right after school. I found that each child was unique, and allowing them to have a say in things such as time made homework less of a struggle. We used the kitchen table, but only for writing. If they were reading, they could sit in another place such as on a chair or couch, but we didn’t allow them to leave the study area we had defined.
There are many tips for what to do at home, but often, children have needs beyond the home study. If you have organized study time at home and spend some time helping your child with homework, but your child is still struggling, you might want to seek the assistance of professional educators. Today, most schools have what is called a Response to Intervention (RTI) program. This program is designed to provide systematic interventions that may prevent the child from needing services such as special education. The earlier we intervene, the less likely a serious problem will exist later. Most likely, your child’s teacher is just as aware of a child’s struggles as his or her parents; however, it is possible that you are more aware, depending upon how effective your home studies are.
Your first discussion should be with your child’s homeroom teacher. Honestly share your concerns about your child’s struggles, as well as what you have been doing at home to help. The teacher will either start an intervention at school to help or refer the child to what is often called the Child Study Team. (This team has many different names throughout the thousands of school districts, so don’t be surprised if it is called something else.) The Child Study Team is a group of concerned educators who discuss each child’s struggles and which interventions are best to attempt. The team will implement the interventions one at a time, over a defined length of time, and will measure increases in performance due to the intervention. If an intervention works, then it will continue until you child no longer struggles. If it doesn’t make a difference, then a more intensive intervention will be implemented.
This process could go on for several interventions, and your child may begin to struggle less. If, after many interventions have been tried, few changes occur, then the Child Study Team will recommend a special education evaluation. This referral does not have to mean testing, but may well include it. A new team, typically led by the school psychologist, will be assembled to decide what testing and other data will be gathered. Within 60 days the evaluation will be completed and this team will then meet again to discuss the results and determine the child’s eligibility for special education services. You or your spouse should be invited to participate on this team, as the law states that your input is required to make any evaluation decisions. Your role is to share what has been happening at home, and provide your perspective of your child’s struggle. You are a very valuable team member with a unique perspective that no professional with only a school relationship will have. Please don’t downplay your importance to that team.
The team is charged with answering three basic questions: 1) Does the child have a disability? 2) Does the disability have an impact on their learning? 3) Does the child need special education (specially designed instruction)?
As stated above, you will be invited to be a part of the evaluation team; if you are not included, then remind the team of what the law says! Some parents feel intimidated or overwhelmed by the highly trained professionals, but don’t feel that way. You spend more time with your child than any one of them and you have great insight as to how your child functions. We need active parents to maximize success in this process. (There will be a future blog with follow-up information about what to do if your Child Study Team decides not to refer your child for evaluation, of if the evaluation team finds that your child is not eligible for special education services.)
The results of the evaluation will either answer all three questions “yes,” which will lead to your child receiving special education services and to a whole new process called the Individualized Education Program (IEP). Please look at our article discussing the IEP process so that you will be informed from the start. If the first two questions are answered with a yes, and the third question is not, then you should have the team recommend that you see the principal and get what is called a 504 plan. The 504 plan will provide reasonable accommodations to ensure that your child isn’t being discriminated against; however, it won’t involve any direct services. If none of the questions are answered “yes,” then nothing will change. It is likely that the Child Study Team will continue to have interventions provided for your child. If you can afford it, seek a well-qualified tutor; but, avoid large “chain” tutorial services that exist to make money, and often take shortcuts in the process that’s crucial to your child’s success. Soon, we will post a blog in this space to inform parents of how to find a qualified tutor.
If your child continues to struggle, you can request evaluation again in one year. The team will meet and may or may not actually evaluate, but you will be part of the process and will know why decisions are made.
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