Where Should You Begin If You Suspect Your Child Needs Special Services?

Identify Your Concerns

If you have concerns about your child’s progress, the first thing to do is to specifically identify those concerns. For example, are you concerned about your child’s general learning ability? Do you have concerns about academic performance in one or more specific subject areas? Do you suspect your child has difficulty with attention, focus, or organizational skills? Is your child having behavior problems? Does your child have difficulty with emotional regulation? Once you have identified your concerns, determine if your child’s functioning is similar to same age peers.
 

Investigate Your Concerns with School Staff

Take a close look at your child’s functioning. This should include a review of classroom test scores, grades, standardized tests, behavior data, and reports from the teacher. Have a conference with your child’s teacher to discuss your concerns. Determine if your child is performing the same across settings and with all individuals. Determine the size of the discrepancy between your child’s performance and age level or grade level expectation.
 

Consider Consulting with Outside Professionals

Depending on what types of concerns you have, you may wish to speak to a private professional in the community. If you suspect that your child may have Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), you may start by speaking with your child’s pediatrician about your concerns. If you have concerns about your child’s academic performance, you may want to begin a tutoring program or have a thorough psychoeducational evaluation by a private psychologist. If the concerns are related to your child’s behavior or social emotional functioning, you may wish to speak to a therapist. You may wish to consult with an Occupational Therapist (OT), Speech Language Pathologist (SLP), or other professional if you think your child is in need of those services.