Wrightslaw |
The
Special Ed Advocate Newsletter |
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At Wrightslaw, our goals are to help you gain the information and skills you need navigate the confusing world of special education. Highlights:
How I used school evals to get ABA therapy program; are children
with ADD/ADHD eligible for special ed; useful pubs on evaluations &
eligibility from USDOE; are schools required to give personal info to
military recruiters; how will NCLB affect you; Wrightslaw programs in
Indianapolis, Hartford, Virginia Beach, & Oklahoma City; find help
& helpers in the Yellow Pages for Kids. 1. Message from the Editor We get thousands of questions from readers. Some questions come up again and again - and from time to time, we answer them in the newsletter. Here is the latest crop of questions, along with our answers. But first, we want to share a "Success Story." 2. Strategies for Success: How I Used School Evaluations to Get ABA Therapy Strategies
for Success is a series of articles by parents about successful
advocacy strategies. We publish new articles from time to time on our
advocacy site at Fetaweb.com. We
hope you enjoy this article by Sam's mom: How did Sam's mom persuade school staff to provide her child with the ABA program he needs? Learn about "cold hard numbers", objective test scores, and subjective observations. Read her
advice about when to get a comprehensive evaluation, why you should provide
information to the school, and how to build healthy relationships with
school personnel in How
I Used the School's Test Scores to Get an ABA Therapy Program. 3. Are Children with ADD/ADHD Eligible for Special Ed Services? "My
son has ADD. Our doctor told us to request special education services
from the school. But the school says he is passing so he is not eligible
for special ed. I am confused! What should I do?" Are
Children with ADD/ADHD Eligible for Special Education Services Under IDEA?
discusses special education eligibility and offers readers a Game Plan
and resources to help them deal with these thorny issues. 4. Useful Pubs: Eligibility & Evaluations of Children Who May Have ADD/ADHD "There is a growing awareness in the education community that attention deficit disorder (ADD) and attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) can result in significant learning problems for children with those conditions . . . " Joint Policy Memorandum on ADD/ADHD In
1991, the U. S. Department of Education published the Joint
Policy Memorandum on ADD/ADHD. The purpose of this Memorandum was
to offer guidance to school districts about special education services
to children with ADD/ADHD. In 1992, the Office of Civil Rights published a Memorandum clarifying that schools must evaluate children who are suspected of having ADD based on parental request: "Under
Section 504, if parents believe their child has a disability, whether
by ADD or any other impairment, and the LEA has reason to believe the
child needs special education or related services, the LEA must evaluate
the child to determine whether he or she is disabled as defined by
Section 504 . . ." 5. Are Schools Required to Provide Personal Info to Military Recruiters? "I heard that No Child Left Behind requires schools to share children's private, personal information with military recruiters? Is this true?" "If
it is true, parents need to know about this so they can take steps to
protect their children's privacy. How should we handle this? Can you put
something about this issue in the newsletter?" Read more Qs & As. 6. How Will No Child Left Behind Affect You? No Child Left Behind (NCLB) includes requirements about parental involvement, highly-qualified teachers, scientifically based reading instruction, tutoring and supplemental educational services, research-based teaching methods, and school and school district report cards. If you are a parent, teacher, administrator, advocate or attorney, you need to learn what this law really says. Begin with these publications: A Parent's Guide to No Child Left Behind. Sue Heath, co-author of Wrightslaw: No Child Left Behind, describes new requirements for teachers and paraprofessionals, school and school district report cards, annual testing in math and reading. Learn about new options for parents, including transfers from failing schools and free supplemental services - tutoring, after-school programs and summer school. Printer-friendly version of A Parent's Guide to No Child Left Behind to distribute. No Child Left Behind: What Educators, Principals & Administrators Need to Know. Sue Heath, co-author of Wrightslaw: No Child Left Behind, describes new requirements about educating teachers and paraprofessionals, school and school district report cards, and annual testing of math and reading skills. What Educators Need to Know is also available as a printer-friendly version for distribution. Visit No Child Left Behind - Wrightslaw to learn How Will No Child Left Behind Affect You? "What
a marvelous conference! I often leave sped presentations angry and/or
guilty because of all the things that have been done or not done. This
time I left encouraged, inspired and armed!" Northeast: Hartford, CT (September 21-22) Mid-Atlantic: Virginia Beach, VA (November 12-13) South Central: Oklahoma City, OK (December 4) FREE to Oklahoma parents & educational caregivers Wrightslaw
legal advocacy programs focus on four areas: special education law, rights
and responsibilities; tests
and measurements to measure progress & regression; SMART IEPs; and
advocacy tactics & strategies. 8.
Need Help? Visit the Yellow Pages for Kids with Disabilities
If you are looking for help - or a helper
- visit the Yellow Pages
for Kids with Disabilities. Your state Yellow
Pages has many resources - evaluators, speech language therapists,
tutors, special ed schools, advocates, attorneys, organizations, and
support groups. What to Expect from an Evaluation of Your Child Working with Independent Evaluators and Educational Consultants Strategies
to Find a Support or Study Group 9. Subscription & Contact Info The
Special Ed Advocate is a free online newsletter about special education
legal and advocacy issues, cases, and tactics and strategies. Subscribers
receive "alerts" about new cases, events, and special offers
on Wrightslaw books.
Contact Info Pete and
Pam Wright |
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