Print this page
Many readers have questions about special education issues - accommodations and modifications,
advocacy, damages, discipline, due process hearings, progress, reading, parent-school relations, high-stakes testing, retention, and other topics.
You will find answers to some of your questions here.
We also recommend you check the Master List of Topics from A-Z.
Advocates
& Advocacy
How
can I find an advocate or attorney?
So You Want to Be an Advocate?
Do
you have advice about filing a complaint with the state?
How
to deal with jargon in IEPs?
What do you know about training and standards for advocates?
How Can I Start an Educational Advocacy Group?
How
can I start a study group for parents?
What
can one person do? (Do YOU have a free hour?)
Why
are Wrightslaw programs held during the day?
More about advocacy
ADD/ADHD
Can
the school expel my child who had ADHD & learning disabilities?
What
can we do about about teachers who diagnose children with ADD/ADHD?
More about ADD/ADHD
Autism
What
do you think about Lovaas v. TEACCH for educating kids with autism?
More
about Autism
Behavior & Discipline
The
school wants to expel my child - can they do that?
Do
you have advice for grandparents who are raising kids with disabilities?
What
are school's obligations to kids with emotional and behavior problems? (Pete's
answer stirs up controversy)
More about behavior & discipline
Back to Top
Confidentiality & Privacy
IEPs and Confidentiality
The
school taped my child without my consent and won't let me see the tape Can they do that?.
Do I have a right to observe a class before agreeing to a placement for my child?
More about privacy
and records
Damages
Why
did you put a damages case against a teacher on your web site?
More about damages
Due
Process Hearings
What
do we need to know about 10-day notice letters?
How do you prepare for a due process hearing?
Can
school districts recover fees from attorneys who represent parents in due process
hearings?
What
is it like to go through a due process hearing? (excellent advice)
What
is it like for a child to go through a due process hearing?
More about
due process
Back to Top
Evaluations
My
child is being evaluated - what tests should I request?
Do
scores from a private sector evaluation belong in the IEP?
Independent
Educational Evaluations: What? How? Why? Who Pays?
IEEs:
Must Parents Chose Evaluator from School's Approved List?
More about evaluations
Free
Appropriate Education (FAPE)
Should
I request a "paraprofessional," not an "aide"?
What do you think about educating children with autism - Lovaas or TEACCH?
Who is
responsible for providing a free appropriate education? What can parents do when they disagree with the school?
What
does the law say about grades for children in special ed?
We
can train Shamu but we can't train a kid to be compliant or read? (a special
ed director's rant)
More about FAPE
High-Stakes
Tests
How
exit exams can be optional if you plan ahead.
What about accommodations on high-stakes tests?
More about high-stakes tests
Back to Top
IDEA 2004
How
Did IEPs change under IDEA 2004?
Can
school districts recover fees from attorneys who represent parents in due process
hearings?
More about IDEA 2004.
Individualized Educational Programs (IEPs)
IDEA Roadmap: What You Need to Know About IEPs and IEP Meetings
How
can we resolve concerns about our child's IEP?
How
can I get my child's s IEP revised?
Is
there a limit to the number of goals in the IEP?
How
do you write SMART IEPs?
How can I get good goals and objectives in my child's IEP?
What can I do when the IEP team ignores my requests?
More
about IEPs
Mediation
What
is mediation? What can parents do to prepare for mediation?
Learn about mediation
No
Child Left Behind
How will NCLB affect you?
How will kids be tested under NCLB?
What
does NCLB say about school choice and tutoring?
What
does "Adequate Yearly Progress" mean?
Do the legal definitions in NCLB apply to general ed programs?
More about NCLB
Back to Top
Parent-School Relations & Conflict
My
child's test scores are dropping - what can I do?
How to deal with a hostile environment at school
What can parents do when the school balks?
How
can we resolve a placement dispute about our child with autism?
How
can we resolve concerns about our child's IEP?
Child
has asthma, school sent him home, then reported him truant. What to do?
Our relationship
with the school is not good - do you have any advice?
You
say "put it in writing." Won't that make relationships worse?
Why
Do You Instruct Parents to be Against Special Ed Teachers?
Don't
parents realize the dangers of blind trust?
Reading
Q&A
with Pete Wright: 'Kids are... Teaching-disabled'
My
child can't read - what can I do?
How
can I get a trained, certified reading teacher?
Is "Reading Recovery" a research-based program?
How can I get help for my child with reading problems?
My
dyslexic child's IQ
scores are falling - what can I do?
My
child can't read - should he get special ed or Reading First?
Where
can we find tutors who do research-based reading instruction?
We can train
Shamu but we can't train a kid to read or be compliant?
Learn more
about reading
Back to Top
Retention
Can
the school use a single test to retain my child?
More
about retention
Section
504 & Discrimination
Who
is eligible for protections under Section 504 - but not under IDEA?
Child has health
problems, school reports him "truant" - what to do?
My
child with ADD was kicked out of an after school program - don't they have to include
him?
Children
with disabilities are sent home early - is this legal?
Learn more about Section 504 and Discrimination.
Teachers
Am I a "Highly
Qualified" special education teacher?
How
can I help teachers who are being pushed out of their jobs?
Should I request
a "paraprofessional," not an "aide"?
How
can I get a trained, certified reading teacher?
Where can
we find tutors who do research-based reading instruction?
How
can I learn about certification in research based reading programs?
Is "Reading Recovery" a research-based program?
Back to Top