As the the question of whether dysgraphia would qualify a student to recevie special education services as as student with a learning disability, it depends on the state's regulations/definition of a learning disability. The state where I work (as a school psychologist) uses a discrepancy formula in determining LD (significant difference between IQ and achievement) and just because someone has a medical (as per DSM-IV) diagnosis of dysgraphia (or dyslexia or dyscalcula for that matter) it does not necessarily mean that they would present with a severe enought dyscrepancy to qualify under LD. However, the same student would qualify for a 504 plan based on the diagnosis.
I would strongly encourage you to work together with the school district, not only in possibly pursuing the evaluation through them, but also to make sure that the person you have discussed working with is someone who understands state regulations in regard to eiligibility for special education services. Way too often do I get reports across my desk from a parent who has taken things into their own hands (more power to you to be an advocate for your child) and gotten the outside evaluation, only to read through the report to see that it is incomplete in regard to the testing that is needed for eligibilty in the state's system, or to have parents expecting that the school district will follow the recommendations to the letter from the report but then having to explain to them that the evaluation they paid thousands of dollars for either incomplete or not aligned with what is used to special education eligibility.
I recently had a parent request an evaluation for her son to determine whether he presented with dysgraphia. This student was already receiving services as a student with a learning disability in all three main academic areas. What I found in this case was that despite the fact that the interventions he was receiving were appropriate (and effective), which the parent agreed, she was very caught up in getting the "diagnosis" or label of dyscalcula. As a school psychologist, I am limited to what I can "diagnose". Just as I can say that a student presents with behavioral symptoms that are consistent with those observed in students who have an ADHD diagnosis, I cannot medically diagnose ADHD. The same goes for dysgraphia, which is a medical term for a type of writing disorder. Unless it is a school psychologist who is a licensed clinical (MD) psychologist by the state, the psychologist should not be diagnosing a student as having dysgraphia and when that person is working as a representative of the school district, they still shouldn't be making medical diagnoses.. The school psychologist's role is to gather information, along with other members of the multisiplinary team to determine eligibility to receive special education services under that state's regulations, not to make medical diagnoses such as dyscalcula/dyslexia/dysgraphia. I guess the reason I bring this up is twofold: If you are expecting the school district to diagnose dysgraphia, they may not be able to do so, but moreover, what is more important, despite whatever classification or label is being used to fit eligibilty requirements to have your child access services, are the interventions and assistance are what is going to affect your child, not the label itself.
Sorry to ramble. I hop ethis was helpful and please feel free to PM me if you have any other thoughts or questions.
I don't think my son could have an IEP for just dysgraphia here, he was given an IEP for ADHD and gifted LD.
and you have probably already been on this site 
