A special section just for parents of special education children. Activities,
resources and lots of information to assist you with your special child.
If you have an
interest in Gifted and Talented, please visit that section for the
many resources for that topic.
Frequently Asked Questions
Video and Print Resources National
Advocacy Groups
Parent Resources Homeschooling
for Special Needs
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
I think my child may need special help in school. What do
I do?
Begin by finding out more about special services and
programs for students in your school system.
Also find out more about the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This law gives eligible children with disabilities the
right to receive special services and assistance in school. These services are known as
special education and related services. They can be important in helping your child at
school.
To learn more about special education, keep reading.
Who is eligible for special education?
Certain children with disabilities are eligible for special
education and related services. The IDEA provides a definition of a "child with a
disability." This law lists 13 different disability categories under which a child may be found eligible for special education and related services. The IDEA categories for
disabilities are:
- Autism
- Deafness
- Deaf-blindness
- Hearing impairment
- Mental retardation
- Multiple disabilities
- Orthopedic impairment
- Other health impairment
- Serious emotional disturbance
- Specific learning disability
- Speech or language impairment
- Traumatic brain injury
- Visual impairment, including blindness
According to the IDEA, the disability must affect the
child's educational performance. The question of eligibility, then, comes down to a
question of whether the child has a disability that fits in one of IDEA's 13 categories
and whether that disability affects how the child does in school. That is, the disability
must cause the child to need special education and related services.
How do I find out if my child is eligible for special
education?
The first step is to find out if your child has a
disability. To do this, ask the school to evaluate your child. Call or write the Director
of Special Education or the principal of your child's school. Say that you think your child has a disability and needs special education help. Ask the school to evaluate your
child as soon as possible.
The public school may also think your child needs special
help, because he or she may have a disability. If so, then the school must evaluate your
child at no cost to you. Excerpted from: Questions Often
Asked by Parents about Special Education Services. (September, 1999). NICHCY Briefing
Paper. National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities.
Check
It Out! -
The Canadian
Abilities Foundation has a phenomenal Web site which
aggregates resources for parents and other users in Enable
Link. There is information on daily living with
disabilities, a chat room to connect families and much
more.
VIDEO AND
PRINT MATERIALS
Bracewell & Patterson Solutions,L.P. has produced a video and manual
"A Guided Tour of Special Education" which is designed to give all parents,
surrogate parents and foster parents of students with disabilities the background
information necessary to effectively participate in the special education process. There
is an English and Spanish version of the set available. Contact Bracewell & Patterson
Solutions,L.P., at 711 Louisiana Suite 2900,Houston, Texas 77002 or call (713)223-2900 for
more information. You may also visit their Web site at: http://solutions.bracepatt.com
ADVOCACY
GROUPS
TRI's Parent Advocacy page
A
place for information and resources for parents of children with disabilities,
educational, transition and school-to-work issues.
Pacer
Center
Based on the concept of parents helping parents, the PACER Center expands
opportunities
and enhances the quality of life of children and young adults with
disabilities and their families.
Special
Education and Advocacy
Attorney Reed Martin has compiled much of the law and a
lot of opinion at this Web site.
COPAA
Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates is
an independent, nonprofit, tax-exempt organization of attorneys, advocates and parents
established to improve the quality and quantity of legal assistance for parents of
children with disabilities.
Internet Special Education Resources (ISER)
ISER is a directory, similar to the Yellow Pages,
focused exclusively on special education and learning disabilities resources
HOME SCHOOLING
SPECIAL NEEDS
A
to Z Home's Cool Home Schooling
Ann Zeise has created a
comprehensive list of resources for
home school parents. This is an excellent starting point for
special needs home schooling.
ABAMaterials
This company produces two flash card CD-ROMs
with thousands of color photo images which parents can print and
use to stimulate and teach speech, language and communication.
HomeSchoolZone
This Web site has excellent material for parents with special
needs and gifted
children.
Homeschooling
Children with Special Needs
List of links for parents
who are home schooling special needs children.
ParentSoup
A site aimed at families that includes a disabilities
message board, homeschooling message board, & IRC chats on
homeschooling, Tourette's Syndrome, & ADD/ADHD. To access
either of these, you must join Parent's Place. Simply fill out
Join Parent Soup & fill in your name, a nickname, your e-mail
address, & a password. You nickname is the name you will be
known as in the discussion groups & IRC chats.
Ten
Steps to Successfully Home schooling Children with Special Needs
Parent, Susan Bowman, has written a clear, practical article on the challenges of home
schooling a special needs child.
PARENT RESOURCES
All
Parents Engaged in Learning
APEL Education Consultancy trains parents of learning disabled or dyslexic
students to use computer assistive technology to move toward full inclusion.
Aspen
Education Group
Provides education, treatment and rehabilitation services to meet
the unique needs of at-risk youth and their families.
