Special Education Law and Advocacy, a law firm from Florida I follow on Facebook, recently asked for comments on “the best resources for a parent seeking to understand her child’s educational rights.” (see http://www.facebook.com/pages/Special-Education-Law-and-Advocacy/215842898961)

They got a lot of useful suggestions, but parents who really want to know their child’s rights have to read 34 CFR (Code of Federal Regulations) parts 300 and 301. There is just no other way around it.

It is, of course, written in legalese, and it’s quite lengthy but nevertheless, these are the regs (regulations) governing the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) of 2004 (which, I was told, is called a “statute”).

Full text of both is in Wrightslaw: Special Education Law (second edition), by Peter and Pamela Wright, which also includes the text of section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, chapters on No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, and the Family Education Rights and PrivacyAct (FERPA), and lots of other useful information.

(By the way, as I understand, in 2008, the government also passed the “ADA Amendments Act of 2008,” which made changes to the definition of the term “disability” making “it easier for an individual seeking protection under the ADA to establish that he or she has a disability within the meaning of the ADA.”)

Wrightslaw: Special Education Law (second edition) is also full of extremely useful comments and footnotes to the laws and regs it reprints, so it actually might be even more useful to read than the code itself.

Other than that, each state has its own regs.

For instance, in Massachusetts there’s  M.G.L. c. 71B and 603 CMR 28.00. Both are quite a read as well.

I am afraid I do not know whether there is a site that lists special education laws and regs by state.

By the way, the second time Special Education Law and Advocacy asked about web sites and books, they phrased it somewhat differently — they asked people “to name good books and websites for a family just beginning the advocacy road with their child.”

THAT is a completely different question, though.

The beginning is always daunting and plunging right into Wrightslaw: Special Education Law (second edition) might only confuse parents.

A few years back I posted on “Gifted Special Needs,” (a blog I used to run), an article titled “The IEP Process – Special Education Advice for Parents (Part I – The Beginning)” in which I tried to explain the very beginning of the process based on what I remembered from the beginning of our own journey. I still stand by my advice — “Join a parent networking group” and “Read, read, read!”

Posted in: General, Public Schools

Posted in: Family

A few months ago, as part of parent advocacy training offered by the Federation for Children with Special Needs (FCSN), I attended a workshop presented by Robert K. Crabtree, a partner in Kotin, Crabtree & Strong, LLP, and while the whole workshop was extremely interesting, one thing that really struck me was when he said “Do not wait until after filing a motion for hearing with the Bureau of Special Education Appeals (BSEA) to hire a lawyer.” He said that in those situations he usually advises parents to withdraw the request for a hearing, try to go back to talking with the school directly, and if that doesn’t work, then try mediation first instead of going straight to a hearing. (more…)

Posted in: Public Schools

I had never heard the term “chronic sorrow” until just a couple of years ago, when a social worker shared with me a copy of an article by Jessica Gordon titled “An evidence-based approach for supporting parents experiencing chronic sorrow,” which appeared in March/April 2009 issue of Pediatric Nursing.

Apparently, the term “chronic sorrow” was coined in the early 1960s by Simon Olshansky, a counselor working with parents of handicapped children, “when he described the normal pervasive psychological response in the suffering of parents dealing with mentally disabled children,” in his article “Chronic sorrow: A response to having a mentally defective child” published in no. 43 of Social Casework.

Jessica writes that “chronic sorrow is not clinical depression” and that “labeling parents who experience chronic sorrow as depressed can lead to misdiagnosis and poor management of chronic sorrow, and can ultimately result in ineffective coping.” (more…)

Posted in: Health

One of the best article explaining “Early Intervention” or “EI” that I’ve seen is posted on the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (NICHCY) web site (see “Overview of Early Intervention“).

I have heard a parent say that she was shocked when her child was referred for an early intervention screening, because she thought EI is for low-income and at risk families, and while EI does help these families as well, it’s not just about that. Through services (like physical or speech therapy) EI can help children from any kind of family to catch up to their peers, or at least progress a little bit faster than without help. My daughter was showing not only speech but also mental delay when she was 18 months old. After a year of services, the speech delay was still there, but she caught up in other areas and was no longer showing a mental delay. If you worry about your child’s development, or if someone else expresses concerns about his or her development, just call EI. They will do an evaluation and will tell you whether there are any delays. (more…)

Posted in: Early Intervention, Health

By Kim Marie Wood

If you are a parent of a child receiving special education services, you are busy. In addition to basic parenting 24/7, you have already participated in many conferences and meetings with your child’s teachers and other educational professionals. It can sometimes be challenging and often frustrating as you advocate for you child and his or her best interest. I hope that sharing some ideas and perspective from a teacher’s point of view can assist you in your journey. (more…)

Posted in: Public Schools