The public school system offers a wide range of services for children free of charge! But Navigating through the paperwork, knowing what services are available, understanding the laws and regulations and learning the new lingo can be overwhelming and confusing! In this week’s episode, speech language pathologist, Huyen Cao, MA, CCC-SLP answers our questions to help demystify the public-school special education system. Throughout the episode Huyen discusses how to ask for an evaluation, who can get services, what services are available and what to expect during a meeting. Huyen also explains many of the common public-school specific acronyms. We also dive into the lesser-known details such as the legal timeline schools must follow, the difference between an IEP and a 504, and if the public-school gives diagnoses to students. Huyen also reminds us that even if your child is enrolled in a private school, they have the legal right to be tested by the public school system.
Huyen Cao, MA, CCC-SLP is the Director of Elementary at The Parish School. Prior to working at The Parish School Huyen worked for the Houston Independent School District for over 6 years as a Speech-Language Pathologist, Speech-Language Pathology Team Lead, and most recently, Senior Manager, Special Education- Speech and Language services.