Special Education
and
Your Child's Success
Special Education
Getting your child help through special
education programs at school
can be perhaps
the most daunting thing you will have to face in your
life. Or so it seems. As a family support advocate, the
majority of the
problems that I helped families with had to do with the
school. It can
certainly seem not just overwhelming, but actually intimidating
as
well. To the inexperienced the process is a mystery, to the veteran of
the system it is nothing less than a frustrating, ongoing
battle.
My Experience
My first IEP meeting I was so clueless that I didn’t even know what an IEP was! My soon-to-be wife adn I faced an entire table full of school staff whom I had never met, and for the next hour we were told what they would and would not do. I think my most profound utterance during the entire meeting came to: “Uh?” (or something like that!).It does not have to be that way. I have attended meetings with schools that should have been recorded somewhere as the definitive example of how an IEP meeting should be conducted, and other meetings somewhere in between. The special education system should be able to work with you and your child to develop a plan (the IEP) that will help your child succeed and learn.
What Does It Take?
With the proper knowledge, prior planning, the willingness to communicate (and compromise when necessary) you can foster a good working relationship with your child’s school and use the special education laws to not only succeed in school, but also to learn the skills needed beyond school and out into the community.Great! What is the formula? Advocating for your child is no more magic than parenting them in the first place, but I am sure you know by now that both will require a plan and consistent application over time.
Wrapped up in a nutshell, here it is:
know your rights, know your child, be prepared, and above all – leave the emotions at home. Communication is vital.
It
is very difficult to convince a school principal that what you are
proposing will create a win-win situation for both the child
and the
school if you are screaming out “moron”
every other word. Now there is
a mental image…
Special Education Articles
The following articles are designed to provide
a
basic understanding of your rights under the laws governing
special
education and how to use that knowledge to begin to build a
solid
bridge of collaboration with the Individual Education Program Team to
insure that your special child has the best chance to succeed in their
education and beyond.
Special
Education Terms
Organizing
Records
Assessment
Terms Used in Special Education
Section
504 and IEP - What is the difference?
Bipolar
Tips for Teachers
ADD
Policy Memo
Parents Rights under Due Process
Free Appropriate Public Education
Does your child need help with math?
Get valuable, free guidance about math
education for your child at Sensible-Math-Education.com
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