Show and Tell: Should I Share a Private Evaluation with my Child's School?

First, an evaluation is an assessment of your child performed by a specialist. Evaluations look at areas where a child shows weakness. Some evaluations look at specific areas - like a physical therapy, occupational therapy, psychiatric or speech language evaluation. Others look at a broader range strengths and weaknesses that explain why a child is having difficulty progressing in school, and those would include psychoeducational evaluations or neuropsychological evaluations. But should you share your private evaluation?

Before you do:

-Know your legal rights

Consider investing in a consultation to learn more about your particular situation

-Make sure you understand what the evaluation says.

Get an explanation from the evaluator.

-Learn as much as you can about your child's disability

learn what and how your child needs to be taught

Discuss the evaluation with the evaluator. Your input can be considered and incorporated, but, again, in order to give constructive input, you need to be informed. Be brave in using your voice when speaking with school personnel about your child's needs. Knowledge is the key to advocacy.