Each time I go through the process of working with Michael’s team to write an Individualized Education Program (IEP), I get a little bit better at it. Maybe by the time he graduates from high school, I’ll have it down!
Thankfully, there are a lot of great resources out there to help parents learn how to successfully navigate the special education process. One of my favorites is Wrightslaw, an organization devoted to making it easier to understand the law and to be a good advocate for your child. In addition to books and training seminars, they have an extensive website, an email newsletter, and more recently a blog, The Wrightslaw Way.
Another place to look for information and support is parent centers. If you are in the US, there is at least one in every state; you can find yours by checking the Parent Center Directory at the Technical Assistance Alliance for Parent Centers. These centers work in a variety of ways to help parents effectively participate with educational professionals.
It is vitally important that we, as parents, participate in the process and learn to advocate for our children.
Parents have a unique insight about their child that no one else can have, as pointed out in one of the publications from Parent Education Network, the parent center in my area. Some qualifications they list which we have as parents are:
- We know our child better than anyone else.
- We have the most invested in his/her future.
- We are the one constant in our child’s life.
I’m curious, what resources have you found to be the most help to you in learning to be an effective advocate for your child? Let’s see if we can come up with some good books and websites on the topic of special education advocacy and IEPs, and I will publish a follow-up post listing them in a few days.
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Ooo dear. When I saw the ‘PEC’ of the school I thought you were going to give us a whole step by step guide to the IEP process with icons!
Some advocate I’d make.
Cheers to you.
I have no great advice or experience to share yet – I’m just enjoying filing away all this great information for the days ahead when we bring Aidan home and start the evaluations and tests on her ear(s). Thanks for sharing this stuff!
The best thing I have found is to document everything, definately Wrights Law is the bst source ever!!
The more you know about FAPE and IDEA and ADA the better off you are.
Sometimes, even if you know alot, you do have to go the way of an advocate as I have had to do because the school just would not listen. Some charge, some do not – you can usually get a good reference for one from your local CARD office or ASA branch.
And in the end, if the advocate still can’t help – Legal Aid is a big resource (one I have also had to use as well)
The most important thing is to educate yourself as much as possible and never be afraid to ask questions when you see something doesn’t “fit” because remember, schools and state depts. of ed like to make their own interpretation of IDEA laws and alot of times, they are wrong.
It is up to parents to make sure that their children get the help and services they need at the immediate time.
as a school slp…
i also think it’s really important to remember that “we” aren’t the “competition”. there shouldn’t always be a fight to get your child services! if you feel that your child isn’t getting what they need…then by all means it is extremely important to advocate. but. most of “us” have your child’s best interest in mind as well! we really do want to watch your children succeed! we feel pride watching your children make gains too! we love being a part of that.
it’s all about teamwork. working together. burning bridges before you even get to a meeting…causes unnecessary stress for all parties. it’s best to approach the meetings with an open mind and open heart.
i think that helps everyone make the BEST choices. and ultimately…it’s about doing what is right for the child.
(every school is different…and i have had people comment to me that maybe my school is “ideal”…but i like to think that everyone is working for what’s right in the long run!)
Thank you for posting this. I am always a mess at Bug’s IEP meetings – I get confused, I never know what to say or do… I always feel so useless… I will definitely be checking out the links.
I’m gonna be needing this come next month. Thanks for the great ideas, and I’ll be looking for more great ones from your readers!
Maddy, you’re not allowed to make me laugh when my mouth is still sore from the periodontist!
Krystal, that is a really good point about actually bringing someone else with you – that can be so helpful even if it is just to take notes and help you remember what you wanted to ask or say.
Jen, thank you for bringing up the fact that it always best to work together and not in competition. I do, however, think the definition of advocacy encompasses all we do to support our children and not just what we do when there is a problem.
Bitsy & Tammy, glad it was of help. I am also excited about what resources others have to share with us!
