Special Ed 101: What parents wish they knew earlier

November 7, 12:26 AMSpecial Education ExaminerRobin Hansen

Previous Next

2 comments Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Special Education Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

The website, Great Schools.net has a current discussion in  Community conversations: What do you wish you had known?  Every parent who has an ounce of concern about the developement of their child should read this,  The word of an experienced parent is like gold for the first time parent.

A brief summary of the discussion includes:

• Don't trust the school staff, even those with the best intentions, that they have received the proper training to offer the specialized services for math and reading that your child requires.
• DO listen to your inner voice.  Your instincts can be powerful in learning your child's diagnosis and needs.
• Do lots of research on your own when looking for answers to your child's issues.  Not all professionals keep up on the latest research, you may find you are more up to date than they are.
• Do allow the school an adequate time period to (such as one year) to see if they can help your child.  If they are not effective, you need to jump in and find effective research based interventions. You may also need an advocate to help.
• Even if you have an Individualized Education Plan (IEP),  there is no guarantee the IEP will be implemented with fidelity.

To read entire conversation, click on: Community conversations: What do you wish you had known?