Karen: Parents have requested a full and individual evaluation. The school has responded and acknowledged this request. Now the parents are requesting to be in the same room with their child during the testing – “afterall, our child has a right to have her parents present.” Really?
If the child has an anxiety disorder, this seems reasonable, as long as the parents are a quiet, supportive presence. But I’m just responding to this question in an intuitive way, as a parent of a child with an anxiety disorder. I don’t know about the legal aspects of this.
When my child had his independent evaluation, the evaluator was supportive. She started out with both of us in her office. Once she felt my child was comfortable, she showed me to the adjoining waiting area and said to my child, “Look, Mama will be right over here in the waiting area, and you can just open this door and wave at her at any time.” She herself opened the door in between tests, for brief opportunities for contact. I will say that her supportive attitude made the testing less stressful for my child.