How to Get an IEP in Taiwan: The Step-by-Step Process

Getting an IEP in Taiwan involves a sequence of steps that are different from the US, UK, and Australian processes most expat families know. The authority structure is unusual: individual schools do not make placement decisions themselves. Instead, there is an independent government committee — the IEPC — that holds formal evaluation and placement authority. Understanding this structure before your first meeting with the school changes how you approach the entire process.

Step 1: The Student Support Team (SST)

Before any formal special education evaluation begins, the school operates a Student Support Team (SST) process. This functions similarly to a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) or Response to Intervention (RTI) process in Western systems, and it runs entirely within the general education tier — no disability identification is required or made at this stage.

The SST typically includes the homeroom teacher, parents, guidance counselors, and a consulting special education teacher. The team reviews the student's challenges, considers environmental and social factors, and implements short-term flexible interventions. The purpose is to determine whether struggles can be addressed through adjusted instruction before pursuing a formal evaluation.

If a student fails to make adequate progress after documented SST interventions, the team initiates a formal referral for special education evaluation.

One practical point: as an English-speaking parent, you have the right to participate in SST meetings. Request that the school bring in a bilingual staff member or allow you to bring your own interpreter. Do not sign anything you cannot read.

Step 2: Formal Referral to the IEPC

Taiwan's system separates evaluation authority from the school entirely. The formal gatekeeper is the Special Education Students Identification and Educational Placement Committee, known as the IEPC (鑑輔會). This is a municipal or county-level body — established by the local education authority, such as the Taipei City Department of Education — that operates completely independently of any individual school.

The IEPC consists of scholars, special education experts, educational administrators, health professionals, and parent representatives of special education advocacy groups. When your child's school submits a referral, it goes to this committee — not to the school's own administration.

The IEPC evaluates using what is called a "pluralistic evaluation" — not a single test, but a synthesis of multiple sources:

• Medical diagnostic reports
• Psycho-educational assessments (such as the WISC intelligence scale)
• Adaptive behavior scales
• Observations of the student's learning environments

If the IEPC determines that its evaluators need to re-test your child using Taiwan-normed psychometric instruments, they can and will do so even if you have comprehensive reports from another country. Foreign IEPs and foreign diagnostic reports do not automatically transfer — the IEPC conducts its own independent determination.

Step 3: Arriving With a Foreign IEP

If your child has an active IEP from the US, UK, or Australia, that document does not hold legal weight in Taiwan. The school cannot simply implement it.

What you should do before arrival or immediately upon enrollment:

1. Have your foreign diagnostic and psycho-educational reports translated into Traditional Chinese.
2. Where possible, get those reports notarized and verified by the Republic of China (Taiwan) representative office in your home country before traveling.
3. Submit the authenticated translated documents to the school upon enrollment. The school then forwards them to the municipal IEPC.

The IEPC will review the foreign documentation and will likely still conduct its own evaluation using Taiwan-normed instruments. This process takes time — build in realistic expectations rather than assuming existing documents will shortcut the process.

Step 4: IEP Development (Within One Month)

Once the IEPC formally identifies a student as having a disability, the school must develop an Individualized Education Program (IEP) within one month of enrollment or formal identification. This is a legal deadline, not a guideline.

The IEP development team must include educators, relevant medical professionals, social workers, and the parents. The 2023 Special Education Act amendments make parent participation mandatory — you are not just entitled to attend; your input must be incorporated into the document.

The IEP itself outlines:

• Specific academic and behavioral goals
• Necessary accommodations
• Related services (speech therapy, occupational therapy, etc.)
• Placement details

IEPs must be formally reviewed at least once per semester.

Step 5: Requesting an IEP Meeting

You have the right to request an IEP meeting. There is no requirement to wait for the school to schedule one. If you believe your child's needs are not being met, or if you want to discuss progress toward IEP goals, you can initiate a meeting request in writing.

The 2023 amendments also give you the explicit right to bring an outside professional to any identification or placement meeting. This can be a private psychologist, a bilingual educational advocate, or another specialist. The school cannot refuse this. If the committee does not adopt a recommendation from your outside professional, it must provide written reasons for that decision.

Preparing for an IEP Meeting in Taiwan

IEP meetings in Taiwan are conducted in Mandarin. You should not rely on a teacher or administrator to informally translate for you during the meeting itself — the stakes are too high and the terminology too technical. Bring your own bilingual support.

Before the meeting:

• Request all documents (draft IEP, evaluation reports, placement recommendations) in advance so they can be translated before you attend.
• Prepare your own written input on your child's strengths, needs, and your family's priorities. Ask the school to include it in the file.
• Know the Mandarin terms for the placement options, service types, and document names — misunderstanding what "resource room" (資源班) versus "special education class" (特教班) means for your child's daily schedule can fundamentally change your understanding of the proposal.
• Bring a written record request: you are entitled to copies of all documents.

For a complete bilingual glossary of special education terminology and a full walkthrough of the Taiwan IEP process, the Taiwan Special Education Blueprint was built specifically to address this navigation gap.

See more Taiwan guides →