Contact your local elementary school (if your child is at least 3 years old)

Public schools are required to provide specialized educational supports (starting at three years of age) if a child has a developmental delay that interferes with his or her ability to learn. To find out what kind of special education services your child may need, your local school will evaluate your child’s speaking, hearing, vision, and physical skills. Every child three years of age or older with ASD or suspected of having ASD should be evaluated (the evaluation is free!).

Action:

If your child is receiving Early Intervention (EI) services, your EI case manager will help you transition to Early Childhood Special Education (also called Developmental Preschool or Special Needs Preschool) when your child turns three (i).
If your child is not receiving EI services, contact your local elementary school to find the appropriate contact to set up an evaluation (ii). Depending on the results of the evaluation, your child may qualify for Early Childhood Special Education between ages three and five and then special education school services when he or she starts kindergarten.
If your child qualifies, your Early Childhood Special Education program or local school will work with you to create an Individualized Education Program (IEP). An IEP is a written document outlining your child’s education goals and the services your school has agreed to provide to help your child achieve these goals.
Contact your state’s Parent Training and Information Center (PTI) with any questions about special education services. These centers are generally staffed by parents whose children have used special education services for their own children. They can explain your child’s rights to a free and appropriate public education, help you prepare for IEP meetings and help develop your child’s IEP.

(i) Sec 303.209 of the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) defines the expectations around this transition.

(ii) If your child is between 3 to 5 years old, you can specifically ask for your local “Child Find” contact

Prepare for your IEP meeting (if your child is at least 3 years old)
Every school-aged child who receives special education services must have an Individualized Education Program (IEP). This is a written statement describing an educational program created specifically for your child. The IEP will define learning goals for your child and list the services the school has agreed to (and is legally bound to) provide.

Action:

Following your child’s school evaluation, your school will schedule time for your IEP team to meet to determine your child’s goals and how the school intends to help your child achieve these goals (namely, what supports and services the school will provide to your child).
Contact your state’s Parent Training and Information Center (PTI) for tips on how to prepare for the IEP meeting. We recommend asking about the types of school services other children with ASD have found to be most helpful (and what you may want to come into the IEP meeting prepared to ask for). Examples of supports and services include:

Specialized instruction (curriculum modifications, classroom accommodations, specialized equipment, individualized techniques, modifications of statewide tests)
Transportation
Speech and language therapy
Audiology
Recreation options
Social work services
Counseling services
Apprenticeship programs
Career guidance and counseling

If, after developing your IEP, you want to get a second set of eyes to review it and make sure your child is set up for success, contact your Family Advisor. He or she will connect you with one of our school services experts.

More information:

By law, your IEP team must review your child’s IEP at least once a year to see if your child is meeting the listed goals and to set new goals. You may ask for a review at any time, though, if you feel the IEP is not serving your child’s interests. Unfortunately, some schools get parents to think that signing an IEP means it is set-in-stone for the next year. This is wrong– it is fluid and can be adjusted at any point (ii).
As your child gets older, he or she will benefit from attending his or her own IEP meetings. Having your child attend can also help everyone on the team remember who the meeting is ultimately about. Until your child is ready to attend in person, it can be helpful to bring a picture of him or her to the meeting to achieve this effect.
For more detailed information about IEPs, check out the Autism Speaks’ IEP toolkit and the Wrightslaw IEP FAQ
If you feel as though your school is denying you services, the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA) is the place to go for vetted support and/or to hire an attorney or advocate.

(ii) Visit Wrightslaw for detailed information about what the law says about revising IEPs.

Sources:

Autism Speaks. Autism Speaks Tool Kits. Accessed June 13, 2022. Autism Speaks Tool Kits | Autism Speaks

Center for Parent Information and Resources. About Parent Centers Serving Families of Children with Disabilities. Accessed June 13, 2022. About Parent Centers Serving Families of Children with Disabilities | Center for Parent Information and Resources (parentcenterhub.org)

Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates. Accessed June 13, 2022. Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, Inc. (copaa.org)

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Sec. 303.209 Transition to preschool and other programs. Accessed June 13, 2022. Sec. 303.209 Transition to preschool and other programs - Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

Wrightslaw. Frequently Asked Questions About Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). Accessed June 13, 2022. Wrightslaw - IEP FAQs

School Resources (Ages 3+)

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