Gatekeeping Support Services In Public Education
If you’re not qualified to diagnose, then you’re not qualified to rule out either
Fellow parents, did you know?
School staff are not supposed to gate-keep access to support services in schools.
I’ve spoken with many parents who have expressed concerns about their child to the student’s classroom teacher, only to have those concerns dismissed, invalidated, or brushed aside.
This is NOT okay.
Teachers are not qualified to assess for, diagnose, or rule out any disabilities, divergent neurotypes, or diagnoses.
They can certainly provide their observations and opinion from an educator’s perspective.
Collaboration and communication between home and school is important, and teachers can offer valuable insight, and that’s where we should start.
If after discussions and attempts to work with your child’s teacher, you feel there is reason to pursue further assessments or supports, you can specifically request that your child receive assessments and services from your division’s clinicians.
Schools seem to really try to ration these limited resources because waitlists for school psychologists and…
