The Everything Parent's Guide to Special Education: A Complete Step-by-Step Guide to Advocating for Your Child with Special Needs
304
The Everything Parent's Guide to Special Education: A Complete Step-by-Step Guide to Advocating for Your Child with Special Needs
304eBook
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Overview
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
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781440569685 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Adams Media |
| Publication date: | 04/18/2014 |
| Series: | Everything® Parenting Guide Series |
| Sold by: | SIMON & SCHUSTER |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 304 |
| File size: | 663 KB |
About the Author
An Adams Media author.
Table of Contents
Introduction 11
01 The Basics of Special Education 13
What Special Education Is 14
An Overview of Special Education Services 14
Who Receives Special Education Services? 16
Related Services 18
Why Special Education Is Needed 19
The Parents' View of Special Education 19
02 Special Education Terms Translated 21
What All Those Letters Mean 22
Common Special Education Terms Defined 23
03 A Quick Look at Special Education Law 33
The Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008 (ADA) 34
ADA's Connection to Special Education 35
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 36
Section 504's Connection to Special Education 36
IDEA 2004 38
A Side-by-Side Comparison of the Laws 41
04 A Look at Early Intervention Services 45
Do All States Provide Early Intervention Services? 46
Identifying Children Who Need Early Intervention 46
The Assessment Process 47
Writing an Individual Family Service Plan 51
Transitioning to School-Based Services 54
05 The Thirteen Categories of Disability 57
What to Know about "Disabling Conditions" and "Adverse Effect" 58
Autism 58
Deaf-Blindness 60
Deafness 61
Emotional Disturbance 62
Hearing Impairment 63
Intellectual Disability 65
Multiple Disabilities 66
Orthopedic Impairment 67
Other Health Impairment 68
Specific Learning Disability 69
Speech or Language Impairment 70
Traumatic Brain Injury 72
Visual Impairment 73
06 Do You Think Your Child Has a Learning Disability? 75
What Is a Learning Disability? 76
Collecting Information about Your Concerns 77
Bringing Your Concerns to the Teacher 78
Signs Your Child Might Have a Learning Disability 80
Types of Learning Disabilities 83
ADHD Is Not a Learning Disability 84
How to Get Special Education Services for Your Child with ADHD 86
07 More about Section 504 89
Why Bother with a 504 Plan? 90
Getting Services under Section 504 91
The Benefits of a 504 Plan 93
What a 504 Plan Includes 93
How a 504 Plan Is Different from an IEP 94
Some Conditions That Qualify for a 504 Plan 95
08 Trying Something Else First: Response to Intervention 99
What Is RTI? 100
The Basics of How RTI Works 102
The Three Tiers of RTI 103
The Benefits of RTI 104
Being an Advocate in Your Child's RTI Experience 105
Ten RTI Resources for Parents 106
09 Keeping Involved in Your Child's Education 109
Getting to Know the School 110
Getting to Know Your Child's Teacher 110
Starting a Records Binder 112
Requesting Your Child's Records 114
How to Write a Request for Records Letter 114
Keeping a Communication Log 116
Getting the Special Education Process Started 117
10 After a Referral Has Been Made 121
What Happens Now? 122
The Difference Between an Evaluation and an Assessment 125
A Parent's Rights and Role in the Process 126
Preparing Your Child for Assessment 126
11 The Evaluation and Assessment Process 129
The Basic Components of an Evaluation 130
What's an Evaluation Plan? 132
What to Do If You Don't Agree with the Plan 134
Talking to the Evaluator 137
The Evaluation Report 139
Reviewing the Report 140
12 What You Need to Know about Testing 143
What Is an IQ? 144
IQ Ranges 146
Tests Used to Measure Intelligence 148
What Other Things Can Be Assessed? 149
Advocating for a Truly Comprehensive Evaluation 153
13 Is Your Child Eligible for Special Education? 155
Tips to Prepare for an Eligibility Meeting 156
What to Expect at an Eligibility Meeting 159
What Happens Next? 162
14 Being Your Child's Advocate Before the IEP Meeting 165
Creating an Ideal IEP 166
Supporting Your Ideal IEP 169
Keeping Track of How Your Child Is Doing 172
Finding Out about Your Child's Educational Program Options 173
Evaluating Your District's Programs 176
15 All about IEPs (Individualized Education Program) 179
What Is an IEP? 180
Who Are the Members of the IEP Team? 180
Know Your IEP Rights 181
The Right to an Independent Evaluation 184
An In-Depth Look at an IEP 188
The Standards-Based IEP 193
16 It's All about the Goals 195
What Is a Goal, Anyway? 196
The Basics of an Effective Goal 198
Why You Should Draft Goals Before a Meeting 201
Creating a Goal Chart 203
17 Preparing for the IEP Meeting (Part I) 207
Rules about Scheduling and Attendance 208
Who Should and Can Be There 209
Alternatives to Traditional Meetings 211
When It's Okay to Forgo an Annual Meeting 214
Questions to Ask about the Meeting 214
Giving the School the Benefit of the Doubt 216
18 Preparing for the IEP Meeting (Part II) 217
Know Your Stuff, Know Your Position 218
Organize, Organize, and Organize! 223
Practice Your Rebuttal Skills 224
Having Your Own Advocate 226
Do You Need an Attorney? 229
19 Attending and Participating in an IEP Meeting 231
Arriving at the Meeting 232
Parents Are Team Members, Too 232
Eight IEP Dos and Don'ts 233
Choosing Battles and Words Wisely 234
Asking Questions and Challenging Assertions 235
Moving a Meeting Along 237
Coming to a Consensus 240
What's Best for Your Child? 242
20 When Problems Arise at School 243
What to Do When the IEP Isn't Being Followed 244
Dealing with Disputes 247
What Are Due Process Rights? 248
Filing a State Complaint 249
Mediation 253
Filing Due Process 257
The Due Process Hearing 259
Your Child's Unique Needs 260
Appendix A An Online Sample IEP 261
Appendix B Sample Letters 263
Appendix C Sample Forms 279
Appendix D Support and Advocacy Resources 291
Index 299