what is requirement to start IEP meeting? (autism, Asperger, schools)

[almondtree2010]

I am very new to this.
My son has social anxieties and he was home for months.
I submitted his psychological report mentioning about his social anxieties and depressions.
The school ignored the report, and they threatened me that they could take me to court and suspend my son.

But my son has social anxieties as mentioned in a diagnosis written by a medical doctor.
And he is not able to attend school due to his anxieties.

Could social anxieties be a reason to request an IEP?

He is now having assessment for asperger's syndrome.
The school says we need to wait for the assessment result.
But he has been absent from school for months.
I want him to go back to school ASAP.

I am not so clear about the difference between IEP and 504 plan.

Thank you for your help !

[Spazkat9696]

Emotional disability can be covered by an IEP. You need to put in writing your request for your child to be evaluated for special education services and again provide with the letter copies of all of the paperwork. Have the school office sign that they received the paperwork this will start a leagle timeline for the determination of eligibility for services. The school then has, in VA, 60 school days to determine eligibility and hold the eligibility meeting and then an additional 30 calander days, if found eligible, to write the IEP and hold the IEP meeting.


ETA the rules for timelines NC start on p90 (book page not reader page). NC Guiding Practices

[germaine2626]

Originally Posted by almondtree2010

I am very new to this.
My son has social anxieties and he was home for months.
I submitted his psychological report mentioning about his social anxieties and depressions.
The school ignored the report, and they threatened me that they could take me to court and suspend my son.

But my son has social anxieties as mentioned in a diagnosis written by a medical doctor.
And he is not able to attend school due to his anxieties.

Could social anxieties be a reason to request an IEP?

He is now having assessment for asperger's syndrome.
The school says we need to wait for the assessment result.
But he has been absent from school for months.
I want him to go back to school ASAP.

I am not so clear about the difference between IEP and 504 plan.

Thank you for your help !

Originally Posted by Spazkat9696

Emotional disability can be covered by an IEP. You need to put in writing your request for your child to be evaluated for special education services and again provide with the letter copies of all of the paperwork. Have the school office sign that they received the paperwork this will start a leagle timeline for the determination of eligibility for services. The school then has, in VA, 60 school days to determine eligibility and hold the eligibility meeting and then an additional 30 calander days, if found eligible, to write the IEP and hold the IEP meeting.


ETA the rules for timelines NC start on p90 (book page not reader page). NC Guiding Practices

I'm sorry that you are having problems with this.

The key thing (in most states) is that a parent needs to state in writing the request for a special education evaluation. In some states the 60 or 90 day timeline starts when you turn the request into the school office and sometimes it is when it is received by the school district central office or appropriate staff member (director of special education or psychologist). If it was me, I would take the letter to the school's central office and state verbally "I request that my child be evaluated for special education services", have them date stamp your written request in front of you and ask for a photocopy of the page that they just date stamped. Also, ask if they have a parent's special educational handbook to give you (explains your rights and your child's rights under your states laws).

Schools do their own evaluations and you do not need to wait until an outside agency finishes their autism assessment. The doctor's diagnosis of anxiety would usually qualify for "other health impaired" special education classification in my state. Your state may be different and it may be emotional or behavioral disabilities.

Good luck to you.

[ADVentive]

Every state has their own eligibility requirements, but you should be able to request a meeting to determine eligibility in writing. There will be a legal time limit that they have to comply, which I thought was 90 days for us. My understanding is that the school will probably want to do their own evaluation, but they may choose to use your outside evaluation instead if you provide one. You are not required to provide an outside evaluation though, if you want the school to do it. In our case, we tend to see better results with our own outside evaluations though. Not only does it move things along faster, but I trust the results better than the school's evaluation.

If the school is resisting you, you could also consider hiring an advocate to help you through the process. There are people who specialize in this service.

[reebo]

See if your school district has homebound services. We used this a few years ago until my daughter's meds were where they should be. She was given her assignments and a teacher who came and worked with her at home. There's a form that has to be signed by a doctor that details the treatment plan. This may help until you get your IEP up and running.

[AZgarden]

So, why would the school threaten you with a lawsuit? Is this a teenager who is not attending school? I cannot believe a school district would not take more action if your child is truly emotionally handicapped. Or is it a case of truancy? Is this a teen who has told you he is not going back, no matter what?

Not enough info from the OP. I think there is more to this than just a delinquent school. Maybe a delinquent teen???

[almondtree2010]

Now, I have assistance from an attorney from Councils of Children Rights. She says it is not her first case with this specific middle school. The school will not put him in home bound either although I have submitted required forms written and signed by medical doctor.
I am not sure what the reasons that the school hates giving help to my son.
Budget? Discrimination?