5 Things Pediatricians Should Know About Special Education

But because most children at this age aren’t yet enrolled in school, many families don’t know where to begin. This is where pediatricians can make a huge difference. By pointing a family with a 3 or 4 year old toward their school district’s special education office, a pediatrician can give a family a head start on the process. Healthcare providers should consider providing an evaluation request letter template for families who need one, similar to the immunization letters that healthcare offices routinely provide for school enrollment. An evaluation request letter should identify the child’s key areas of concern so the school knows what to look for and evaluate. (Here’s an example of such a letter.)

A child needs to be evaluated by their school district to determine if they meet the criteria for an Individualized Education Plan (IEP). If they do not qualify but they still have needs that require accommodations in school, the family can instead pursue a 504 plan. Healthcare providers can help by ensuring families have documentation of any medical diagnoses to support their requests for services (for example, a CARS rating score for autism or ADHD Vanderbilt results). Providers can also help manage families’ expectations by reminding them that the school district may not find that their child’s disability is a barrier to educational progress. Parents may have to advocate for their child in the process, and healthcare providers can help families feel empowered to do that by reminding them of their rights in the special education process.

In our work with families, we’ve found that as many as 1 in 4 families encounter a delay or other compliance failure when they seek educational support services for their child. (For families with preschool-aged children, the rates of compliance failures tend to be even higher.) It’s helpful for pediatricians to understand the legal timeframe for evaluation requests: For example, in Massachusetts, this is typically 45 school days from the time a family returns their signed consent form; in California, it’s 60. These timelines give parents a sense of what to expect so they can advocate for their children as needed.

Providers can encourage families to communicate proactively with school, ask questions, and speak up about what they hope for for their children. Since no evaluation can take place until the parent or legal guardian signs a written consent form for their child, families can start the process off on the right foot by reviewing the consent form as soon as they receive it from school, ensuring that it reflects their concerns and that they understand what’s being proposed, and then signing and returning it promptly to school.

Pediatricians can let families know that the process of accessing services for their child won’t happen overnight—and in fact, it might be frustratingly slow. Remind families that if they don’t hear back within a reasonable timeframe (for example, if they don’t receive a consent form to sign within 5 school days of making their evaluation request), they shouldn’t be afraid to follow up. Providers should also recommend that families identify the point person for their child’s school evaluations, so they know their questions are going to the right place.