I’m noticing a persistent difficulty
Notice patterns, strengths, and supports without trying to diagnose or repeatedly test the learner at home.
Record useful observations →One clear next step when language learning feels difficult
You do not need to identify the cause or solve everything today. Choose the question that matters most right now. Here, “learner” includes a child, adolescent, or adult.
Difficulty is not a measure of intelligence, motivation, or potential. Learning concerns can feel emotional, especially when a capable learner is working hard without effective support. Begin with one observable pattern and one next conversation.
Information boundary: This toolkit provides general educational information—not diagnosis, individualized legal advice, eligibility decisions, crisis response, or a guarantee of services. School procedures vary by state and setting. External guidance was reviewed August 21, 2026.
Start where you areWhich question is closest to yours?
Choose one pathway. You can return for another step later.
I’m preparing for a school conversation
Bring specific examples and direct questions about instruction, progress, access, and follow-up.
Open the conversation kit →I’m considering screening or evaluation
Understand what screening, comprehensive evaluation, diagnosis, and school eligibility can—and cannot—establish.
Compare the options →A learner needs support now
Ask what instruction and access supports can begin while other questions are being considered.
Plan immediate support →I support a teen or adult
Find starting points for postsecondary learning, training, workplace access, or personal learning goals.
Find age-appropriate guidance →I’m an educator or community partner
Use family-centered questions, explore learning opportunities, or begin a bounded community partnership conversation.
Explore ways to learn together →Notice useful patterns—not labels
The goal is to make the learner’s experience easier to understand, not to reproduce distress or prove that a task is difficult.
Record two or three examples
- Name the exact reading, spelling, writing, or language task.
- Describe what happened without interpreting the cause.
- Notice whether the pattern appears across tasks, settings, or time.
- Include strengths, interests, the learner’s perspective, and what made participation easier.
Protect dignity and privacy
- Do not ask the learner to repeat a distressing task for proof.
- Do not share records through this toolkit or the community questionnaire.
- Use an agreed secure channel before sending school, evaluation, medical, or identifying information.
- Ask the learner what they notice and which supports feel useful.
School Conversation Kit
Bring examples, questions, and one requested next step
You do not need perfect terminology. Plain, specific observations can begin a productive conversation.
“I’m noticing a persistent pattern in [reading, spelling, writing, or language]. Here are two examples and the supports that helped. What are you seeing, what instruction is currently being provided, and how will we know whether it is helping?”
Questions to ask
- What specific skills or learning demands appear difficult?
- What evidence has been collected, and what does it show?
- What instruction is being provided, by whom, and how often?
- How will progress be measured and communicated?
- What will change if progress remains limited?
- What access supports can be used while skills develop?
- Who will follow up, and when will we talk again?
Before you leave
- Ask for plain-language explanations and an interpreter or accessible format when needed.
- Write down the agreed next action, responsible person, and follow-up date.
- Keep dated copies of important communications.
- Include the learner in an age-appropriate, respectful way.
A meeting, screening result, diagnosis, or private report does not automatically determine eligibility for an IEP or Section 504 plan.
Understand the options
Screening, evaluation, diagnosis, instruction, and access are different
Each can answer a different question. No single score, checklist, or response explains the whole learner.
Screening
A brief process that can identify possible risk or a need for closer attention. Screening does not diagnose dyslexia and is not a comprehensive evaluation.
Comprehensive evaluation
Uses multiple sources of information to investigate strengths, needs, possible explanations, and instructional implications across all relevant areas.
Diagnosis and school eligibility
These are related but distinct determinations. A clinical diagnosis does not automatically establish school eligibility, and an existing diagnosis is not required to request a school evaluation.
Federal IDEA regulations explicitly distinguish instructional screening from evaluation. See the U.S. Department of Education evaluation regulations ↗.
Support can begin while questions remain open
Ask what explicit, systematic, cumulative, and responsive instruction is available and what access supports can protect participation while skills develop.
Ask about instruction and access
- What is being taught, and how was the starting point chosen?
- How does instruction respond to current learner evidence?
- How will the learner access grade-level ideas and participation while skills develop?
- When will progress evidence be reviewed and the plan reconsidered?
Evaluate a service or provider
- What does a typical session include?
- What relevant qualifications and experience does the provider have?
- How will progress and uncertainty be explained?
- How are strengths, dignity, access needs, and personal information protected?
- What are the schedule, total costs, cancellation terms, and current availability?
Be cautious with guarantees. A responsible provider should not promise a cure, a fixed-time result, a diagnosis from one brief screener, or one method that fits every learner.
Federal guidance says intervention or MTSS should not be used to delay or deny a full evaluation when a disability is suspected. Review the U.S. Department of Education Child Find guidance ↗.
Current public guidance
Use the process for your location and setting
Washington and Hawaiʻi use different procedures and timelines. Verify current requirements with the responsible school system or agency.
Start with a written referral Guidance verified August 21, 2026
OSPI states that a special-education referral must be in writing; email may be used. Include concerns, examples, and all suspected areas, and keep a copy. Current OSPI guidance states 25 school days for the decision whether to evaluate and 35 school days after written consent to complete the initial evaluation.
Open OSPI referral guidance ↗Contact the neighborhood school Guidance verified August 21, 2026
HIDOE says a family may request an evaluation in person, by phone, letter, fax, email, or the state form. Explain all concerns that appear to affect learning. Current HIDOE guidance says the school responds within 15 days about whether an evaluation will be conducted, and parental consent is required before evaluation.
Open HIDOE Child Find guidance ↗Find family-navigation help National · Washington · Hawaiʻi · Maui
Use Lokahi Connect’s reviewed directory for parent-training centers, dyslexia information, screening and evaluation guidance, and local community navigation.
Browse screening, evaluation, and local resources →Support for teens and adults
Support needs can continue or become more visible when reading and writing demands change. Begin with the setting where access is needed.
College or training
Contact the institution’s disability or access office early. Ask which documentation it requires and how to request academic adjustments. Postsecondary responsibilities differ from K–12, and an earlier IEP or 504 plan may not satisfy every documentation requirement.
Workplace
An applicant or employee can request a workplace change in plain language by explaining that it is needed because of a disability or medical condition. No special legal phrase is required. Accommodation questions depend on the individual, the job, and applicable law; a request does not guarantee a particular result.
When a concern feels urgent
An urgent learning concern is not always an emergency. If the learner is safe, begin with the observation and conversation steps above. Lokahi Connect does not provide crisis response. In the United States, call 911 for immediate physical danger or a medical emergency. For mental-health, suicide, or substance-use crisis support, call or text 988 or use 988 Lifeline chat ↗.
Families, educators, and partners
Keep the conversation connected to action
Clear two-way communication, practical family activities, accessible information, and shared progress evidence can help families and educators move from concern to coordinated support.
Learning and events
See current student learning, educator learning, community events, online access, and email-update options. Unconfirmed events are not posted.
See current availability →Evidence-based planning
REL Northwest offers a short worksheet for strengthening family-school literacy communication, accessibility, confidence, and practical support.
Open the IES family-engagement resource ↗Lokahi WORD Project Student Lab
Explore a free online structured word investigation tool with read-aloud support and scaffolded activities.
Launch the Student Lab ↗Help shape the support communities need next
Tell Lokahi Connect which questions, age groups, locations, languages, access needs, or learning opportunities are being overlooked. The questionnaire prepares an email on your device and asks you not to include learner records or identifying information.
For community partners and funders
Partners can help host family or educator conversations, expand financial access, or support captions, translation, open resources, and community learning. Begin with a bounded conversation about current need, fit, capacity, intended outcomes, and how the work would be evaluated.