Independent Educational Evaluation for Speech: When and How to Request an IEE

When the School's Evaluation Misses the Diagnosis

School speech evaluations follow a pattern that works for straightforward articulation problems and fails for everything else. The SLP administers a standardized articulation test, possibly a brief language screener, writes a summary, and the team makes an eligibility decision. For a child with childhood apraxia of speech, a phonological disorder, developmental language disorder, or complex communication needs requiring AAC — that evaluation is inadequate.

Signs that the school evaluation missed the real diagnosis:

• The report focuses on individual sound errors but doesn't assess motor planning (no dynamic speech assessment, no DEMSS, no diadochokinetic rate testing)
• The report uses a single standardized test as the sole basis for eligibility
• The report doesn't include a language sample analysis — just test scores
• The report doesn't assess speech intelligibility with an unfamiliar listener
• The report doesn't screen for phonological processing or literacy risk
• The evaluator labels inconsistent errors as "articulation" when the pattern suggests apraxia

When any of these gaps exist, you have grounds to request an Independent Educational Evaluation at public expense.

Your Legal Right to an IEE

Under 34 CFR § 300.502, when you disagree with an evaluation the school district obtained, you can request an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE) at public expense. You are entitled to one IEE at public expense each time the district conducts an evaluation with which you disagree. The request is simple: "I disagree with the school's speech-language evaluation and I am requesting an independent educational evaluation at public expense."

Once you make this request, the district must — without unnecessary delay — do one of two things:

1. Fund the IEE. The district pays for a comprehensive evaluation by a qualified private clinician that you select.
2. File for due process to prove that its own evaluation was appropriate. The burden is on the district to demonstrate that its evaluation was comprehensive and met IDEA requirements.

The district cannot simply refuse or ignore the request. It may ask why you disagree, but cannot require you to explain. It must either ensure the IEE is provided under the same evaluation criteria it uses for its own evaluations or, without unnecessary delay, file for due process to show that its evaluation was appropriate.

School Evaluation vs. Private Evaluation: What Changes

A comprehensive private speech-language evaluation by a clinical SLP typically includes components that school evaluations skip:

The private evaluator also provides evidence-based service recommendations — specific therapy approaches, session frequency, individual vs. group placement — that give you concrete numbers to bring to the IEP table.

How to Choose an IEE Evaluator

The district may have a list of approved evaluators, but you are not required to choose from that list. You can select any qualified professional, subject to the same criteria the district uses for its own evaluations (professional licensure, relevant expertise).

For a child with suspected CAS, look for an SLP with specific training in motor speech disorders — DTTC, ReST, or Nuffield certification. For suspected DLD, look for an SLP experienced with the CELF-5 and language sample analysis. For AAC needs, look for an SLP with AT/AAC specialization.

Ask the evaluator directly: "Have you evaluated children with [suspected diagnosis] before, and are you familiar with the evidence-based assessment protocols for this condition?" A generalist SLP can miss the same things the school evaluator missed.

What Happens After the IEE

The district must consider the IEE results if the evaluation meets its criteria. "Consider" is the legal standard — it doesn't mean the school must adopt every recommendation. But an IEE that documents a diagnosis the school missed, quantifies the severity the school underestimated, and recommends specific service levels creates powerful leverage at the IEP table.

If the IEE identifies CAS that the school called articulation, the school must respond to that finding. If the IEE recommends 3x/week individual therapy and the school offers 1x/week group, the school must explain — in writing, via Prior Written Notice — why it's rejecting the independent evaluator's recommendations.

The Speech-Language & Apraxia IEP Toolkit includes an IEE request letter template and a six-domain evaluation demand checklist so you can identify exactly which components the school's evaluation missed and articulate specific gaps when making your request.