Preschool Special Education (CPSE) Evaluations
Children may be referred for evaluation at the Children’s Unit for Treatment and Evaluation for several reasons. We conduct eligibility (initial) evaluations for preschool special education as well as follow-up or second opinion evaluation related to diagnostic concerns. Families who are referred to us tend to have concerns of autism as the presenting problem since we can evaluate for both a diagnosis and eligible test scores for services in the same evaluation process. We strongly encourage families who do not have concerns of autism to choose other approved evaluators on their school district's list since our referral volumes tend to be very high because of our specific expertise.
Preschool
If your child is within three months of turning three years old or between the ages
of 3-5 years old and has not yet been evaluated, you should contact your school district
in which you live and ask to speak to someone in the Committee for Preschool Special
Education office. An initial multidisciplinary evaluation will be conducted in collaboration
with your district CPSE office. Additional components might also be requested, such
as speech, occupational therapy, and physical therapy evaluations.
Once your child is evaluated, the CPSE holds a meeting with your child’s evaluation
team, your family, and the county health department to confirm eligibility, outline
your child’s Individualized Education Plan, and set up supports.
If your child is already in CPSE services and has an IEP (classification of Preschool Student with a Disability) and you have concerns of autism, you can request a second opinion psychological evaluation. Although parents can request these evaluations of their district at any time according to regulations, if a psychological evaluation has been conducted within the previous year and a diagnosis of autism would not change the child’s service plan on the IEP, a district has grounds to decline a request for evaluation. It is best to see your child’s CPSE as a partner in reviewing your concerns and planning for needs, so always have open dialogues with them about best times for evaluation, specific requests for services, and other concerns you have – your district wants your child to succeed!
What should I do if I have questions or don’t know how to move forward?
Please call us if you have specific questions to ask or would like more information about our services, timelines, and process for evaluations. You can reach us at 607-777-2829 for evaluation questions or email icdeval@binghamton.edu.