How to Request an Evaluation So It Actually Moves
From Psyched2Parent: Turning Brain Science into Tiny Wins for Parents by Dr. Amy Patenaude, Ed.D., NCSP
April 13, 2026 · 27 min · Episode 36
About this episode
Dr. Amy Patenaude discusses how to effectively request a school evaluation for children who may need additional support.
How to Request an Evaluation (and What to Say So It Actually Moves) If you've been sitting in that exhausting "something isn't adding up" season, this episode is for you. Maybe your child is trying, the school is trying, you're doing tutoring or supports or all the things, and somehow you still don't have a cohesive plan. In this episode, Dr. Amy Patenaude walks through how to tell when it's time to request a school evaluation, what actually makes a request move, and how to respond when the school says they want to "keep doing interventions first." You'll leave with a simple decision filter, grounded parent scripts, and a calmer way to think about evaluation as a clarity tool, not a verdict. In this episode, you'll learn: Why the best question to ask is not "Is this bad enough?" but "Will better data change what we do next?" How to tell when concerns have moved beyond a short-term wobble and into a pattern worth evaluating What "functional impact" really looks like in everyday life, from missing work and shutdowns to big feelings that block learning Why it's not either interventions or evaluation, and how to use a calm "yes-and" approach when schools want to wait The four common…
People in this episode
Host: Dr. Amy Patenaude
Topics covered
- school evaluation
- parenting strategies
- child development
- educational support
- intervention strategies
Keywords
- evaluation request
- school support
- parenting
- child evaluation
- interventions
- executive function
- academic skills
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