Frequently Asked Question
F.A.Q.
We are here to help you answer any questions you may have. If you do not see any questions that is not listed here, please contact us at office@brainlearning.com or give us a call at 619-324-9764
After you fill out and submit all of your paperwork, you will be contacted within 1 business day with the next steps in our process.
That’s ok! Do your best and flip through some old photo albums if necessary, but don’t stress too much. Remember, we’ve never met your child and we’re just trying to get a sense of them and their history. It can help us flesh out our background section in the report as well as help us understand a little more about your child when we meet them. Fill out as much as you can, but don’t worry about a few blank spots.
That’s ok! We’ve added it to our website under our DOWNLOAD tab for you to download again! If you have trouble (technology, right?), give us a call or come in and we will be happy to help!
Please make sure we are aware of this! We do our very best to read over your IEE approval letter as carefully as we can to make sure that every “t” is crossed and every “i” dotted, but it is so helpful when it’s pointed out to us!
This is especially important if you notice the date of expiration is less than 30 days from the date you begin intake. Our IEE reports often take 30 days from the date we receive all of your intake paperwork, due to scheduling concerns with the school districts, testing, and writing times. We pride ourselves on our high standards for report writing, and we must ensure that we will have enough time to meet them. Please let us know as soon as you can if you notice any due dates on your IEE approval letters!
Click the green “Get Started” button and send us your intake form with your contact information and a little about why you’re interested in joining us. From there, we will send you an email welcoming you with our intake packet and you’ll begin your journey with Brain Learning!
YES! These lists are most often given as recommendations as a kind gesture to make the search easier on busy families. Unfortunately, these lists are often old and outdated. You are not required to follow this list unless your letter from your district or your settlement agreement specifically states that you must adhere to it. This is very rare!
We are happy to go over your IEE approval letter or settlement agreement with you if you just aren’t sure!
Since we are not medical doctors, but a team of educational psychologists and other professionals who work with the school districts, your medical insurance will not cover any visits with us.
The best way to fund an IEE is through your school district. Disability Rights California has a PDF on how to obtain an IEE here: https://www.disabilityrightsca.org/system/files/file-attachments/547601_0.pdf
We also accept private pay for assessments, though we recommend exercising your right to request a district funded assessment first.
Don’t give up! There are a few ways this could go from here. From Disability Rights California:
“If the District approves the IEE, then work with the District to iron out the logistics of obtaining your independent assessment. If the District files for due process, be prepared to go to a hearing and explain to an administrative law judge why you think the School District’s evaluation is inappropriate and why you need an IEE. You should also call Disability Rights California and obtain a copy of the chapter of our Special Education Rights and Responsibilities manual that explains due process.
If after waiting a reasonable amount of time, the school has not responded to your request or has otherwise denied your request without filing for due process, you may choose to write another letter notifying the School District that they have violated your rights under Section 300.502(b) of Title 34 of the Code of Federal Regulations. In this letter you could also alert the school district that you are taking their inaction as an affirmative reply to your request and either: 1) notify the District that you will pay for an IEE at your own expense and present the bill to the School District for reimbursement, or 2) ask the School District to make arrangements for payment with the provider you have selected to conduct your IEE. You could also choose not to say anything to the school district and go directly to Step 4.
If All Else Fails, File a Compliance Complaint If the School District has still not approved the IEE or filed for Due Process, you should file a Compliance Complaint with the California Department of Education (CDE). In this complaint you should allege that the School District has violated your procedural rights under 34 C.F.R. §300.502(b) and request as a remedy that the CDE order the School District to provide you with an IEE immediately. You should send along with the complaint a copy of your request for an IEE and any other document from you or the School District that could help the CDE decide in your favor. The CDE generally has 60 days to issue a decision once a complaint has been filed. Compliance Complaints can be filed by writing to:
California Department of Education
1430 “N” Street, Suite 2401
Sacramento, CA 95814-5901
For a more in depth look at Compliance Complaints, you should read Chapter 6 of PAI’s Special Education Rights and Responsibilities manual.”
Resources:
- Disability Rights California PDF https://www.disabilityrightsca.org/system/files/file-attachments/547601_0.pdf
- Individuals with Disabilities Act, Subpart E–Procedural Safeguards Due Process Procedures for Parents and Children https://sites.ed.gov/idea/regs/b/e
The 504 Plan gets its name from the Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, a broad civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in any agency, school, or institution receiving federal funds. Section 504 requires schools to provide reasonable accommodations for students to remove barriers to learning. These could include things like extended time for tests and assignments, large print classroom materials, different seating arrangements, etc. These plans do not include specialize instruction and do not qualify for special education programs under IDEA.
IEPs were developed for students to receive special education services.This is mandated and funded through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). To qualify for an IEP, a child’s disability must have an adverse affect on his/her educational progress. Many students with disabilities do not receive special educational services as merely having a disability is not sufficient for eligibility. There are 13 disabilities broadly identified in IDEA that qualify a student for an IEP (see resources, below). The IEP allows teachers, parents, school administrators, students, and related experts to work together on a plan that identifies educational goals to improve student outcomes.
If a child is denied for an IEP, they may receive accommodations through a 504 Plan instead.
Resources:
- 13 Disability Categories Under IDEA, via Understood https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/special-services/special-education-basics/conditions-covered-under-idea?_ul=1*1olws0r*domain_userid*YW1wLUxoNG53TmpzbkN0NDg5SWNtTXZBY3c.
