This book describes how parents can ensure their children with disabilities can achieve the most from their education in the UK. The Equality Act, 2010 ensured all children are protected against disability discrimination in their education and all activities, but it requires parents to know their rights so that they can ensure their child gets the education they deserve.
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.
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.
Drawing on decades of experience, Jennifer Laviano, a high-profile special education attorney, and Julie Swanson, a sought-after special education advocate, help parents of students with disabilities navigate their school systems to get the services they need for their children. Parents will find no other book on special education like Your Special Education Rights. Julie and Jennifer demystify the federal laws that govern the rights of public school children with disabilities and explain how school districts often ignore or circumvent these laws. They pull the curtain back on the politics of special education, exposing truths that school districts don’t want you to know, such as the fact that teachers are often under extraordinary pressure not to spend resources on services. Most importantly, they outline the central rights you and your child have regarding your child’s education. Did you know that you can refer your child for a special education evaluation? That you can ask for a second opinion if you disagree with the results of some or all of the testing? That you are entitled to parent counseling, training, and more? They also show you how to take that knowledge and apply it to advocating for your child. Here’s what you need to know about the paperwork you will have to complete, detailed information on how to advocate for your child and how to craft language in documents that benefit your child, and more. Filled with vital information and invaluable resources, Your Special Education Rights gives you the information you need to help your child succeed in school and beyond.
A parent-friendly book, made especially so because it is written by parents who also are autism professionals, that takes the fear and mystery out of the college experience.
To win the battle against Critical Race Theory, parents must understand what they are up against, and learn to expose and challenge CRT where it exists. The first two chapters of this book detail what CRT is exactly, from its theoretical tenets as they developed in academia, to the ways in which CRT directly manifests in K-12 classrooms. Chapter Three gives parents practical information and techniques to expose CRT in their own K-12 schools, and helps them sift through constantly changing definitions in an effort to help them navigate semantics and deal with the language games often played by school boards and CRT advocates. Chapter Four helps parents challenge CRT in their own school districts, providing sound alternatives that use core principles and values instead of identity to drive quality instruction for all children. Finally, Chapter Five offers a collection of practical resources for parents to use in their fight against CRT, which include information on parent groups and toolkits, links to freedom of information forms and documents, recommended readings, and examples of curriculum and training that violate students' and teachers' rights, which can lead to possible legal action.
When first published, this guide was the only book to offer up-to-date information and advice for families. Now in an updated edition, 'Children with Tourette Syndrome' offers even more. Theres new information on the latest research and medical developments in the field, and sections on education, legal rights, family life, daily care, and emotional issues are thoroughly revised. Written by leading experts in the field and experienced parents, this guide provides an excellent blend of professional expertise and empathetic advice. Families with newly diagnosed children find answers to their most pressing questions about this often perplexing neurological disorder, as well as coping strategies and emotional support. This second edition includes new information about the effects of Tourette syndrome at different stages of development from childhood into adulthood. Theres more on coexisting conditions such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, Asperger syndrome, and learning disabilities. The book also provides an overview of the biochemistry of TS, what to expect from a medical workup, as well as a discussion of more than 30 different drugs used to treat TS and related conditions. There are strategies for coping with many of the challenging characteristics of TS such as impulsivity, obsessive thoughts, attention and sleep problems, and difficulties with sensory integration. A new chapter on Habit Reversal Training (HRT) explains how this behavior intervention can help some people control tics. Parents find the latest on special education rights, and expanded information on how to design an appropriate education plan for their child. For families raising a child with TS, this comprehensive handbook gives them hope and relieves their sense of isolation. Its also essential reading for professionals and teachers who need to understand this complex disorder.
[This text] teaches you how to use the law as your sword and your shield. Learn what the law says about: Child's right to a free, appropriate education (FAPE); Individual education programs, IEP teams, transition and progress; Evaluations, reevaluations, consent and independent educational evaluations; Eligibility and placement decisions; Least restrictive environment, mainstreaming, and inclusion; Research based instruction, discrepancy formulas and response to intervention; Discipline, suspensions, and expulsions; Safeguards, mediation, confidentiality, new procedures and timelines for due process hearings.--Back cover.
It’s time to say NO to trying to fit square-peg kids into rounds holes, and YES to raising them from a place of acceptance and joy. Today millions of kids are stuck in a world that doesn’t embrace who they really are. They are the one in five “differently wired” children with ADHD, dyslexia, giftedness, autism, anxiety, or other neurodifferences, and their challenges are many. And for the parents who love them, the challenges are just as numerous, as they struggle to find the right school, the right support, the right path. But now there’s hope. Differently Wired is a revolutionary book—weaving together personal stories and a tool kit of expert advice from author Deborah Reber, it’s a how-to, a manifesto, and a reassuring companion for parents who can so often feel that they have no place to turn. At the heart of Differently Wired are 18 paradigm-shifting ideas—what the author calls “tilts,” which include how to accept and lean in to your role as a parent (#2: Get Out of Isolation and Connect). Deal with the challenges of parenting a differently wired child (#5: Parent from a Place of Possibility Instead of Fear). Support yourself (#11: Let Go of Your Impossible Expectations for Who You “Should” Be as a Parent). And seek community (#18: If It Doesn’t Exist, Create It). Taken together, it’s a lifesaving program to shift our thinking and actions in a way that not only improves the family dynamic, but also allows children to fully realize their best selves. “In this generous and urgent book, Deborah Reber lets the light in. She helps parents see that they’re not alone, and even better, delivers a positive action plan that will change lives.”—Seth Godin, author of Linchpin “Differently Wired will help parents of children who think differently to accept their child for who they are and facilitate their successful development.”—Temple Grandin, author of Thinking in Pictures and The Autistic Brain
This essential guide profiles 33 schools in New York City for children with special needs, plus listings of medical professionals, camps, after-school programs, evaluation centers, and individuals in the field that were recommended by families of children with special needs. Includes information on referrals and evaluations, eligibility criteria, parents' rights, and more.
