Speech Therapy Consulting
Speech Therapy Consulting
If you feel the school evaluation missed something, you are probably right. We provide thorough, independent evaluations and stand behind our findings at IEP meetings.
We hear you. When the school says your child is "fine" but you know something is not right, it is frustrating. Our comprehensive independent evaluations dig deeper to find what your child actually needs.
Present and defend our findings
Not influenced by district budgets
Not a quick rubber stamp
Qualified to stand behind results
We attend your child's IEP meeting to present our findings and advocate for the services your child needs. The school district must consider our independent evaluation when making decisions about your child.
"The school kept telling me my son was just 'a little behind.' Their evaluation said he didn't qualify for services. I knew something was wrong. The independent evaluation found significant language delays the school had missed."
"I felt dismissed every time I raised concerns. The school's 30-minute evaluation said everything was 'within normal limits.' The independent evaluation took multiple sessions and found issues with pragmatic language and auditory processing that explained everything I was seeing at home."
An Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE) is conducted by a qualified professional who does not work for the school district. This matters because our only focus is your child, not the district's budget or timeline.
Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), you have the legal right to request an independent evaluation at public expense if you disagree with the school's evaluation. The district must either pay for the IEE or prove in a hearing that their evaluation was appropriate. They cannot simply say "no."
Trust your instincts. If something feels off about the school's evaluation, you may be right to seek an independent assessment.
School evaluations are often squeezed into tight timelines. If testing took less than an hour or seemed incomplete, important issues may have been missed.
When you see daily struggles at home but the school says your child does not qualify for services, an independent evaluation can provide the comprehensive data needed to demonstrate their needs.
You know your child best. If the evaluation results do not reflect the difficulties you observe every day, something may have been overlooked.
School evaluations often stop at "eligible" or "not eligible." Our reports include detailed, specific recommendations for intervention that guide the IEP team.
If the district wants to reduce or eliminate services but you still see your child struggling, an independent evaluation can provide current data on their needs.
IEP meetings can feel like you against the district. We attend the meeting to present our findings and explain exactly what your child needs.
We can review your situation and help you understand your options - at no cost and no obligation.
We take the time to get a complete picture of your child's abilities. This is not a quick screening - it is comprehensive testing designed to find what your child actually needs.
Call or email to discuss your situation. We help guide you through submitting a written request to your school district for an IEE at public expense.
We thoroughly review your child's educational records, previous evaluations, IEP documents, and any other relevant information to understand their history.
Testing occurs over more than one session, about 1 hour each. This allows us to assess all areas thoroughly and see your child on different days.
You receive a detailed written report with test results, clinical observations, diagnostic conclusions, and specific recommendations for services and IEP goals.
We attend your child's IEP meeting to present our findings, answer questions from the team, and advocate for the services your child needs.
We test all areas of speech and language development to provide a complete picture - not just the minimum required for eligibility.
Standardized testing of all speech sounds in different positions (beginning, middle, end of words) and in conversation. We identify error patterns and determine stimulability for treatment.
Assessment of your child's ability to understand spoken language, including following directions, understanding vocabulary, answering questions, and comprehending complex sentences.
Evaluation of how your child uses language, including vocabulary, sentence structure, grammar, storytelling abilities, and age-appropriate language skills.
Analysis of speech fluency including stuttering behaviors, secondary characteristics, and impact on communication. Assessment of attitudes toward speaking when appropriate.
Assessment of vocal quality, pitch, loudness, and resonance. Identification of any voice disorders that may impact communication or require medical referral.
Evaluation of social communication skills including turn-taking, topic maintenance, understanding nonverbal cues, conversational skills, and perspective-taking abilities.
Every evaluation includes a comprehensive written report that can be defended at an IEP meeting. The report is written in clear language and includes:
When you request an IEE at public expense, the school district has only two choices: agree to pay for it, or file for a due process hearing to prove their evaluation was appropriate. They cannot delay indefinitely, require meetings first, or make the process so difficult that you give up.
Some districts may try to discourage IEE requests or make the process difficult. Know that:
When you disagree with school evaluation:
When seeking evaluation for other reasons:
If you have received an evaluation from the school district and you disagree with the findings, you likely qualify for an IEE at no cost to you. Call us at (707) 366-5246 and we will help you determine the best path forward for your child.
No. We conduct a completely independent, thorough evaluation regardless of what the school found. Our testing is comprehensive and often takes longer than school evaluations. We have no relationship with the school district and no incentive to confirm their findings. Our only focus is accurately identifying your child's needs.
Many parents come to us after school evaluations that seemed incomplete or inaccurate. In many cases, our comprehensive testing reveals issues that were missed or underestimated in the school's evaluation.
Yes. Unlike many evaluators who just send a report, we attend your child's IEP meeting to present our findings directly to the team. We explain our test results, answer questions from school staff, and advocate for the services our evaluation shows your child needs.
This is one of the most valuable parts of our service. Having an independent expert at the table changes the dynamic of the meeting and ensures our recommendations are clearly understood and considered.
When you request an IEE at public expense because you disagree with the school's evaluation, there is no cost to you - the school district pays for the evaluation directly. Our IEE rates meet district criteria and typically range from $800-$1,500 depending on the complexity and scope of testing needed.
If you choose to get a private evaluation (not an IEE), costs may be covered by insurance or paid privately. Contact us to discuss your specific situation.
Our evaluations are conducted over multiple sessions, typically about 1 hour each. This allows us to:
The complete timeline from initial contact to completed report is typically 4-8 weeks, depending on district response time and scheduling.
Unfortunately, some districts try to discourage IEE requests or make the process difficult. Remember:
We can help guide you through this process. Call us at (707) 366-5246 and we will discuss your situation and help you advocate for your child's rights.
The IEP team is required by law to consider the IEE results when making decisions about your child. While they are not legally required to adopt every recommendation, the independent evaluation carries significant weight - especially when we attend the meeting to present and explain our findings.
In practice, comprehensive IEE reports with detailed recommendations often lead to improved services because they provide clear, defensible evidence of what the child needs.
We provide Independent Educational Evaluations (IEE) for families throughout Solano County and surrounding communities:
Dixon - Vacaville - Fairfield - Davis - West Sacramento - Woodland - Winters
We work with school districts throughout the region including Dixon Unified, Vacaville Unified, Fairfield-Suisun Unified, Davis Joint Unified, and others.
Office location: 255 N. Lincoln St. Suite A, Dixon, CA 95620
You have fought hard for your child. Let us help with a thorough, independent evaluation and someone in your corner at the IEP meeting.
Or call us directly:
(707) 366-5246