IEP testing

Chrissy, Generally they do an IQ test and maybe a motor test (if she struggles to hold a pencil or falls excessively), maybe even a speech and hearing exam (if they suspect these). If she does NOT qualify according to the tester (if her Achievement scores are within 12 IQ points of her Ability scores--in other words, what academic skills she can do vs. what she has the ability to understand), they may say she doesn't qualify for an IEP. But yes, you can get your own outside testing done and they do have to consider it. You can then appeal the IEP ruling based on your new data, and they may even be forced to reimburse you for the private testing you had done if it turns out they messed up their own testing with her, or even prevented her from accessing services due to budget restraints! Yes, it does happen, but most parents don't know they can appeal.) Here's a great resource that explains the Federal laws for special education: [url=http://www.fetaweb.com/]From Emotions To Advocacy - Special Education Survival Guide by Pam and Pete Wright - Fetaweb.com[/url] Good luck! P.S. HOWEVER, don't have your private IQ testing done within 6 months of the school's testing. It won't be accurate (kids remember the tasks and questions, making the results inaccurate, or "practiced.") EtA: 1. The sooner you test the better so that she can get services. 2. What happens during testing is that the adult tester (usually either a psychologist for the IQ or a speech and language therapist or occupational therapist for the speech or motor testing) asks the child verbal questions and writes down their responses. She might be asked to do some drawing or copying from a board (more for motor). They'll check her logic and reasoning ("Which piece completes the puzzle?") and stuff like that. It won't be hard, but will be age appropriate. It will likely take place over 1 or 2 sessions, depending on how much they decide to test. 3. If she qualifies for an IEP, she might get pullout (where she spends part of her day with the class, and part of it in a room with just a speech therapist or with the special education teacher giving her one-on-one help or even with several children who all qualify for pullout time). The therapy/help happens during the regular school day, usually with certified/licensed special education teachers. It's a good thing! Be sure to open those lines of communication with the teachers and work together to help your child. But also be sure to keep copies and notes of everything, because it often seems like it's their job to deny your child services due to budget cuts and low funding. :(

I had this exact conversation with my friend whose daughter just started second grade. She really struggles with reading, language. It is likely she has a learning disablity, but it is hard to diagnosis at such an early age. The school prefers to test in about 3rd grade because the gap between achievement and IQ will be greater. What my friend decided was to wait, because if they do the testing now and she doesn't qualify they would have to wait 3 years. You can do outside testing, and go through an appeals process but that can take a long time and be very difficult. You can decide to wait a year or two, but you always have the option to change your mind and do the testing at any time. The draw back to waiting is that the child falls even more behind while waiting. Honestly, if she is catching up without services, and not struggling with any other areas, I'd probably hold off on the testing.