Episode #139: How to Know if Your Child Qualifies for Special Education
Episode #139: How to Know if Your Child Qualifies for Special Education
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Show Notes:
Stop guessing! Learn the exact process schools use to decide if your child qualifies for special education services under the IDEA law.
Are you wondering if your child qualifies for special education services? This is one of the most common questions and it can feel overwhelming.
In this essential solo episode, IEP Coach Tonya Wollum breaks down the entire special education evaluation and eligibility process according to the IDEA law. You’ll learn the difference between having a diagnosis and meeting the school’s eligibility criteria, what the 13 categories of disability are, and the crucial step you need to take in writing to start the clock on your child’s evaluation.
Key Takeaways:
- Diagnosis is not Eligibility: A medical diagnosis does not automatically grant special education services. The disability must negatively impact the child’s educational performance.
- The Power of Writing: Parents and teachers can request an evaluation, but the parent must submit a request in writing (letter or email) to the Principal or Special Education Director to start the official timeline (typically 60 days).
- The Eligibility Meeting: An IEP team (including you) reviews testing (academic, psychological, etc.) to determine if the child qualifies under one of the 13 IDEA categories.
- Your Role: You are an equal team member. If eligibility is denied, you have options (additional evaluations, 504 plan, or dispute resolution).
- Action Step: Start documenting grades, teacher notes, and home observations now! Use the free template to draft your written request.
Don’t wait for the school to bring it up! Download the free template mentioned in this episode and empower yourself to become your child’s best advocate.
FREE IEP Evaluation Request Letter Template: https://waterprairie.com/letter
Work with Tonya as an IEP Coach: If you’re looking for personalized support, a trusted partner, and expert guidance through the IEP process, I would be honored to be part of your team. Find more information about my IEP coaching services here: https://waterprairie.com/iepcoach
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Music Used:
“LazyDay” by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Artist: http://audionautix.com/
Tonya Wollum is an IEP Coach, podcast host, and disability advocate. She works one-on-one with parents to guide them to a peaceful partnership with their child’s IEP team, and she provides virtual mentors for special needs parents through the interviews she presents as the host of the Water Prairie Chronicles podcast. Tonya knows firsthand how difficult it is to know how to support your special needs child, and she seeks to provide knowledge to parents and caregivers as well as to those who support a family living life with a disability. She’s doing her part to help create a more inclusive world where we can celebrate what makes each person unique!
Episode #139: How to Know if Your Child Qualifies for Special Education
Stop guessing! Learn the exact process schools use to decide if your child qualifies for special education services under the IDEA law.
(Recorded September 27, 2025)
Full Transcript of Episode 137:
Introduction: Overcoming the Overwhelm of Eligibility
Tonya: Have you ever wondered if your child qualifies for special education? This is one of the most common questions that parents ask, and it can feel overwhelming when you’re not sure where to start.
Welcome to Water Prairie. I’m Tonya Wollum. I’m an IEP coach, and I help you — as a parent of a child with a disability — to navigate IEPs, advocate with confidence, and prepare your child for the future.
In today’s episode, we’re gonna be talking about the basics of how schools decide if your child qualifies for special education, what the process looks like, and what you can do as a parent if you think your child needs more support.
Before we dive into today’s episode, I’ve got a free resource for you.
If you’re wondering how to get your child evaluated for special education, I created a simple, ready-to-use IEP Evaluation Request Letter that you can download today. Just head over to https://waterprairie.com/letter and grab your copy. This will give you the confidence to put your request in writing and take the first step toward getting your child the support they need.
What “Qualifies” Really Means Under IDEA Law
First, let’s look at what “qualifies” really means. Schools are going to use the IDEA law. That’s the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. There are 13 different categories of eligibility, and some of those include learning disabilities, autism, ADHD, speech and language impairments, emotional or behavioral challenges. and hearing and vision impairments.
Diagnosis vs. Impact on School
Those are some of the most common ones. It’s important to note that a diagnosis alone doesn’t guarantee services. The school must determine that the disability impacts their educational performance and requires special education. For example, a child can have ADHD, but if they’re succeeding without support, then the school’s going to say that they don’t qualify.
On the other hand, if a child is struggling with organization and attention, they may qualify under “Other Health Impairment” even though they may not have an actual diagnosis.
How the IEP Process Starts
Now, how does the process start? Either parents or teachers can request an evaluation, so you, as a parent, are eligible for making this request.
You don’t have to wait for the school to come to you, and you should always make the request in writing. If you say something to someone at the school that does not count as officially asking for an evaluation. You want to always put it in writing, and this can be in a physical letter or it could be in an email, so either way is fine.
The School’s IEP Evaluation Timeline
Once you’ve made that request, the school has specific timelines that they have to respond. It varies from state to state, but typically, you’re going to expect it to be around 60 days. So from the time that you make that request, they have that long, 60 days to finish an evaluation and come back to meet with you.
And now these evaluations that they’re gonna put together are going to include, or they may include, they won’t have everything in there, but they may include academic testing, psychological testing, speech and language testing, occupational therapy, behavioral observations, and they may have you do some observations and checklists at home to report what you’re seeing.
