Parenting Tips – 3 Tips On Finding An Independent Evaluator For Your Child With A Disability

admin — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 05:11:00 +0000

Are you the parent of a child with a disability, who would like to
have an independent educational evaluation (IEE) performed on your
child, but don’t know how to find an evaluator? Would you like to
learn about resources that can help you find a qualified independent
evaluator. This article will discuss 3 tips on finding a qualified
evaluator to perform an IEE on your child.

Tip 1: Ask other parents that have children with disabilities, if
they have any names of qualified evaluators. Make sure that the
evaluator is qualified, to test your child, in the areas that they
need to be tested. Parents often discuss various issues about special
education, including educational evaluators they have used. In my
state of Illinois parents often pass around names of evaluators that
are child and parent friendly. Try looking for parents that have
children with similar disabilities to your child. For example: if your
child has autism, ask other parents for evaluators that specialize in
children with autism. Large University hospitals often have clinics
for children with all autism spectrum disorders.

Tip 2: Try calling a Parent Training and Information Center (PTIC), or
a Center for Independent Living (CIL), and ask if they have a list of
qualified evaluators. A list of all PTIC’s in the USA can be found in
Appendix E of the book From Emotions to Advocacy by Pam and Peter
Wright. The book can be found at http://www.wrightslaw.com. A Center for
Independent Living in your area can be found at
http://www.virtualcil.net/cils. Most PTIC’s and CILS have people trained in
special education, to help parents.

Tip 3: Check out your state board of education’s Web site, and see if
they have a list of Independent Educational Evaluators. Be careful
though, because some of the names may be past school employees. If you
would like to use someone on the list, check with other parents to see
if they know them, and if they know whether they are willing to stand
up to school districts, for children with disabilities. In Illinois
where I live, many of the child and parent friendly evaluators are not
on the list. It is an option, though, to at least get a few names.

Since you have decided to get an Independent Educational Evaluation
for your child, the person you pick is critical. If you pick a person
that is not qualified to conduct the evaluation, then the evaluation
will not help your child. Also, if you pick an evaluator that is not
willing to stand up to special education personnel, this will not
benefit your child either. Take your time, and find an evaluator that
will help you determine what your child’s educational and related
service needs are. Your child is worth the time!

By: JoAnn Collins

Special Education » Independent Living

Parenting Tips – 3 Tips On Finding An Independent Evaluator For Your Child With A Disability