“Don’t you love New York in the fall? It makes me wanna buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address.” Quote from the movie You've Got Mail.
Here are some great online resources for information and tips for Back to School
1. 10 Ways to Save on Back to School Shopping, by familyeducation.com
2. Back to School Tips from USA.gov
3. Article: How to Have a Good Relationship with Your Child's Teacher, from LDonline.org
4. Article: Back to School Transitions: Tips for Parents, from the National Association of School Psychologists
5. Starting Healthy: A Back to School Checklist from the California School Health Centers Association
6. Back to School Tips for Parents of Students with Special Needs, by readingrockets.com
7. 25 Back to School Discounts from Family Circle magazine
And here are links to two of our popular previous blog posts about getting ready for Back to School:
Back To School: Help I need a placement! and other concerns
Back to School: Get Ready with Organized School Records
Showing posts with label parent training. Show all posts
Showing posts with label parent training. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Resource of the Week: Special Education Rights and Responsibilities Manual
Disability Rights California (the Protection and Advocacy, Inc - or PAI - of California) produces many great publications that are user friendly, readily available, and free. What is wonderful about their publications is that they are very "parent-friendly" and easy to understand.
DRC's Special Education Rights and Responsibilities Manual (commonly referred to as the "SERR Manual") is a comprehensive resource for parents and advocates on everything related to special education in California. Topics are covered in question and answer format, with a combination of both information and practical tips.
The SERR Manual is available for download at the following link:
http://www.disabilityrightsca.org/pubs/504001SERR.htm
DRC's Special Education Rights and Responsibilities Manual (commonly referred to as the "SERR Manual") is a comprehensive resource for parents and advocates on everything related to special education in California. Topics are covered in question and answer format, with a combination of both information and practical tips.
The SERR Manual is available for download at the following link:
http://www.disabilityrightsca.org/pubs/504001SERR.htm
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Resource of the Week: a FREE conference for Parents!
This weekend, the Special Needs Network here in Los Angeles will be hosting its 6th Annual Tools for Transformation Conference - a FREE confehttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifrence for parents of students with special needs! The conference features many presentations and workshops throughout the day as well as a resource fair with providers and vendors in a multitude of disciplines from around the LA area.
You can register for this free event at the following link:
http://www.specialneedsnetwork.org/registration-for-6th-annual-tools-for-transformation-conference-now-open/
A2Z will be participating in the resource fair all day on Saturday. We hope to see you there!
You can register for this free event at the following link:
http://www.specialneedsnetwork.org/registration-for-6th-annual-tools-for-transformation-conference-now-open/
A2Z will be participating in the resource fair all day on Saturday. We hope to see you there!
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Resource of the Week: OSEP's IDEA Website
The US Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs has created a website intended to be a "one-stop shop" for information and resources about IDEA 2004 and its implementing regulations. The website includes information about IDEA divided into specific topics, as well as access to the statute and the regulations. It is also a great tool for finding the IDEA "Q&A" documents released by the Department of Education in regards to the changes and language in the regulations.
OSEP's IDEA 2004 Website can be found at http://idea.ed.gov/explore/home
OSEP's IDEA 2004 Website can be found at http://idea.ed.gov/explore/home
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Resource of the Week: The Advocacy Institute
The resource we've selected for this week's post really counts as a multitude of resources all rolled into one site. The Advocacy Institute is a comprehensive source of information for parents and advocates in the special education community, providing training opportunities, online publications and written resources, and consultative assistance for advocates and families. Their website can be found at http://www.advocacyinstitute.org/
Specifically, here are a couple of their online resources that are available:
The Advocate Academy provides training opportunities for special education advocates. The Academy's trainings are offered in a webinar modality on various specific topics, and advocates wishing to participate can either access live webinars or purchase previous webinars from their archives.
The Advocacy Institute's Reports and Publications include online articles and resources on a variety of topics of interest to the special education community including topic briefs, reports on special projects, and guides for parents and advocates regarding their rights.
Specifically, here are a couple of their online resources that are available:
The Advocate Academy provides training opportunities for special education advocates. The Academy's trainings are offered in a webinar modality on various specific topics, and advocates wishing to participate can either access live webinars or purchase previous webinars from their archives.
The Advocacy Institute's Reports and Publications include online articles and resources on a variety of topics of interest to the special education community including topic briefs, reports on special projects, and guides for parents and advocates regarding their rights.
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Resource of the Week: COPAA's "Find an Attorney / Advocate"
The Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates is a national organization with members who are parents of students with special needs, Advocates and Attorneys who represent students with disabilities, and "other" providers, etc who advocate for students. In addition to many other resources and information available on their website, COPAA has an online directory to assist parents (both within COPAA's membership and members of the public) with finding and Attorney or Advocate in their area.
Often, Parents need to seek the assistance of a special education attorney or educational advocate to represent them in IEP meetings or in legal disputes with their school district. An advocate or special education attorney can help parents through the process and provide representation when there is a dispute over placement and/or services.
