Because the stakes are so high, it is sometimes difficult for parents of children with special educational needs to advocate calmly and objectively for the educational and related services their children need. Here are some common mistakes that undermine parents’ ability to obtain appropriate services: […]
Raising a child with a disability is challenging. Raising a child with a disability who also has behavioral needs is even more challenging. As a parent, you may find yourself among competing approaches to handling behavior concerns. Planning ahead for an individualized meeting about your child’s behavior needs will help you explain your own ideas about the best way to help your child in addition to listening to the ideas of others. […]
Getting your child an appropriate educational program is hard enough, but even if you’ve dotted every “i” and crossed every “t” on the IEP, or chatted up every teacher on your child’s strengths and weaknesses, there will still be times during the school day when all those helps fall down a hole. Periods like recess and lunch and gym and locales like restrooms and buses are hard for most school kids — there are volumes of children’s literature devoted to them. But for kids with special needs, those youthful rites of passage can be downright dangerous. […]
Traits, personality traits, or characteristics … no matter what you call them, if ignored, it is almost a guarantee that your child’s IEP goals will fail. What are these traits you ask? They are the immeasurable qualities that make your child who they are. Things like: Your child’s learning style Your child’s interests Your child’s anxiety triggers or fears Your child’s view of themselves Knowing and documenting these characteristics will help everyone on the ARD committee understand how best to provide services to your child. It will also help you determine if a particular intervention or accommodation is right for your [...]
Recall the Law The IEP must include "a statement of the program modifications or supports for school personnel that will be provided to enable the child— (i) To advance appropriately toward attaining the annual goals; (ii) To be involved in and make progress in the general education curriculum in accordance with paragraph (a)(1) of this section, and to participate in extracurricular and other nonacademic activities;" 300.320(a)(4) "(a) Development of IEP—(1) General. In developing each child’s IEP, the IEP Team must consider— ... (ii) The concerns of the parents for enhancing the education of their child;" 300.324(a)(ii) "Agreement. (i) In making changes [...]
One way to address the issue of “teacher observation” is to say something like: “Can you describe to me what you specifically will be looking for when you are observing to see if Joe is behaving appropriately in the classroom?”
