Family Road Map Guide

Focus
The Classroom –
Treatment Connection
Don’t Wait Until
Kindergarten!
Well-meaning friends, relatives,
or other people around
you, including your child’s
doctor, may say things such
as “Don’t worry, the child
will grow out of it.” Don’t
wait! If your instinct tells
you something is wrong with
your child’s development,
ask for an Early Intervention
Services or Child Find
Evaluation. To get details
about the EPSDT (see right
column) program in your
area, call your local health
department.
mation about the evaluation. If not, contact the principal. You can ask what tests
will be used, what they measure, and what you will have to do. You can give this
person information from other providers on the team, or you can ask that they be
contacted. You will probably be asked to sign release forms that allow the school
to get information from other sources.
If your child is less than three years old, IDEA 2004 gives parents the right to
ask the state Early Intervention Services agency for a free evaluation of their
child. If your child is eligible, a service coordinator will be assigned to your
family to work out an Individualized Family Service Plan. Your child’s doctor or
other health provider can also arrange for an evaluation if he or she feels your child
has a problem or is at risk for (may develop) a problem. (See “Free Services for
Birth to Three” on page 76.)
Children aged three through five can be evaluated through Early Childhood
Intervention Services provided by the school system. School staff will examine
whether your child is likely to develop problems or delays in learning. If the child
qualifies, he or she can get free preschool special education services from the
school system. Call the local school system office or school board to find out how
to request an evaluation.
If public health insurance covers your child, the federal Early and Periodic
Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment Program (EPSDT) can assist you.
These evaluations are free. The program may be called by a different name in your
state, so talk to your child’s primary care provider or check with the county health
department. Getting these services early in life can be very important to your child.
Step Two: The school system gathers information about
your child.
The school system forms an assessment team to evaluate your child. For a behavioral
health issue, the assessment team usually includes a school psychologist. It
may also include specialists in speech and language, occupational and physical
therapy, academic subjects, or certain disorders, such as autism. The team gathers
information using the following:
• Standardized tests, checklists, and a health history.
• Observation of the child doing ordinary activities, such as working in class or
playing on the playground. Sometimes this observation may include a home
visit.
• Information reported by parents, teachers, and others involved in the child’s
treatment or daily life.
• Evidence of methods the school has tried to deal with this problem in your
child’s regular education program and how these efforts worked. This is called
Response to Intervention.
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