COPAA's online directory is a great tool to assist parents with locating representation when they need it. You can go to the Find an Attorney / Advocate directory at this link: http://www.copaa.org/find-a-resource/find-an-attorney/
Often, Parents need to seek the assistance of a special education attorney or educational advocate to represent them in IEP meetings or in legal disputes with their school district. An advocate or special education attorney can help parents through the process and provide representation when there is a dispute over placement and/or services.
COPAA's online directory is a great tool to assist parents with locating representation when they need it. You can go to the Find an Attorney / Advocate directory at this link: http://www.copaa.org/find-a-resource/find-an-attorney/
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Resource of the Week: Wrightslaw
Wrightslaw is a well-known online source of information about special education law and advocacy, and is considered by many to be the first "go-to" place for parents and advocates to locate information about a variety of important topics.
Wrightslaw.com is a very extensive resource. The website includes articles and briefs on an significant number of topics, updates on current events and news, a newsletter, and an online "law library." In addition, you can find information about Wrightslaw's various publications and other materials, including books and DVDs.
Check it all out at www.wrightslaw.com.
Wrightslaw.com is a very extensive resource. The website includes articles and briefs on an significant number of topics, updates on current events and news, a newsletter, and an online "law library." In addition, you can find information about Wrightslaw's various publications and other materials, including books and DVDs.
Check it all out at www.wrightslaw.com.
Friday, November 11, 2011
COPAA Webinar on Section 504
On Tuesday, November 15th, Mandy and I will be giving a live presentation as part of COPAA's current webinar series. Our presentation is entitled Expanding Your Arsenal with Section 504 and we will be covering a variety of issues that arise under Section 504, with a focus on practical application of advocacy strategies. We are very excited to be a part of COPAA's training endeavors through this webinar!
Here are the details:
What: Expanding Your Advocacy Arsenal with Section 504; Webinar Presentation by Carolina Watts and Mandy Favaloro
When: November 15th at 2:00pm Eastern/ 11:00am Pacific
How to register: Go to www.copaa.org/conference-training/webinars to sign up for the live webinar. COPAA members get a discounted rate for registration. At a later date, COPAA also makes prior presentations available for purchases through webinar archives.
Here are the details:
What: Expanding Your Advocacy Arsenal with Section 504; Webinar Presentation by Carolina Watts and Mandy Favaloro
When: November 15th at 2:00pm Eastern/ 11:00am Pacific
How to register: Go to www.copaa.org/conference-training/webinars to sign up for the live webinar. COPAA members get a discounted rate for registration. At a later date, COPAA also makes prior presentations available for purchases through webinar archives.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Resource of the Week: WOSEP
The Women's Organization of Special Education Professionals is a group of attorneys, advocates, therapists, providers and educators in the southern California area who provide services and assistance to students with disabilities and their families. The organization hosts twice-yearly networking events, and provides an online resource for the community that includes information about various events in the area as well as a directory. WOSEP's online directory is a place to locate special education attorneys, educational advocates, speech therapists, occupational therapists, behaviorists, educational therapists, and other providers all in one go-to location online.
Check out WOSEP's general webpage here: http://www.wosep.com/ and the online directory here: http://wosep.com/wosep/directory.php
Check out WOSEP's general webpage here: http://www.wosep.com/ and the online directory here: http://wosep.com/wosep/directory.php
Resource of the Week, a New Series
In order to continue our efforts to use this blog as a means to provide information that will be helpful to our readers in the special education community, we will be starting a new weekly post in which A2Z will share resources that we find useful. These may be online resources, information about books / printed publications, information about parent support or training, or anything else we think is a worthy resource for parents, advocates, providers, educators and others in the field. We hope you find this information helpful!
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Related Services: Services for Parents
Although not often included within an IEP document there are related services provided for under the law that are specific to Parents. The 2006 IDEA Part B regulations made it clear that while the 2004 statute did not include these services, the Department of Education believed that retaining the parent services were necessary in order to provide parents with counseling and training necessary to support the implementation of their child's IEP. See Analysis of Comments and Changes to 2006 IDEA Part B Regulations, 71 Fed. Reg. 46573 (2006).
There are five types of related services that an IEP team may find are appropriate for parents:
1) Counseling and guidance of parents regarding hearing loss and the related service of audiology. 34 CFR 300.34(c)(1).
2) Parent counseling and training. 34 CFR 300.34 (c)(8) This includes assisting parents in understanding the special needs of their child, providing parents with information about child development, and helping parents to acquire the necessary skills that will allow them to support the implementation of their child's IEP.
3) Planning and managing a program of psychological counseling for children and parents. 34 CFR 300.34 (c)(10).
4) Group and individual counseling with the child and family. 34 CFR 300.34 (c)(14).
5) Counseling of parents regarding speech and language impairments and the related service of speech pathology. 34 CFR 300.34(c)(15).
A parent may be eligible to receive sign language training in order to have the necessary skills to implement the child's IEP. See 34 CFR 300.34(c)(8). Although not automatically provided to parents of a student who is deaf or who has speech deficits, it is required when an IEP team decides that such training is needed for the student to benefit from special education. See Letter to Dagley, 17 IDELR 1107 (OSEP 1991); see also Letter to Anonymous, 19 IDELR 586 (OSEP 1992).
