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About Special Education |
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Beginning the Special Education Process |
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Like anything else in life, there's a method to the special education process. It was put in place to help people who deal with learning disabilities get the best services possible. In order to help you understand this method, here's a simplified version of the Special Education process. 1)Request for evaluation Someone sees that the child is having difficulty in school and asks that testing be done to find out what's causing the problem. This request can come from parents or educators. If the parents make the request, the district must agree to give a full and individual evaluation. If the request is made from someone else, such as a teacher, a team of educators and an administrator... |
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How To Tell If Your Student/Child Has Dyslexia |
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I work with students, either in small groups or individually, who have difficulty reading. Every once in a while, a pupil comes to me who just doesn't get it. Usually, accommodating the varied learning styles of each student, results in success. When that doesn't work, I start questioning my ability as a reading teacher. The first time it happened I felt that I had let my student down. My next step was to consult the special education experts and the school psychologist. They suggested the possibility that my pupil may have dyslexia. I was surprised to find out how many young people suffer from dyslexia. Dyslexia is difficult to determine until a young person is in their teens. We all... |
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Parenting For A Special Needs Child |
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When a special needs child presents all the unique needs associated with his/her situation, parents face challenges that can sometimes be quite difficult. Certain conditions are more severe than others and can be paired with medical problems as well as developmental issues. If a child has both conditions, even daily routines can be complicated not to mention educational issues. A special needs child could also have just one issue such as asthma or severe food allergies that demand that the child's diet and surroundings are modified to take that condition into consideration. Special equipment is not stranger to some special needs children who are on oxygen, use a wheelchair, or need... |
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The Special Education IEP and the Parent Underdog
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Are you a parent of a child with a learning disability? The deck is stacked against you for achieving a quality, special education IEP. Learn how to get the best possible program for your child. What is an IEP? The special education IEP (Individualized Education Program) process was created by the Federal law called IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) to ensure that students with learning disabilities would receive an appropriate education. The IEP process can be confusing, stressful, and sometimes terrifying to parents. The process comes to a head at the IEP meeting, so this is often the most stressful part of the IEP process. Why is this process so difficult for parents? Through a series of 3 articles, we’ll look at the IEP process, why the deck is stacked against parents, steps to take to even the odds, the IEP success method to follow for an effective IEP meeting, and how to prepare for IEP 911. What are the IEP Process Steps?
Identify that a problem exists and it cannot be solved
Educate yourself about the IEP process
Assess and test the student
Analyze the test results
Prepare for the meeting / get and give input in advance
Meet to review information and create (or deny) an IEP
Evaluate the plan and alternatives
Execute the plan or alternative
Monitor progress
Manage transitions
Negotiate changes
Repeat the process, at least annually The IEP - Why are Parents at a disadvantage?
1. You are usually outnumbered.
2. The other attendees are speaking a language that is difficult for you to understand-educationese, legalese, and medicalese.
3. Your child is one of many students. This is their job, but your child. This sets you up for emotional reactions.
4. Because you are emotionally involved, it is harder to be objective. You feel you have more to lose; it’s easy to become defensive or lose your temper.
5. The people sitting across from you are people you learned to respect, obey, and / or fear as a child. Principals, medical people, teachers. You may not see yourself as an equal.
6. You are asking for something. It is implied that anything you ask for will take away from another student.
7. Some of these people attend dozens of IEP meetings every month. You may go to one or two a year. They have experience on their side.
8. The school personnel earn a salary while they attend these meetings. You may give up some salary to attend.
9. The school district has an attorney. You may know of an attorney!
10. If the school rejects the IEP, you may feel as if you have just lost your lifeline.
11. If you have argued before, threatened legal action, complained about an IEP and on and on, the relationship inside the room might have moved over to confrontational or adversarial. The above are true even if you are in a cooperative, collaborative meeting and all working together. You can continue the list from here if you have moved over to an adversarial meeting!
12. You may not be sure what is “wrong” with your child.
13. You have no way of judging if the school’s recommendations will help your child or not.
14. If your child attends the meeting, hearing certain things may upset your child, then you. How do you even the odds?
1. You need to prepare for the IEP meeting and review test results before the meeting.
2. You need to be organized and to have everything written down.
3. You need to study negotiating before the meeting.
4. You need to bring a short list of topics you want to discuss such as a particular teacher / problem, etc.
5. You need to come ready with a written plan (See Part II and III).
6. You need to cite or quote the evidence and experts as proof of the validity or correctness of your plan and follow the IEP Success Method in Part II.
7. You need to understand the legal basis for what you are asking for.
8. You need to stay calm and bring someone with you to take notes so you can focus on the meeting.
9. If the meeting focuses on negatives, you need to redirect the meeting by pointing out your child’s strengths. Discuss successes your child had outside of school.
10. If necessary, you need to bring an advocate or a relative with you who can be less emotional but is acquainted with your child.
11. If you are confused or not happy with the entire IEP, you need to remain calm and state that you need time to review the IEP before you sign.
12. If there is any area you are unsure of, you need to postpone decisions you are unsure of until you do the research.
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Special Education |
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A Quick Note
From The Publisher...
If you like the article above, you may be
interested in the following article which is also related to Special Education...
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Getting My Child The Additional Help In School He Or She Needs |
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The British government promised "that a child with special educational needs should have their needs met" (sec. 1.3, SEN Code of Practice, 2001). Even though it's printed for all to see, they won't be able to keep the promise, as they don't have the resources. The British government has promised that "a child with special educational needs should have their needs met" (sec. 1.3, SEN Code of Practice, 2001). This is a pretty rash thing to promise, since there is no way that they have the resources to back this up. However, there it is, in black and white! So, how do you make sure that your child with special needs gets the help they need in school? First, understand how your school is set up. Second, even with governmental promises, there is still a limit to the resources. You need to develop a good working partnership with your school so you can state your concerns and be confident that they will be resolved. Typically, a child's educational needs can be met in the normal classroom (commonly called mainstreaming). If it does become evident that the child is not making progress as expected, the school has the responsibility to take some action. Progress delays are evaluated in the following areas: If you have concerns about your child's educational progress, talk to her teacher and/ or the SEN Coordinator (SENCO) at her school. If they think she's having problems, they will add her name to the Special Education Needs Register, if they haven't already done so. If you have concerns about your child, discuss them with your child's teacher and/or the school's SEN Co-ordinator. If they are in agreement with your concerns, they may place his or her name on the Special Educational Needs Register. In fact, they may have already done so. If the school does... |
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