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) termWhat we have seen from school district reports of misinterpreting the language of the qualifications and characteristicsWhat the mandate says about “verbal and non-verbal communication and social interaction”Why parents need to be curious and ASK QUESTIONSHow autism presents with an array of characteristics and needs a deeper analysis to determine eligibilityWhat 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 CaliforniaLinks/Resources:Contact us on social media or through our website for more information on the IEP Learning Center: www.inclusiveeducationproject.org   Thank you for listening! Don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to the show to receive every new episode delivered straight to your podcast player every Tuesday.If you enjoyed this episode and believe in our message, then please help us get the word out about this podcast. Rate and Review this show on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher Radio, or Google Play. It helps other listeners find this show.Be sure to connect with us and reach out with any questions/concerns:FacebookInstagram–We are doing videos on Instagram, so connect with us there and send us your questions!TwitterIEP websiteEmail us: [email protected]