Hearing officers have also found that a LEA has to reimburse parents for private evaluations of students finding that the assessment was required to help parents acquire the necessary skills that will allow them to support the implementation of the child's IEP. See Hawaii Dep't of Educ., 102 LRP 3706 (SEA HI 2000) (finding that the state education department had to reimburse parents for testing and evaluations of their child performed by a private evaluator).
Parent training can also be provided in the home setting. In re: Student with a Disability, a hearing officer determined that an IEP for an 8-year old with Autism was not sufficient because it did not include parent training. In that case the IHO cited New York state regulation that mandated parent counseling and education for the purpose of enabling parents to perform appropriate follow-up intervention activities at home for children who were classified as autistic. The IHO concluded that the evidence overwhelmingly pointed to the need for training to enable the parent to perform follow-up ABA therapy in their home. Furthermore, the IHO disagreed with the district's position that simply informing the parent that she could come to school and observe ABA instruction was sufficient to satisfy its IDEA requirements. See In re: Student with a Disability, 102 LRP 8600 (SEA NY 2000).
Under some circumstances, transportation services are also available to parents when a student is placed at a residential placement. The IDEA does not set a minimum on the number of parents visits that a LEA is expected to fund to the residential facility. If a state or district policy on the number of trips does exist, however, it must allow for a case-by-case determination of how much visitation is necessary given the student's unique needs. A district may be required to fund a number of visits to a placement in order for parents to participate in other related services. In New Prairie United School Corporation, the court found that the district was obligated to fund either 12 parental visits to the school annual or 12 visits home, where parental visitation allowed for parents to participate in a family therapy program and training. See New Prairie United Sch. Corp., 30 IDELR 346 (SEA IN 1999). In Aaron M. by Glen M. and Lindy M. v. Yomtoob, the court found that parents were entitled to six trips per year to son's out-of=state residential placement in order to learn skills and strategies to work with their son. See Aaron M. by Glen M. and Lindy M. v. Yomtoob 38 IDELR 122 (N.D. Ill. 2003).
There are five types of related services that an IEP team may find are appropriate for parents:
1) Counseling and guidance of parents regarding hearing loss and the related service of audiology. 34 CFR 300.34(c)(1).
2) Parent counseling and training. 34 CFR 300.34 (c)(8) This includes assisting parents in understanding the special needs of their child, providing parents with information about child development, and helping parents to acquire the necessary skills that will allow them to support the implementation of their child's IEP.
3) Planning and managing a program of psychological counseling for children and parents. 34 CFR 300.34 (c)(10).
4) Group and individual counseling with the child and family. 34 CFR 300.34 (c)(14).
5) Counseling of parents regarding speech and language impairments and the related service of speech pathology. 34 CFR 300.34(c)(15).
A parent may be eligible to receive sign language training in order to have the necessary skills to implement the child's IEP. See 34 CFR 300.34(c)(8). Although not automatically provided to parents of a student who is deaf or who has speech deficits, it is required when an IEP team decides that such training is needed for the student to benefit from special education. See Letter to Dagley, 17 IDELR 1107 (OSEP 1991); see also Letter to Anonymous, 19 IDELR 586 (OSEP 1992).
Hearing officers have also found that a LEA has to reimburse parents for private evaluations of students finding that the assessment was required to help parents acquire the necessary skills that will allow them to support the implementation of the child's IEP. See Hawaii Dep't of Educ., 102 LRP 3706 (SEA HI 2000) (finding that the state education department had to reimburse parents for testing and evaluations of their child performed by a private evaluator).
Parent training can also be provided in the home setting. In re: Student with a Disability, a hearing officer determined that an IEP for an 8-year old with Autism was not sufficient because it did not include parent training. In that case the IHO cited New York state regulation that mandated parent counseling and education for the purpose of enabling parents to perform appropriate follow-up intervention activities at home for children who were classified as autistic. The IHO concluded that the evidence overwhelmingly pointed to the need for training to enable the parent to perform follow-up ABA therapy in their home. Furthermore, the IHO disagreed with the district's position that simply informing the parent that she could come to school and observe ABA instruction was sufficient to satisfy its IDEA requirements. See In re: Student with a Disability, 102 LRP 8600 (SEA NY 2000).
Under some circumstances, transportation services are also available to parents when a student is placed at a residential placement. The IDEA does not set a minimum on the number of parents visits that a LEA is expected to fund to the residential facility. If a state or district policy on the number of trips does exist, however, it must allow for a case-by-case determination of how much visitation is necessary given the student's unique needs. A district may be required to fund a number of visits to a placement in order for parents to participate in other related services. In New Prairie United School Corporation, the court found that the district was obligated to fund either 12 parental visits to the school annual or 12 visits home, where parental visitation allowed for parents to participate in a family therapy program and training. See New Prairie United Sch. Corp., 30 IDELR 346 (SEA IN 1999). In Aaron M. by Glen M. and Lindy M. v. Yomtoob, the court found that parents were entitled to six trips per year to son's out-of=state residential placement in order to learn skills and strategies to work with their son. See Aaron M. by Glen M. and Lindy M. v. Yomtoob 38 IDELR 122 (N.D. Ill. 2003).
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