IDEA

How Do I Apply for IDEA Assistance?

You can apply by simply asking school officials to evaluate your child under IDEA. Contact your child's teacher, principal, or the person responsible for special education in your school district and request an initial IDEA evaluation.

Teachers may also request an initial evaluation under IDEA if they think your child’s disability is affecting his or her performance in school. You should receive written notice before your child is evaluated, and you have the right to give or refuse consent for this evaluation.

Initial Evaluation
Your Participation in IEP Meetings
Transition Services
IDEA for Children Who Haven't Started School
IDEA for Preschool Children, Ages Three to Five
IDEA for Infants and Toddlers, Newborns to 3-Years-Old

Initial Evaluation

The initial evaluation for IDEA assistance is conducted by a team of people that includes at least one of your child’s teachers, school district personnel such as school psychologists or special education experts, and you as a parent or guardian. During the evaluation, existing information about your child's situation will be gathered and assessed. The evaluation team looks at school performance records, such as report cards and tests, as well as your child’s medical history. The team also asks for observations and opinions from teachers and others, such as physicians, who have worked with your child.

You will be asked for information as well. As a parent, you know your child best, and it is important that you describe how JA or a related condition affects his or her ability to participate and learn in the classroom. Also, you can explain how JA affects your child’s ability to participate in activities outside the classroom, such as P.E. and school clubs.

Based on a thorough initial evaluation, this team decides whether your child is eligible for assistance under IDEA. Once qualified, an IEP will be developed for your child in order to identify ways to modify the regular curriculum so they can meet his or her particular needs.

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Your Participation in IEP Meetings

The IEP team will meet following the initial evaluation and at least once a year thereafter to assess your child’s needs. At these meetings, your child’s progress toward the goals in his or her IEP will be evaluated. The team will decide whether there should be changes in the materials, equipment, or services provided. Are some still necessary? Are new ones needed?

You or your child’s teacher can call an IEP meeting at any time if either of you have concerns about your child’s progress towards goals or about the assistance your child is receiving.

Your participation in developing your child’s IEP is very important. The school district must inform you in advance when and where your child’s IEP meetings will take place.

The IEP is meant to lessen the effect JA or a related condition has on your child’s ability to learn in the classroom and participate in school activities. Thus, you can help the team understand how JA affects his or her experience in school. You can also learn what teachers and other school personnel have observed and they let you know other effects of JA upon your child. Together, you can develop an IEP that helps your child through his or her difficulties.

Here are some suggestions to make your participation on the IEP team most effective.

• Ask questions when you don’t understand something. These meetings can move pretty quickly. Never be afraid to ask for clarification.
• Offer suggestions you think will help.
• Talk to your child before the meeting to understand what he or she thinks is going well and what are problems. Do this even if your child attends the IEP, because he or she may be hesitant to speak up.
• Look over your child’s report cards and specific IDEA reports you’ve received from school. IEP decisions will be made in part based on performance records such as these. As a parent, you may review your child’s educational file at school at any time.
• Decide before the meeting those things you believe must be included in your child’s IEP. Developing an IEP is a team process. Know what’s most important for your child and what is more open to compromise.

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Transition Services

The IDEA also helps your teenager prepare for college or employment after high school. This assistance includes preparing your child to live independently with his or her disability.

Starting when your child is 14, the IEP team will begin devoting some meetings to understanding your child’s goals after high school. Your child needs to attend these meetings to communicate his or her needs and goals. The IEP team’s task is to ensure that the classes your child takes support his or her goals after graduation.

Beginning when your child is 16, additional transitional assistance may be added to his or her IEP.

Some examples of transitional assistance that your child may receive under the IDEA include:

• Career counseling from college representatives


• Vocational rehabilitation services


• Internships, job shadowing, or other workplace experiences

Additional people, such as a college counselor, may attend the IEP meetings when transition planning is discussed.

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IDEA for Children Who Haven't Started School

IDEA helps infants, toddlers, and pre-school children with disabilities reach their developmental milestones, such as walking and other growing-up skills. This assistance helps children with disabilities participate in the same activities as children of their age without disabilities.

Just like school-aged children, your pre-schooler will be evaluated to see if he or she qualifies because JA or a related condition is affecting his or her normal physical, emotional and intellectual development. The assessment is based on information such as doctors’ reports and developmental tests, on observations from people who care for your child (such as day care or pre-school workers), and on the comments you have as a parent or guardian. The evaluation is conducted at no cost to you.

A wide range of assistance is available for younger children, similar to what is provided for school-aged children. Exactly what help an eligible child receives is determined in the evaluation and written into an individualized plan.

There are more differences between states in IDEA programs for these younger children than for school-aged children, so you'll need to find out what entitlements exist in your state.

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IDEA for Preschool Children, Ages Three to Five

IDEA assists preschoolers ages three to five to participate in the pre-school activities that are available for children of the same age who do not have disabilities.

To ask for an evaluation of your preschool child, call the principal of the elementary school your child will attend.

Pre-school children ages three to five also have IEPs that spell out goals and describe the assistance a child will receive. The IEP team may include pre-school teachers and others who work with your child.

IDEA materials, equipment, and services for children three to five with disabilities are provided at no cost to you. This assistance is provided through the public school system.

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IDEA for Infants and Toddlers, Newborns to 3-Years-Old

The greatest differences between states are found in IDEA services for newborns and toddlers to age three. IDEA assistance for these children may be provided through the public school system or through another agency, such as the public health department. You can inquire about these programs by calling the public school, the local public health department, or your child’s doctor.