How a West Virginia Public School Evaluates Your Child for Autism

Who receives your request

Maybe your child finds group work exhausting, or melts down when the day does not go as planned. Asking the school to take a closer look is an ordinary and sensible step. West Virginia's rules for this are in Policy 2419, the state Board of Education's regulations for the education of students with exceptionalities. This article is general information, not legal advice.

Policy 2419 says a parent, teacher or any other interested person may refer a student who is suspected of needing special education. For school-age students, written referrals and parent requests for an initial evaluation go to the Student Assistance Team (SAT) at the child's school. Each public school's SAT has at least three people, including a school administrator who chairs it and a current teacher.

You do not have to write the request alone. The policy says a member of the SAT must give written assistance to parents who need help putting the request in writing. For preschool-age or home-schooled children, the referral goes directly to the special education director or designee.

The first school days after you write

Policy 2419 sets out what happens after the SAT receives a written referral for an evaluation or a written parent request:

1. 1Within 5 school daysThe appropriate people are notified of the date, time, place and information needed for the SAT meeting.
2. 2Within 10 school daysThe SAT reviews the areas of concern, looks at available school data, including earlier interventions, and decides on next steps. When a parent has asked in writing, it decides whether the evaluation will be done.
3. 3Within 5 days of that decisionYou receive prior written notice and a copy of the procedural safeguards. If the school will evaluate, it asks for your informed consent. If it refuses your request, it must still send prior written notice and the safeguards.

Your consent and the 80-day evaluation

The SAT can sometimes try interventions first, but Policy 2419 says that problem-solving must not be used to delay a request for an initial evaluation when immediate action is warranted.

Nothing is evaluated without your agreement. West Virginia's procedural safeguards explain that the school must give you prior written notice and obtain your consent before an initial evaluation, and that consenting to the evaluation is not consent to special education services.

The timeline starts from your signature. The principal, teacher or another designated person records the date your written consent is received. Within 80 calendar days of that date, the school system must complete a full, individual evaluation and convene an eligibility committee (EC) to decide whether your child is eligible.

What West Virginia's autism criteria require

Policy 2419 describes autism as a developmental disability, generally evident before age three, that significantly affects verbal and nonverbal communication and social interaction and adversely affects educational performance. A student whose characteristics show up after age three can still qualify if the criteria are met. The policy notes that signs may not become fully apparent until social demands increase, or may be masked by learned strategies later on.

The eligibility committee looks for all of the following:

• documentation that the student meets the DSM-5 criteria for autism set out in the policy
• a diagnosis of autism by a psychiatrist, physician, advanced practice registered nurse, physician assistant, licensed psychologist or school psychologist
• a condition that adversely affects educational performance
• a need for special education
• educational performance that is not affected mainly because of an emotional disturbance

A diagnosis and eligibility are not the same thing

The West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE) explains the difference plainly. A clinical diagnosis is made by a practitioner outside the school, such as a physician, clinical or child psychologist, neuropsychologist or speech-language pathologist, to understand symptoms and inform treatment. Educational eligibility is decided by a school-based eligibility committee using Policy 2419.

WVDE says a diagnosis does not automatically qualify a child for special education. The committee must find that the condition adversely affects educational performance and that the child needs special education. WVDE also says school psychologists in West Virginia may diagnose autism to meet the diagnosis requirement for the autism category.

The federal IDEA rules frame it the same way: a child with a disability is one evaluated as having a listed disability, such as autism, who by reason of it needs special education and related services. WVDE adds that doctors and other clinicians may recommend a school evaluation, but they may not prescribe special education, an IEP or a Section 504 plan.

Bringing a private evaluation to the school

If you share an evaluation your family paid for, West Virginia's procedural safeguards say the school must consider the results, if the evaluation meets the school system's criteria, in decisions about your child's education. WVDE adds that the district will likely still need to do its own comprehensive evaluation to decide on special education.

So before you arrange anything, ask the school what it already plans to assess and what an outside report would need to include. Having those answers in writing can save time for everyone.

How we can help

If you are still deciding whether to ask anyone, our autism signs checklist is an informal list that can help you decide whether to talk to someone. It is not a screening test, it is not validated and it cannot diagnose.

Locascio Wellness offers a child autism evaluation by secure video. Evaluations are offered only to people physically located in Pennsylvania, West Virginia or Arizona during appointments, and a parent or guardian arranges it and takes part. It usually involves an intake appointment, then one or two sessions, then the written report, which at the moment is usually ready about a month after the first evaluation appointment.

Evaluations are private-pay and are not billed to insurance. A sliding scale is available, and you can read about what evaluations cost. We cannot promise a school will accept or act on a report, so ask your school what it needs and share that with us. To start, use the short evaluation request form, noting any school dates, or book a free 15-minute consultation.

We do not offer autism therapy, ABA, speech or occupational therapy. A diagnosis may open other supports that families arrange with their doctor or school. For ongoing emotional support, therapists on our team offer child therapy and teen therapy by video. If your child is in crisis, call or text 988, or call 911. Locascio Wellness does not provide emergency services.