Before my children were born, I was a special education teacher, and there were a couple things that I always wanted to make sure the parents knew. One, they should be able to get a rough draft or outline of the IEP and what the teachers are proposing a day or two in advance so they don’t go into the meeting with no bearings, and two, you as a parent can bring any one you want to the meeting. If you are nervous, you can bring a friend or family member. You can bring your child to part or all of it. I often had the children sit in on the IEP when we were discussing their strengths (in particular) and weaknesses (for some older kids). Finally, bring a pen and paper (or ask for one) to write down notes or questions for things you want to say and make sure to say it! In my opinion, the parent(s) is/are the most important team member(s). The IEP should be a plan the parent feels good about, and the parent should be able to have as much input into it as he/she wants.
sorry to take over the comments…
but i truly believe also that advocacy is best used ALL THE TIME! i don’t think that it should only be used when there are problems…i advocate for my children all the time as well. it’s what we do as parents.
i just was indicating that i feel that parents need to be aware that we TOO are advocating for their children! i want parents to know that i’m trying my best too! nothing makes me more frustrated than a parent that enters a meeting destined to challenge rather than team-up.
you know your child more than anyone. but, we all need to be team members right off the bat. creating expectations of someone else often causes the recipient to be on the defense. that’s not how to create a well functioning team.
i would love to discuss this further as i feel it is an area of definite need. we all need to be better educated in how to work together in the best interest of our children!
Jen – you are so right – we do need to make a team effort and we do fight for our kids at all times, not just when things are negative. (I guess fight is not the right word huh? – I mean advocate)
There are plenty of teachers, providers, therapists, etc that are out there to help and many parents don’t see that because sometimes we put our blinders on and see the negatives and forget about the positives.
The issue is usually with the administration though that causes the rifts because they are not interacting with the child and do not know the child too well and then the teachers are caught between the parents, the administrators, etc.
But you definately bring up a good point!
Casey, those are great points. I meet a lot of parents who don’t know they can ask for the IEP draft ahead of time. And it’s so good to know you don’t have to go into a meeting alone, especially when the process and terminology is so new!
Thanks Jen & Krystal for continuing the conversation. It is a very important one and can be very tricky because everyone comes at it from a different place, with their own experiences and emotions coming into play. I agree with you both wholeheartedly that if parents can view advocacy as a positive opportunity to participate with the team, the child will benefit.
For me personally, the more knowledge I have about the way things work in the educational system, the better I am able to keep negative emotions such as fear or insecurity from taking over. I’d love to hear what resources you have found that are the most helpful in this area!
When I went to my first IEP meeting for my oldest son I didn’t have anything to go on. I didn’t have time to research anything. I was told the special ed rep was a pain, didn’t care to listen to what the parents had to say and that many families had to go through legal aide to get services for their child. Yet nothing like that happened with me. He listened he questioned me to learn more and approved services at the end of the meeting.
My advice is to keep an open mind and don’t listen to what others have gone through because there is a good chance it won’t be the same experience for you. I not only met with him for my oldest son…but for all 3 of my children and when it came time for my youngest he was cracking jokes with me! The other team members at the end were in shock because they have never seen him joking around during meetings before!
Thanks for the links. I have been to ARD meetings and worked with the staff making adjustments and changes to what they have suggested, unfortunately thus far it has done little much to help my son at school.
I need to be more specific and set short timelines for progress. Like has been said before don’t go in ready to fight but be informed so you advocate rather than fight for your child’s needs. Knowledge is power.
Trish, while I homeschool my sons I have been and my husband works within the school system with and for children with special needs. You have provided excellent resources and food for thought, as have all who have commented. It is almost unbelievable how many parents have no knowledge of their rights regarding their children’s education.
This is a great post, and you’re right Wrightslaw is an excellent resource!
[...] my recent post Learning to Make Sense of an IEP, I asked for everyone to share their favorite resources on the topic of advocacy and special [...]
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