Do we add autism to iep

[Riverdlc]

New diagnosis of autism with a not completed assessment.  Long story short he felt unsafe and found the questions too personal and refused to finish.  He won’t sit for the test again as it would be completed by the same person.  He has profound adhd and it’s so hard to determine what’s what. I see it my wife not so much.  She often says well that sit and that sign and this one etc….are also adhd.  I point out when his adhd meds are working well you still see the following:  rigid thinking, “holding a grudge”, inflexible at times and he exhibits PDA qualities.   My wife hesitates to put it in school papers but I told her that the ASD explains his “rages” as meltdowns.  He occasionally has meltdowns usually when another student just pick and pokes at him all day.  He usually melts down the last hour or so.  Working on sleep issues and possible day time medication adjustments.   Do we add it officially even though items he needs in his IEP can fit under his adhd and anxiety.  

[Jenna]

To have an IEP, a child must qualify under one of the IDEA eligibility categories. The school should do comprehensive evaluations identifying ALL areas of need, whether or not those needs fall under their eligibility category. Needs should be addressed in the IEP. Lisa has a couple articles that may be helpful.

 https://adayinourshoes.com/iep-disability-classification/
https://adayinourshoes.com/autism-iep/

[Stephanie k]

If he already has an IEP and you feel the school is meeting all identified needs, it’s probably not worth it. Bring it up to your team and see what they say. A medical diagnosis of autism is different than educational eligibility under autism. 

[JSD24]

If you are not qualified to diagnose a condition like autism, it should not be put on the IEP as a diagnosis.  What you can do is say that 'parents have observed behavior consistent with an autism diagnosis.'  IMO, if you have observed this, you should find a professional who can evaluate your child for autism.  The school uses a different criteria than what is in the DSM that non-school professionals use to diagnose autism so he could have medical autism & not have educational autism.  (This gets very confusing.)  In other words, you might also need a school eval for autism.  https://adayinourshoes.com/autism-whats-the-difference-between-medical-and-educational-diagnoses/