As a parent and advocate, you are the only constant team member. Other IEP team members- teachers, therapists, and administrators-revolve and eventually fade. You need to make your unique viewpoint as meaningful as possible. However, the laws governing special education are complex; full of confusing terms, rigid timelines, and complicated decisions. This guide translates the legalese and organizes the material, making it user friendly. As you learn more about these laws, you will gain a sense of equality and confidence that will make you a more effective and proactive advocate for your child.Wherever you are on the special education journey, this guide will help you learn: -The school district's responsibilities, -Your child's rights, -Your rights as the parent of a special education student, -Techniques to help you come to each IEP meeting informed and prepared, and-How to be a proactive (rather than reactive) advocate.Using charts, graphs, examples, and other resources, this guide lays out the referral, eligibility, IEP, student discipline, ITP, and dispute resolution processes with an emphasis on maximizing the parents' role as an advocate for the best outcomes for their child. Citations to relevant law are included throughout the manual.

Be your child's best advocate! Children with special needs who succeed in school have one thing in common--their parents are passionate and effective advocates. It's not an easy job, but with The Everything Parent's Guide to Special Education, you will learn how to evaluate, prepare, organize, and get quality services, no matter what your child's disability. This valuable handbook gives you the tools you need to navigate the complex world of special education and services, with information on: Assessment and evaluation Educational needs for different disabilities, including multiple disabilities Current law, including the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Working within the school system to create an IEP The importance of keeping detailed records Dealing with parent-school conflict With worksheets, forms, and sample documents and letters, you can be assured that you'll have all you need to help your child thrive--in school and in life!

Recipient of the 2017 BRONZE Winner for Education Award from Foreword Indies. Get the educational services and support your child deserves Federal law guarantees every child a free appropriate education, and the goal of the Individualized Education Program (IEP) is to assure that every child with special needs receives what the law promises. But if you have a special ed child, you know that your family must make sure the school follows through. This powerful book covers: eligibility rules and assessments working with outside experts developing your child's ideal educational program preparing for and attending IEP meetings, and resolving disputes with school districts. The 10th edition includes summaries of important court decisions, expanded information on independent evaluations and bullying, and additional real-life tips. It provides key forms, sample letters, and resources you need at every stage of the IEP process. With it, you can make sure your child gets a good education—the education he or she deserves. With downloadable forms, letters and resources inside. Includes IEP blueprint.

Disability law can be complex and intimidating, so how can concerned parents use it to ensure their child with a disability receives the appropriate education they are legally entitled to? A Guide to Special Education Advocacy gives strategies for advocating for better provision of special education in schools. Despite the many services and accommodations that have been made for students with disabilities, such as the use of Braille or providing specialized education in a regular or special classroom, many children with disabilities do not get the services they need and are not placed in appropriate programs or settings. Because of this, the perception of disability often remains unchanged. Matthew Cohen's insightful manual gives a practical vision of how a parent or a professional can become an advocate to achieve a more inclusive and rewarding education for the child with a disability. This book will provide parents, people with disabilities, professionals and clinicians thinking about special education advocacy with an overview of current disability law and how it works, identifying practical ways for building positive and effective relationships with schools.

Recipient of the 2017 BRONZE Winner for Education Award from Foreword Indies. Get the educational services and support your child deserves. Federal law guarantees every child a free appropriate education, and the goal of the Individualized Education Program (IEP) is to assure that every child with special needs receives what the law promises. But you know that your family must make sure the school follows through. This powerful book covers: • eligibility rules and assessments • working with outside experts • developing your child’s ideal educational program • preparing for and attending IEP meetings, and • resolving disputes with school districts. The 11th edition explains the law and provides key forms, sample letters, and resources you need at every stage of the IEP process. With it, you can ensure your child gets a good education—the education your child deserves.

Aimed at parents of, and advocates for, special needs children, explains how to develop a relationship with a school, monitor a child's progress, understand relevant legislation, and document correspondence and conversations.

To any professional concerned with exceptional children, it would be the greatest understatement to say that the courts and legislatures have had a tremendous impact on the field of speeial education. Especially in the last decade, a flood of litigation filed to develop and define the right to education of previously unserved handicapped children has left no special education teacher, school adminis trator, nurse, educational psychologist, or pediatrician unaffected-either be cause these professionals are daily called upon to help children, or because they may come forward as witnesses on behalf of children who are the subjects of special education meetings, individualized education programs, placement hear ings, or judicial proceedings. Thus, for these people, questions regarding a student's legal rights are immediate and pervasive. This book developed out of the need to provide nonlegal professionals with a lawyer's view of the huge body of court cases and federal laws and regulations that affect their practice as well as their students and clients. An introductory chapter provides the historical basis of the current interface between law and special education. The Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 and Sec tion 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and their regulations promulgated in 1977, are the major national laws in the field ~nd are therefore described in Chapters 2 and 3.