The evaluation process

Requesting the evaluation

The school is required to evaluate your child within 60 days of receiving a written request from you. Send the request by email (and ask for a read receipt) or by certified mail so you have documentation of when it was received. The 60-day clock does not start from a verbal conversation.

The school may also initiate an evaluation — but you must give written consent before any evaluation begins. You have the right to request evaluations in specific areas and to refuse any portion of the proposed evaluation.

The eligibility meeting

After the evaluation, the team meets to determine whether your child qualifies for special education services under IDEA. Eligibility requires two things: the child has a disability in one of IDEA's 13 categories, and the disability affects their educational performance. Autism is one of the 13 categories.

At this meeting, the team reviews the evaluation results and makes the eligibility determination. You are a full member of this team and can bring a support person or advocate.

If you disagree with the results

If you disagree with the school's evaluation, you have the right to request an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE) at public expense — meaning the school district pays for it. The school can either agree to fund the IEE or file for due process to defend their own evaluation. Either way, you are entitled to one IEE at no cost to you when you disagree with the district's evaluation.