You can request a functional behavioral assessment in writing. There is a difference between an educational assessment/diagnosis and a medical assessment/diagnosis. IEP's address behaviors as well. One great suggestion that worked for my son is a "sensory diet", which has nothing to do with food. Frequently students can act out because they are over stimulated and it is a way to release anxiety. A sensory diet is a way to release this anxiety in an appropriate manner. For example, my son went to school 15 minutes early and took down all of the chairs. He then had a job to shelve books in the library for a 10 or so minutes a day. Not only was this physical, but he got to put things in order by number, which made him happy. Whenever he seemed overstimulated, the teacher would give him a job which would require that he deliver something to someone, which got him up and moving.

Also, to one responder, just because a student has straight A's doesn't mean they don't need an IEP. They are probably 2E or twice exceptional where their giftedness masks the difficulties that arise from autism. For example, just because a student has an A in English, it doesn't mean that learning how to summarize isn't extremely difficult as a student on the spectrum will struggle and can suffer from anxiety in differentiating which points are important and which aren't in summarizing. There is a great newsletter called the 2E newsletter which addresses issues with twice exceptional students.

I live is Cali. We have had our fair share of ups and downs with IEPs. But what has been Consistent is he has always had a behavior plan in his IEP. If your child needs help, if it’s only to control his behaviors, then there should be something in place at the school. I know I’m late to the party but be an involved parent and learn your rights. I have a daily behavior report from his teacher. We also email and talk on the phone. If your able to, go and observe him in class. See his behaviors first hand.

Don’t give up on the child...best thing to do is call exceptional children office of the state...I have been a so. Ed. Teacher for 30 years and if u request it in writing and they don’t comply then call state dept.

as far as i know, if you request in writing that you want your child assessed, they have to. they will try not and ask you to agree that he does not need it based on their reasons, but you can still insist they do. if they don't, it's against the law. but in order to force that issue, you might actually have to hire a lawyer. and if they are found negligible, they will also have to pay your legal fees. You can consult and advocate or consult a lawyer. But first steps, I would in writing state thanks for the meeting and offering their input but want a formal assessment anyway. See what happens then. Sighting things you are concerned about helps, plus good to have your concerns in writing. Hope you get some great advice that helps you on this journey advocating for your child!

Right they will tell you that he doesn't need to be tested, but if a parent requests, they are SUPPOSED to. It took me too many years to realize this, you always consult a special ed attorney and they will make the school pay the fees, smart kids asking cannot be functioning st their level, as long as they are 2 standard deviations away they get academic services. A 504 as has already been mentioned is an option and a doctor's diagnosis is SUPPOSED to trigger that. They are also SUPPOSED to create a behavior plan. Go above their heads if you need to, head of special ed for the school or get a lawyer, Don't give up