ABSTRACT
A multidisciplinary team is required to assess and make decisions about a student when considering special education services. Educational diagnosticians play a significant role in the multidisciplinary team. Parents are also an important member of the team and when appropriate and possible, the student will participate in the decision-making process as well. The law outlines explicit processes: early screening, initial evaluations, parental consent/ participation, procedural safeguards, nondiscriminatory assessment, multidisciplinary team evaluations, Individualized Education Program (IEP) development, eligibility, placement, transition services and other special factors, and due process/hearing. Educational diagnosticians' roles vary from state to state and even the titles by which these professionals are known are often different. Educational diagnosticians provide direct services to teachers as a means to support students who have disabilities. The support that educational diagnosticians provide to teachers varies and takes on many forms.
