What Should I Do First?

Talk with your child’s teacher to see if the school sees signs for concern.  However, you know your child better than anyone else.  If it seems to you that there is a problem, there probably is. Teachers are wonderful, generous people who won’t deliberately mislead you.  Even with the best intentions, however, very few  teachers have any training in the sciences related to learning disabilities or reading difficulties.  It’s up to you.  This year’s teachers won’t be with your child 10 years from now, but you will be! 

Question/Issue	Link to resources
Get a comprehensive evaluation of your child	Why get an independent evaluation? Some school-based evaluations are biased Evaluation: What Does it Mean for Your Child? What You Should Know About Evaluations What to expect from a comprehensive evaluation Be An Informed Consumer When Seeking an Evaluation Descriptions of assessments commonly used by schools with subtest descriptions Glossary of assessment terms Subtest descriptions for Woodcock Johnson III Cognitive and Achievement
Understanding the evaluation results A must read for parents and advocates.  This information is critical to helping you determine whether your child is making progress from year to year.	Tests and Measurements for the Parent, Teacher, Advocate & Attorney by Peter W. D. Wright, Esq. and Pamela Darr Wright, M.A., M.S.W. A must read for parents and advocates. This information is critical to helping you determine whether your child is making progress from year to year.
What's Next	Understanding your Child's Difficulties Understanding your Child's Rights Under Special Education Law Start Advocating for your Child