Guidance for Parents of Special Educational ... - OC Family Blogs

Wednesday, 14 November 2012

Guidance for Parents of Special Educational Needs Children

If you are a parent of child with special educational needs it may be hard to navigate the ins and outs of the educational system. You want to advocate for your child, of course, but it can be a daunting task, especially if you are trying to go it alone. Attorney and fellow mom Miranda McCroskey provides guidance and some encouragement. She recommends seeking out an attorney or advocate to assist in this process for peace of mind and the best results for your child.

Guest post by Attorney Miranda McCroskey

I was recently at a fundraiser for a kindergartener with brain cancer. He is being home schooled because his school district isn?t providing necessary aid. Another mom of a high school senior stated she had a case in federal court pending because her deaf daughter was not getting the needed assistance. Two other moms shared that they had kids on the autism spectrum. All of these parents were interacting with the school systems, and fighting for much needed help from the school districts in question. Having an advocate fight for them, and stand with them, would make a great difference for them.

Level the Playing Field. Don?t be excluded by Acronyms, and Testing Results

Imagine being told, ?We don?t have the capacity to do that.? in a Committee on Special Education (CSE) meeting for your child. How would you counter that statement? Would you believe it?

FAPE, LRE, IDEA, 504, NCLB, IEP, IFSP, CSE, CPSE, EI, etc., etc., etc.

Specialists in an area are known for ?speaking a different language.? Hearing all those acronyms might leave you feeling excluded, or left out of the conversation. This puts you at a disadvantage, and does not support you in effectively advocating for your child.

? ? ? ?Reports generated about your child are important ? and confusing. School psychologists, special education teachers, and other related services professionals are educated as to how to test and interpret results. Most parents have not received this intensive training.
A special education attorney or qualified special education advocate can offer alternative solutions, understand the terms used, review your evaluations, progress reports, and other data and explain the results to you, how they apply to your child, and the scope of services your child may or may not be entitled to based on those results.

Did the District Forget Anything? Your child?s Goals and the IEP Document

Do you think your child would benefit from Assistive Technology? Is it time to discuss transition? Has your child been having behaviors in school that impact his or her learning and you believe that the district has not tried everything they could?

Your child?s goals should be meaningful and individualized. Goals should be developed with parental input.

Did you ever receive your child?s IEP and it did not accurately reflect what occurred at your meeting? Your IEP is your ?contract? with your school district. If something does not appear in the IEP then it does not have to happen whether it was discussed at the CSE meeting or not. A special education attorney or qualified advocate can assist you in ensuring you have gotten all appropriate services for your child, that their goals are met, and that all necessary information and services are reflected in the IEP.

In addition to being a mom of two little ones, Miranda McCroskey of McCroskey Legal has been in legal practice for 16 years. Her philosophy is relationships first. Rene Nijinsky was recently added to their team. Contact Miranda or Rene at www.mccroskeylegal.com.

Posted By Mommy Esquire On 11/14/2012 7:40 am

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