Do you feel completely clueless about the process for accessing help at school? We get many calls at the Center from parents with struggling students who feel helpless when dealing with the system for Special Education.
Recently, a professional in an Elementary school told a parent to take their child to their pediatrician for an evaluation for dyslexia! The parent wondered firstly, is it legal for a school to tell the parent to get a private evaluation? And secondly, is this something that Pediatricians are trained to do? How do you request an evaluation for your student in your public school? What if the school says, “No”? Then what? What is FAPE anyway?
Do you wonder what a 504 plan is? How is that different from an IEP? How does a student qualify for either a 504 plan or an IEP? What is your recourse when school officials want to discontinue your student’s 504 plan or IEP? Some parents fear the annual meeting with the school team, anticipating that supports will end for their student – what can they do? We know that ADHD and LD are lifelong issues – can students get to a point where they don’t need help anymore? How are those decisions made?
The Fundamentals of Special Education is designed to help you find answers to these questions. If you are like most people, you want to understand the process and your role as a parent so you can clearly communicate what your child needs. The team will share reliable resources for parents in the Tri State region, explain the process to qualify, developing goals and assessing the results.
Click HERE to join us on May 12 at 6:30 pm for a discussion of the basics.