- The Difference Between IEPs and 504 Plans, via Understood
https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/special-services/504-plan/the-difference-between-ieps-and-504-plans - IEPs and 504 Plans: Understanding the Difference, via Mobility International USA
https://www.miusa.org/resource/tipsheet/iep504plans
Does your child have an IEP or 504? Do you still feel like they’re struggling? Are they meeting their potential? Do you walk away from an IEP meeting feeling frustrated and like the evaluators were talking about a different child altogether? Maybe you’re worried the school used incomplete or outdated methods or data. Perhaps the school district is even refusing to do an evaluation at all!
An IEE is an Independent Educational Evaluation. It’s a private evaluation given to children by a professional unaffiliated with your child’s school to help you learn more about your child’s needs and the way they learn. The term IEE comes from the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). IDEA states that the purpose of this evaluation is “to determine whether a child is a child with a disability,” if that disability has an impact on the child’s education, and if the child is in need of specially designed instruction.
At times, factors beyond our control can delay the process; however, we strive to complete assessments as quickly as possible and most are completed within 30 days after testing. The assessment process is considered complete once the report is shared with the relevant parties. For independent educational evaluations (IEE), the report is shared with you and your school at the same time. For clients paying privately, the report is given to you only. We send out the reports to all parties 5 days before the IEP meeting so that there are no surprises and we can work productively at the meeting.
Do you understand the assessment results? Do you know how that information was used to help create an IEP? Do you feel the diagnosis was accurate? Is your child not learning? If the answer to any of these questions was “no,” you might need to get answers from the school or through Brain Learning Psychological Corporation.
Once we have completed the report, we no longer need your binder and you are welcome to pick it up from our office.
We think this is an important, and often overlooked, step in the assessment process. Often times, parents are reluctant to talk to their children about their disability because they don’t want their child to “feel different.” But what most parents don’t realize is their child already knows there is something different about him. Kids are very perceptive and it can be confusing for them to experience this difference but not understand why. It can be very powerful for kids to finally understand why certain things are harder for him than for others. We strongly believe in helping kids understand themselves so they can take an active role in their education and what they need. At Brain Learning, we think of this as “coaching” a child on his/her disability and are happy to provide that as a service if you are interested.
It is very important that you understand the contents of your child’s report. We strive to make our reports “user friendly;” however, at times it can still be confusing to read a psycho-educational report. Please contact us with any questions and we will be happy to schedule a time to discuss them with you.
This is your opportunity to tell us why you are seeking this evaluation. Your questions are very important in this process. The more specific your questions are, the better we are able to focus the evaluation. Examples of common questions include: Why isn’t my child making progress toward his reading comprehension goals? What type of educational supports does my child need in order to make progress? How does my child’s diagnosis of ____ affect her ability to learn and retain information?
It is important for parents to remember that we do not know your child yet and the History Form asks you for critical information we need in order to assess your child appropriately. Please call us if you have questions regarding this form, or need assistance in filling it out.
All of the information that we gather is in relationship to your child’s learning and education. This is done through:
- 1:1 testing, if possible
- Interviews with teachers and other school staff, parents, the student himself, relevant medical and/or mental health providers
- Reviewing your child’s records – we can only review the records that you provide to us; if there is information (e.g., a particular evaluation, past IEP goals, etc.) you would like us to consider as part of your child’s assessment with Brain Learning, please include it in the records you provide.
- Data through standardized rating scales and direct observation
For testing, we always explain to kids that we are here to find out how they learn best and if there is anything we can do to help make school better for them. We want your child to feel as comfortable as possible — it is usually helpful if you have a conversation with your child before bringing him/her in and sharing the message that we just want to know how they learn. Some parents find it helpful to share the Brain Learning website with their child so he/she can see our photos. You can let your children know that the kinds of activities they will be asked to do are things like reading, writing, and math, working with puzzles and patterns, and seeing how they remember things they see and hear. We work at your child’s pace and comfort level and can take as many breaks as we need to during testing.
During a classroom observation, we leave the decision of what to share with your child up to you as parents. Some children may change their behavior in the classroom if they know they are being observed. To ensure we observe their usual behavior, we recommend that you maintain your child’s usual schedule to the best of your ability the day of the observation. Our observers are often introduced to the class as student teachers or visiting classroom observers and fade unobtrusively into the background.
At Brain Learning, we strive to complete the most thorough, comprehensive assessments possible in order to answer your questions and create meaningful recommendations for home and school. Although it can vary depending on the situation and type of assessment, this process typically includes in-office testing with one of our psychologists, observing your student in his or her learning environment, and writing a report outlining our findings and recommendations.
After you complete your paperwork, you will be contacted in 24 hours with next steps.
Getting information about your child’s cognitive strengths and weaknesses will help you and educators ensure that everything is done to promote success.
Give us a call or contact us on our form
In every county in California, there is a continuum of educational placements for kids with disabilities. Our professionals have extensive knowledge of programs both in public and private schools help identify the right fit for your child. Additionally, we have extensive knowledge of community supports for kids with various disabilities.
Evaluating all aspects of your child and the environment he/she learns in will always answer that question.
Through the evaluation process, our professionals will gather important information about what your child needs in order to learn. Children thrive when they are given academic rigor and taught how to use tools that help them overcome their learning differences. Children with disabilities of need counseling and coaching along the way.