School in the Wichita and surrounding areas starts again in about two weeks. Are you ready?

 

When it comes to your children with special needs, you have a little extra planning to do. Here are some tips to getting off to a good start, and get organized. More than getting the supplies on their class lists, you'll need their IEP, doctor notes and updates, medical emergency numbers and a host of other information. So, where do you even start?

 

Start with knowing your rights and those of your special needs child when it comes to their education by getting familiar with IDEA !

 

Next, if your child has already received an assessment through the school, find your copies of that plan, called an IEP or Individualized Education Program or plan. This is an outline of goals for your child set by you, the child and the school's teachers and staff to be met during the school year. It also includes any alternative or additional help that your child may need in order to meet those goals, such as an aide, extra time for test taking, time in a resource or special education room, and therapies such as physical and occupational therapy.

Go over this to find anything that needs to be changed, updated or kept in the plan and make notes to take into the next IEP meeting. If your child has not had an assessment but you feel that he or she would benefit from extra or different services and accommodations, you can request one formally by a written letter to your school principal.

 

After reviewing the previous IEP, write a request for your child's next IEP with a date that you would like to have set. IEP's are usually done yearly, but if things have changed greatly over the summer or if their is a lot of new staff involved in your child's daily education, it is a good idea to request a meeting to update and bring new staff up to speed.

 

Make copies of all letters, medical documentation and therapy services to give to the school if you feel it will help them in the care and education of your special needs child. This may refer to medical, emotional, or physical issues surrounding your child. Perhaps your child has received a new diagnosis or an addition to a previous one. Include this in your copies for the school.

 

Update the list of outside organizations or programs that provide services for your child and who may come in contact with the school. If your child participates in any social services programs and has a case manager, the school may need to have written and signed permission to share information relating to the daily education of your child. Case managers may be required to check in once a week or once a month with the school to gain reports about behavior and goal achievements, so the school will need a list of names, phone numbers and titles of any people involved. Request information about times and the information that will be shared between the school and any organizations that are in place to help your child.

 

Make sure that all information including phone numbers, addresses and names are updated if your child will be picked up or dropped off by or to another person other than you. Keep records of bus routes, pick up, and drop off times for your child and put them in a convenient place such as your purse, next to the phone or next to the computer. Perhaps all of those in addition to any other primary care givers would even be best. It might be easiest to put all of this information in one place in the home. A binder system is a great tool to use, but large manila envelopes or even a box in one central location is fine. The point is keeping the information in an easy to find location for you and anyone who may need to quickly find the paperwork.

 

If you are still new to the process of advocating for your child with special needs, then contacting a local agency such as Families Together. They have trained parents who are advocates for themselves, special needs children and others. They also host seminars and retreats for parents to learn to become advocates for their own children.