Wouldn't it be nice if you could simply trust that the folks at school would do whatever is necessary to provide your special needs child with the specialized instruction and related services your child needs to grow, learn and develop?  Of course, there are many excellent teachers and administrators who work hard at their jobs.  But the sad truth is that you as the parent can't "outsource" the responsibility to ensure that your child gets the help she needs at school.   

You're role is like that of a "project manager."  You need to make sure that the IEP team, teachers and others are school are fulfilling their separate roles and doing what they need to do to help your child make progress.  And you can do it!  Here are five steps to help you take stock now, early in the school year, and help ensure that your child will get the instruction and services he needs to have a successful year at school.

FIVE SIMPLE STEPS:  TAKING STOCK AND MOVING FORWARD
                                                                                                                                 
If you suspect that your special needs child isn't getting the results he or she needs to get at school, now would be a good time to take five simple steps that can make a difference this year and beyond.  Those five steps are:

1.   Stop and Think!  Do you drink coffee?  Tea?  Can you spare fifteen minutes?  Choose a quiet time at home.  Make a cup of coffee or tea.  Find a comfortable chair (by a window might be nice).  Now, settle in and ask yourself a few questions: 

• What are my goals for my child this year?  Goals are essential.  Without goals, you have nothing to measure your child's progress against.  So what are they?  If you don't have any goals for your child, think about each of your child's needs - academic, social, physical or other.  Will she learn to read or do math at grade level this year?  Will he improve his classroom behavior, with no detentions or other school discipline this year?  If she is receiving physical therapy, occupational therapy or other "related services" at school, how much progress do you expect her to make in each of those areas this year?  So think of a few goals for your child for this year.  Jot them down.  Don't take a long time doing it and don't try to make the goals "perfect."  But get a picture in your mind of what you want to see your child achieve this year, write it down, and put it somewhere where you can pull it out and look at it from time to time.
• How is my child doing at school so far this year?  What have you observed?  What has your child told you?  How does he look?  Is she doing homework?  Are you reviewing it?  Are you seeing progress?  Does he seem happy or unhappy at school?  What have the teachers told you about how she is doing to date?  How is he doing on quizzes and tests?  No-one knows your child better than you do.  So for now, just think about what you have observed and what you have learned so far this year about how your child is doing at school.
• Am I getting the help I need for my child to succeed at school?   Ask yourself:  Is my child making progress from year to year?  Will she be ready to take the next step after she finishes high school?  Will he be able to live independently, obtain additional training or education, or find a good job?  What do I need to do to help him have the life I envision for him?

So take time to think.  Every action we take begins with a thought.  Consider thinking this through with your spouse or with a good friend, if you would find that helpful.  But take this essential step so you can get clear on what you want for your child.  If you aren't clear on what you want for your child, how can you help him get what he needs?

2.   Review the IEP!  Don't make the mistake so many parents of special needs children make.  They attend an IEP meeting in May, they receive a 25-page IEP they don't understand, they sign off on it, they take it home, they put it in a drawer - and they never look at it again!  A well-designed IEP can work for your child - but you have to work it!  You have to help put together the IEP as it needs to be and you need to breathe life into it.  That means you need to refer to it from time to time, determine if its goals are being met, and call another IEP meeting to change it as necessary.  If your child isn't making progress, don't wait a year until the next IEP meeting to express your concerns to the school.  So pull our the IEP and focus especially on the following three sections:

• Present Levels (Section II).  This section describes how your child is performing within the general education curriculum, including reading, math and writing, and how your child is progressing in relation to his peers.  Is your child performing at grade level in key academic areas?  If not, on what grade level is she performing?  Results of standardized tests and curriculum-based tests and probes should be included here.  It should give you a complete picture of where your child stands academically.  If your child has "functional" needs, such as social, behavioral, or physical needs, this section should also provide information on how she is progressing in those areas, including reports of a physical therapist or other "related service" provider.
• Goals (Section V).  Each IEP must include at least one annual goal for each separate area of academic or "functional" need (such as physical therapy or social skills training).  The goal must be clear and measurable.  If you can't understand the goal, the problem probably is the goal and not you!  It should state what level your child is reasonably expected to achieve within the next year.  If your child has a reading fluency problem, for example, the goal might state something like, "student will read 120 words correctly per minute when given a fifth grade reading passage on three consecutive weekly reading probes."  The school must provide you with progress reports at least quarterly showing whether your child is making progress towards achieving her goals.  This is different from "grades."  If you are not getting that information, you need to tell the school to provide it to you.  How else can you know if your child is making progress towards achieving his goals?  Use emails to obtain more frequent updates from the teachers.  Three months generally is too long to wait for critical information on your child's progress, in our opinion.  You need to be an active participant in your child's education.  That means you need to know from week to week how he's adjusting at school.
• "Specially Designed Instruction" (Section VI).  This is an important section of the IEP with the confusing heading of "Special Education/Related Services/Supplementary Aids and Services/Program Modifications."  Think of it as the "student services and assistance" section.  Does your child need a one-on-one aide in the classroom?  That service would be specified here.  Special accommodations, such as preferential seating or an extra set of books?  Specially adapted content or teaching methods?  Physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech or language therapy, or social skills training?  School-based counseling?  A laptop, "alpha-smart" or other "assistive technology?"  This section should tell you what services and adaptations your child will receive, how much of it, and when it will be provided.

After reviewing the IEP, do you have questions about it?  Do you see problems with it?  Are the goals clear and measurable?  Do you know whether your child is making progress towards achieving each of her goals?  Is there a goal for each of your child's recognized needs?  Is he receiving the amount of speech or other therapy specified in the IEP?  Does he require other services he isn't receiving?  Schedule a meeting with the IEP coordinator to get answers.  Consider consulting with a non-attorney education advocate or education lawyer to help you understand the IEP and determine what steps are necessary.  Request another IEP meeting, if necessary.  Take action!

3.   Review the most recent school evaluation or reevaluation.  When was your child last evaluated?  The law requires an evaluation every three years (every two years for children with MR), and a parent can request one more frequently.  Have you read the district's evaluation and any reevaluations of your child?  They should provide important information on how your child performed on key standardized tests of both ability and achievement.  They should give you the school's assessment of your child's disability and the basis for their finding.  They should include recommendations for assisting your child in school.  Each area of need identified in the evaluation should be discussed in the IEP.  If there are parts of the evaluation you don't understand, make a list of your questions and get answers from the school psychologist or someone else.  You will be a more effective advocate for your child at school if you have read and understood your child's evaluation.  You can do it!

4.   Consider your "team."  If your child isn't making the progress he needs to make, you need to work harder with the school to get him the help he needs - or take other action, if the school won't cooperate.  You also may need to put together your own independent "team" to get the help you need for your child, which might include a tutor, a therapist, an independent, school-certified psychologist to perform a psycho-educational evaluation, a non-attorney education advocate, or an education lawyer.  Ask yourself:  How can I do a better job in obtaining the help my child needs at school?  Who can help me and my child?  We list "fee-based" and "no-fee" non-attorney education advocates on the "People Links" page of our website.  A good education advocate may be able to help you determine what actions to take at school and help you take those actions, attend school meetings with you, and so forth.  If you seek an advocate, look for one who is a good match, in terms of your own approach and personality.  But the point here is this:  Most of us can accomplish more acting with the assistance of others than we can on our own.  If your special needs child isn't getting the help she needs at school, you need to find a way to get her the help she needs.

5.   Take action!  None of what you think about, review or "consider," is going to make any difference for your child unless you take action.  That means calling a school meeting, consulting with others, learning more, emailing your child's teachers and getting updates, sitting in on your child's class at school to see for yourself what's going on, getting a meeting with the principal or special ed director, or doing whatever you have to do to get the school to pay attention and give your child the help he needs to learn, develop and grow.  Many parents tell us they can't seem to get the school to pay attention to them.  You can't get anywhere unless you can get the school to pay attention.  Be proactive.  Be persistent.  Don't take "no" for an answer.  But if that doesn't work, let us know.  We can help.

Questions?  Comments?  Call us at 610.696.5006 or email us at ed.law@comcast.net.