No. Our child was diagnosed with ADHD by his pediatrician. Didn't need an IEP but got accommodations through 504

My son got accomodations for dysgraphia just through FCPS testing. But it doesn't say dysgraphia anywhere on the IEP because they aren't allowed to make a diagnosis. If all you need is accomodations in school, that's fine. But because it become clear that he needs more than the school can provide in terms of OT support and things like that, we are now going the route of getting an outside assessment so that my insurance will cover services outside of school.

Thank you to PP and others for these replies. A lot to think about.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, the school can do testing.

But first the school has a meeting to determine if they agree what testing if any is determined. And even if they do testing, they may decide that the findings are not affecting the student enough to qualify for services.

+1 our school was never going to agree to testing. But my child does have a disability and does need accommodations.

Disabilities that are more apparent/visible can be diagnosed more easily (if not always correctly). When the disability has a smaller impact, it is harder to diagnose, but it still exists. In those situations is when the neuropsych - meaning having a qualified professional spend hours with your kid and reviewing documents and questionnaire responses.

With autism which is what I am familiar with, there is still a huge stigma and also lack of expertise even among pediatricians. Many professionals are afraid to diagnose autism. Sometimes they just don't feel confident in their own expertise and don't want to give parents bad news if they aren't sure. But the diagnosis can be incredibly helpful for so many reasons including for getting a 504 plan if the student doesn't qualify for an IEP

We had a good experience getting our child assessed for ADHD through MCPS and then accommodations through a 504 plan.

Anonymous wrote:No, the school can do testing.

But first the school has a meeting to determine if they agree what testing if any is determined. And even if they do testing, they may decide that the findings are not affecting the student enough to qualify for services.

No, the school can do testing.

Anonymous wrote:If the child is struggling in a way that makes it obvious that they need accommodations, a basic diagnosis from a pediatrician will also suffice.

If it's obvious, you don't need a medical diagnosis at all. You just need to show that the student is presenting as having a significant impact on a major life activity.

The school is legally required to conduct evaluations if they agree that a disability is suspected. Depending on how your child presents, having an outside evaluation/diagnosis can help show the need for accommodations, but it's not required (nor is the school required to accept it/its recommendations).

If the child is struggling in a way that makes it obvious that they need accommodations, a basic diagnosis from a pediatrician will also suffice.

No, not always. Depending on the issues the school can do some testing, it just depends on what the need is.

Does a kid need to have had a neuropsych to be eligible for any accommodations?