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My daughter was evaluated for ADHD this weekend, and while the evaluator still needs to officially score everything, she told us that she’s sure daughter will meet the criteria for diagnosis. I don’t necessarily want to have her retest on the SEES exam if she doesn’t need to (it would be nice to know her scores before making that decision, though I expect that’s not going to happen), and I don’t know if this is an event that would even qualify for retesting, anyway. Is this something I should contact OAE about, or would we need an IEP, or what? The evaluator said that she doesn’t expect my daughter to be affected academically by ADHD for a long time, and that she didn’t do any academic testing because daughter doesn’t need it, so I don’t know if an IEP is even on the table. My daughter does struggle with fine motor skills, though, so maybe an IEP would be worth pursuing?
I don’t know, this is just a lot right now, and I’m sure the evaluator will help guide us on next steps in the coming days, but as far as looking into potentially retesting for SEES (this is for K; she’s 5)…what would you do?
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A private ADHD diagnosis will not automatically qualify your child for an IEP, or even a Section 504 Plan.
In order to qualify for an IEP, a school team needs to find the child has one of the 13 disabilities listed under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). ADHD is not specifically listed and is not considered a learning disability, but might qualify for an IEP under “Other Health Impairment” if the ADHD adversely impacts the child’s educational performance.
It is somewhat easier to get a 504 Plan. However, a school team still needs to find eligibility based on a diagnosed disability that substantially limits one or more major life activity. This “life activity” does not necessarily have to be education. (For example, asthma might substantially limit a child’s ability to breath — therefore a 504 Plan would be needed with a health plan addressing the asthma).
Once a school team has determined eligibility under either IDEA or 504, then the team addresses the question of services/accommodations.
You must initiate this entire process with your local public school. The school will look at your private evaluation and may conduct its own evaluation. After that, the team meetings I mentioned above will be held to determine eligibility and services/accommodations. This process obviously takes some time. I don’t have the legal time frame off the top of my head, but somewhere in the neighborhood of 60 school days or more (3 months)??
I do not believe a student would be legally entitled to testing accommodations until this process was complete AND the student had either 504 Plan or IEP that required testing accommodations due to disability.
All of this rambling to basically say that you could certainly reach at to OAE, but until there is a plan entitling a child to testing accommodations, I don’t think much will be done. (On a personal note, my 8th grader received a 504 Plan for anxiety in December — after both the CPS and Catholic high school exams were already done. I did not circle back with anyone, and she ended up doing fine on both tests. I am, however, happy to have something in writing as we transition to high school….)
Good luck to your child!
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This is very helpful, thank you!
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<b>There’s no single test to diagnose ADHD</b>. Instead, doctors rely on several things, including: Interviews with the parents, relatives, teachers, or other adults. Personally watching the child or adult.
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Petra – out of curiosity, where did you get your daughter evaluated? My 4.5 year old seems very similar and everywhere I’ve tried in the city to get an evaluation has had 6-9 month waiting lists.
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We went through Agave Studio — both my husband and I already do therapy through them, so we were referred internally. We did have to wait a bit, but I got the impression that the wait was more of an age thing — things moved really quickly for us once she turned five. Since your daughter is only 4.5, you might still be waiting for several months, so sorry if this isn’t more helpful! I hope you’re able to find somewhere — waiting is tough!
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Thanks, Petra!
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