Testing for IEP from Overseas

[Rachel S.]

We are from the US but live overseas for 3-4 years at a time. The little American-style school my daughter, age 6 with Down syndrome, attends wants an official IEP which they don't feel qualified to make themselves. Are there any (free?) testing resources the teachers could do that would point them in the right direction? Or could we build on the last one she had done, due to expire in October? This is not a legal requirement for them. They just want to know how to help with measurable goals. (Seems to me there are a lot of books and resources on how to help kids with Ds, but they want specifics.) Any help is appreciated!

[Carolyn Rowlett]

The first question this site would need the answer to is:  Are you overseas 3-4 years at a time due to one of you being in the miliary?

[JSD24]

Since COVID, there are some people who are certified school psychologists who are willing to do evaluations via the internet.  Since they do not work for a school, this would not be free but it could be covered by insurance.  The IEP itself can only be written by a school/school district.  IMO, they are asking for the impossible.  I know of no school that would evaluate and write an IEP for someone not living in their district.  Sp ed is short handed.  There is a shortage of teachers & school psychologists.  You are not going to find someone willing to do this for free.  With sp ed evals, you need to be trained in how to do the eval so that you are following the test protocol & getting accurate results.  Their teachers are not going to have this background.

[JSD24]

Posted before I finished.

If they are an American style school, they should be doing progress monitoring of IEP goals which would allow them to do annual updates.  What they might not be able to do is evaluations (done every 3 years) but they should be able to write an IEP if they are styled after an American public school.

[Rachel S.]

Thanks for the info! We are with a non-profit, not military. Sorry if I shouldn't have posted here? I agree it's most likely impossible or very costly. The school just doesn't have the expertise to test, correct. I'll give them IEP examples and see what they can do...seems that's reasonable. Thank you all!