The teachers will have some as well, that they’re noticing during the day. So it’s very helpful to have all of this information, and it’ll give you a really good picture of what’s happening with your child during the day when you’re not there.
So if your child is struggling and you suspect a disability, don’t wait for the school to bring it up. Put your request in writing, send it to the principal or the special education director. Those are the two main people that you want to get this. You can copy your teacher on it, but I would address it to either the principal of the school or to the special education director.
The IEP Eligibility Meeting
Now, what happens after the evaluation, the results are gonna be shared at an eligibility meeting. This is going to be an IEP eligibility meeting. Your child at this point is not on an IEP. They’re trying to determine whether they’re eligible at this point. The team is going to include you as the parent.
You’re going to also have other representatives from the school. Someone will be there to interpret the results of any of the testing that’s been done. So you’ll have someone that you can ask questions of if you’re not sure about something. Your child’s teacher will more than likely be there, or someone that does work with your child.
And there may be some different specialists there. If the speech pathologist was working with them, or occupational therapist, they may have them there as well. So it could be a large group of people, but don’t be concerned if you see a lot of people there. It’s just that they’re there to give their reports on the testing that they did, and the team’s going to decide if your child qualifies under one of the 13 categories that we mentioned earlier.
What to Do if the School Denies Special Education
If they decide “yes,” then the school must create an IEP, and the IEP stands for Individualized Education Program. This is going to be the whole program that they put together to support your child. If they decide “no,” you do still have some options. You can request additional evaluations. You can ask for a 504 plan, or you can dispute the decision.
For now, we’re going to assume that they said “yes,” so we’re gonna keep moving on. The key thing I want you to remember is that you are an equal team member as the parent, and you do have a voice in this decision. Now what can you do right now? You’re not to that point yet. What can you do now?
Action Steps Right Now
If you’re unsure, start documenting your child’s struggles. Look at the grades, teacher’s notes that are coming home. Your own observations. What’s happening when they get home from school, when they’re working on schoolwork? Do you see a change in their behavior and their attitude, and their frustration? Write down what you’re seeing.
Something’s bothering you. What is that? Start keeping a log of what you’re seeing, and talk to your child’s teacher. Ask them, “What supports have you already tried in class?” Your child’s teacher may be doing something that you’re not aware of that’s working, and it may help if you know what this is.
‘Cause it may be that there’s just a little, simple change that you can make at home that would ease your child’s frustration or struggles. And this may be all that you need to do. Or it may be that they’ve tried several things and they’re in agreement with you that something needs to change to support your child, and they can encourage you to get that letter written.
Free Resource: IEP Evaluation Request Letter Template
And what you can do now is go ahead and draft a written request for evaluation. I’ve put in the show notes a link to a template that you can use. And this template is a letter requesting evaluation. Fill in the blanks with your own information.
You’ll see brackets on the template telling you what you need to fill in for those sections, and you’re going to use the notes that you’ve been taking to fill in those places to explain why you’re asking for this. I wanted to give you something to make this an easier process for you.
Feel free to use the template to be able to write your letter, and just keep in mind that the earlier you start the process, the sooner your child can get the support that they need.
Today we’ve talked about what it means to qualify for special education, how the evaluation process works, and what you can do right now if you think your child needs support. Remember, you don’t have to do this by yourself. You are your child’s best advocate, and just by listening to this episode, you’re already taking the steps to help your child succeed.
If you found today’s episode helpful, don’t forget to grab your free IEP Evaluation Request Letter at https://waterprairie.com/letter. It’s a simple template that makes it easy to get started, and it’s my gift to you as a listener of the Water Prairie Chronicles.
And remember, if you’d like personalized support, visit https://waterprairie.com/iepcoach to learn more about my coaching services. Thanks for being with me today. I’ll see you next week.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):
Q1. Does my child need a medical diagnosis to qualify for special education?
No. While a diagnosis is helpful, the school must determine that the disability impacts the child’s educational performance. A child can qualify under categories like “Other Health Impairment” even without an official medical diagnosis, provided there is an educational need for specialized instruction.
Q2. Who do I send my written request for evaluation to?
You should send the written request (letter or email) to the school Principal or the District’s Special Education Director. You can copy the child’s teacher, but the request must go to an administrator. Always put your request in writing to start the official timeline.
Q3. How long does the school have to complete the evaluation and hold the IEP eligibility meeting?
The timeline is state-specific, but typically the school has around 60 calendar days from the date they receive your written request to complete the comprehensive evaluation and hold the eligibility meeting with the IEP team.
Q4. What should I do right now if I think my child is struggling in school?
Start documenting your child’s struggles, including grades, teacher notes, and your own observations of frustration or behavior changes at home. Also, talk to your child’s teacher about supports already tried in the classroom and draft your written request for evaluation using a template.
Q5. I feel intimidated by the large IEP eligibility team. What is my role?
As the parent, you are an equal team member. Your observations and input are just as critical as the professional reports. Do not be concerned by the number of people; they are there to report on their testing.
