A Closer Look at Autism as an Eligibility Category
We are in the final stretch of the 2022-2023 school year as most schools have had Spring Break at this point and are on the final push to the end. If there are things you need to cover with your IEP team, our advice is to get it done now! Don’t wait!
In today’s episode, we are returning to our series on IEP eligibility categories; this topic is more extensive and is taking more episodes than we originally thought, but we want to take the time to cover the 13 categories with proper attention and information.
Today’s category is autism, sometimes previously referred to as “autism-like.” Contrary to what most people think, a student does NOT have to have a medical diagnosis of autism to fit into this category. Join us for more!
Show Highlights:
- How autism is defined by the IDEA as a legal (not medical) term
- What we have seen from school district reports of misinterpreting the language of the qualifications and characteristics
- What the mandate says about “verbal and non-verbal communication and social interaction”
- Why parents need to be curious and ASK QUESTIONS
- How autism presents with an array of characteristics and needs a deeper analysis to determine eligibility
- What it means that “no single score or product of scores shall be used as the sole criterion for the decision of the IEP team as to the child’s eligibility for special education”
- How we can help parents even in other states besides California
Links/Resources:
Contact us on social media or through our website for more information on the IEP Learning Center: www.inclusiveeducationproject.org
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