Special education assumptions are a huge contributing factor as to whether or not your child receives the services they need. Why are assumptions made about our children with special needs when there are experts who can prove that our children need specific supports or services to succeed in school? One can imagine that some special education administrators make interesting (or unfortunate) decisions that impact our children based entirely on a misguided assumption that children with disabilities have similar needs. While we all might make assumptions and speculate as part of being human, it is critical that your child’s IEP not be based on special education assumptions!
How do I recognize and avoid special education assumptions?
The special education process is a difficult, convoluted maze and school districts often offer little help or information to help you navigate. School districts also have training that you—as a parent—do not.
First, you need to rely on reports that use empirical data. Any time you hear something along the lines of, “Well, I think that…” make sure to verify that the information offered matches up with any assessments your child has received. If your child has not had any prior assessments, it is vital that you have thorough assessments done so that you have a baseline of information from which you can construct an IEP with appropriate baselines and goals.
Second, you can avoid special education assumptions by getting your child tested in all suspected areas of disability. Remember, a medical diagnosis is NOT the same as an educational diagnosis. While it can help guide the IEP assessment team on where to look for disabilities, a medical diagnosis alone cannot be used to create your child’s IEP, even if it may later be proved by the educational diagnosis.
When requesting tests in all suspected areas of disability, we often find that did not offer tests in all suspected areas of disability. When parents realize this, they can ask to have it done and schools often agree. Between the first set of testing and the second one, this entire process takes approximately 75 days per round of testing. When that happens twice for initial testing and the part the school missed, almost half your child’s school year is over! Testing needs to be done correctly as quickly as possible so that your child can get the education they deserve.
Third, if you don’t know all your options and your child’s rights to a free, appropriate, public education: malicious school districts will likely deny as many services as possible. It’s sometimes hard to understand why school districts say no to a reasonable request, but we know one thing: our children will have fewer opportunities if they are not given an equal chance at an education. Most school districts are not malicious, but suffer from budget shortfalls. As a parent, this is not your problem, but it will affect how willingly your school district funds your child’s supports and services.
What happens if I do all my research, have all my bases covered, but just can’t get away from special education assumptions?
Ultimately, if your school district is using special education assumptions to create your child’s IEP, 504, or other behavioral plan: it is time to bring in an advocate. An advocate from Aspire Advocacy is well-trained in avoiding special education assumptions and has the ability to navigate the special education maze to get your child the IEP they need to succeed.
Call us today for a free 20-minute consultation!
As parents, we understand. As advocates, we can help.