There are a couple of requirements needed to get a child an IEP.

• Little to no progress being made in the classroom
• a diagnosis of some kind of intellectual or physical disability or disorder
• a student evaluation made by the school to measure their growth

My question is, “Why does a student need to be diagnosed in order to receive the service? Why can’t we just give students the support they need in order to succeed? ”

There are a couple reasons why you need a doctor diagnosis. The law states 13 categories in which student receive an IEP, within those there is eligibility.  Special education services are for those who need it and an IEP is a lawful document to hold teachers, parents, and principals accountable. The plan is put in place to benefit the students overall education, social emotional learning, and extra curricular activities.

However an interesting fact that we don’t talk about enough is that a medical diagnosis alone is NOT enough to qualify you for an IEP. My brother has autism. He was diagnosed at 4 years old. My parents made the decision to keep him in an inclusive classroom and advocated for him not to be removed. They feel that decision so young, helped him develop into the independent young man he is today. My mom mention to me that when Zach was in 4th grade, his new school wouldn’t let me have a IEP because he was always making progress. He struggled but not enough to qualify for special services. This strategies limits kids, and abs them from there potential. Students are improving, but is that the goal as equators? No. Our goal should never be to do the bare minimum, but shoot for the most and constantly push your students to be better!

Thankfully we are heading in a direction of inclusiveness and equity where we are using special ed services and manipulates more loosely. Some students need a fidget toy to focus or sit on a bounce ball, that doesn’t need to be in an IEP plan but a teacher can recognize a need and adapt for the student!