A lot can change over the summer. When there is new information about your child, their IEP may need to catch up. Parents ask: "My child has an updated diagnosis, do I have to have a meeting to add this new information to their IEP (Individual Education Plan)?"

Ask yourself:

• Have we learned something new about my child's strengths or needs?
• Did my child complete an outside evaluation, such as a neuropsychological, speech-language, or occupational therapy evaluation?
• Did a private clinician identify needs or recommend supports that the school has not yet considered?

If the answer to any of these questions is yes, share the new information with the school in writing. Highlight updated diagnoses, current baseline data, how the condition affects your child at school, and most importantly, recommendations that can be translated into educational supports.

The IEP team is required to consider parent concerns, the child's most recent evaluation results, and the child's academic, developmental, and functional needs.

1. Share the information in writing. Email the updated diagnosis or evaluation to your child's case manager, special education teacher, or IEP coordinator. Ask that it be added to your child's educational record and reviewed by the IEP team. You may request an IEP meeting, or ask whether the school will agree to update the IEP through a written amendment without a meeting.

Email is enough to submit the information, but changing the IEP requires either an agreed-upon written amendment or an IEP team meeting.

2. Send a written request for an IEP meeting: A meeting may be the better option when the diagnosis affects several parts of the IEP, the parent is requesting new services or evaluations, or the parent and school do not agree on the proposed changes.
Contact your child's special education case manager, IEP coordinator, or special education teacher. You may also copy the school psychologist, principal, or district special education administrator. State that your child has received new diagnostic or evaluation information and that you would like the IEP team to review it.

3. Provide the complete report.
Attach a copy of the evaluation or clinical report and ask that it be added to your child's educational record. Keep the original for your files.

4. Include a brief parent summary.
Identify:

• The date and type of evaluation
• The new or updated diagnosis
• Important changes in your child's functioning
• Updated baseline scores or observations
• The ways the diagnosis affects learning, communication, behavior, attention, sensory regulation, or participation
• The evaluator's school-based recommendations

5. Identify the parts of the IEP that may need to change.
Ask the team to consider whether the new information requires updates to:

• Present levels of academic achievement and functional performance
• Annual goals and methods of measuring progress
• Accommodations and modifications
• Special education or related services
• Speech-language, occupational therapy, counseling, behavior, AAC, or assistive-technology supports
• Staff training, consultation, or other supports for school personnel
• Placement, if relevant

The goal is not simply to place a diagnosis in the IEP. The IEP should explain how your child's needs affect school performance and what supports will help your child participate and make progress.

6. Ask whether additional school evaluations are needed.
An outside diagnosis does not always answer every educational question. If important areas have not been assessed, you may submit a written request for a school reevaluation. Federal regulations provide for reevaluation when a child's educational or related-service needs warrant it or when a parent or teacher requests one, subject to applicable evaluation rules and timelines.

7. Invite the outside provider when appropriate.
With advance notice, the parents can include the evaluator, therapist, or clinician in the IEP meeting or ask them to provide a written summary explanation of the recommendations. A parent may invite anyone who has knowledge or special expertise regarding the child to participate in an IEP meeting.

8. Request specific revisions—not just “consideration.”
During the meeting, connect each recommendation to a specific need. For example:

“The evaluation identified significant difficulty with written expression. Can we review the present levels, writing goals, assistive technology supports, and service minutes to determine what should be updated?”

9. Follow up in writing.
After the meeting, send a brief email summarizing what was discussed, what was agreed upon, who is responsible for each next step, and when the new supports will begin. Review the revised IEP carefully to make sure it accurately reflects the team's decisions.

A new diagnosis is most useful when the team connects it to your child's educational needs. Focus on what has changed, how it affects your child at school, and what must be added or adjusted so the IEP provides meaningful support.