I am writing to request a speech and language evaluation for my son. My son has trouble understanding directions without gestures and cannot understand words spoken quickly. Also, if I speak too quickly, he doesn't seem to respond to my words, as if he has not understood what I said. He also uses very few words when he speaks. This doesn't seem normal.

I have been recording the freequency and duration of these problems. After documenting these problems for the last two weeks, I have found that my son has problems understanding directions without gestures 13 times per day for every day I documented his problems. In our daily lives at home, he has this problem continually. If we go into a public place, like a shopping mall, my son cannot understand directions without gestures and seems to have more trouble understanding words at all.

Since I am the person closest to my son and spend the most amount of time with him, this evidence I have gathered is very reliable. Since my son is not in child care and does not spend a great deal of time with other relatives, I have recorded most of his experiences.

I believe my son needs to have a speech and language evaluation and am requesting that the public school district provide this evaluation because I have read that my son has a right to an evaluation by the public school if he has a suspected disability and is over 3 years old. While using a parent self-help tool, I was reading that a speech or language impairment means a communication disorder, such as stuttering, impaired articulation, a language impairment, or a voice impairment that adversely affects a child's educational performance. I believe my son also may have a right to services including speech-language pathology services or any other related service if the service is considered special education.

I was also reading that the evaluator shall review information parents provide. Therefore, I have attached the record of my son's problems with communication that I have kept for the last few weeks to this letter for the professional who evaluates my son. I would like my son to receive any services and specially-designed instruction that could help him with his speech and language problems.

I appreciate your time and effort on behalf of special needs children. I am very grateful your evaluation and services exist and look forward to beginning the process of evaluation for my son.

Sincerely,
Mother Mom