Does my child need special education? If your child struggles in school, you’ve probably asked yourself this question. It’s a hard one to answer, because the truth is: it depends. Before I get into the nitty gritty, let me say this: you can request a special education evaluation without agreeing to your child being put into special education. You have to give consent for the special ed evaluation, and then give consent again for them to receive services. What does this mean?

Many parents assume that if their child is struggling in school, the teacher or the school will notice and take the lead in getting them evaluated. Sometimes that happens, but sometimes it doesn’t.