Download- Dr. Kari Miller- How To Get The Most Out Of 504 Plans
Download Dr. Miller’s Show. Right click and choose “save as” to keep the show on your computer.
Dr. Kari interviews special needs attorneys Lori Kirsch-Goodwin and Hope N. Kirsch about what every parent needs to know about 504 plans for their child. In this episode you’ll learn:
* what 504 plans are,
* how they are different from IEPs,
* how to work with the school district to get a comprehensive 504 plan for your child,
* what documentation is needed to qualify for a plan,
* how to get these evaluations,
* what options are available to parents if the school refuses to qualify your child for a plan or refuses accommodations, and
* what to do if the school district does not comply with the provisions of your child’s plan.
You’ll want to phone in with questions! Ms. Kirsch-Goodwin and Ms. Kirsch’s website.
Download – Succeeding at a Due Process/ Fair Hearing
On this episode of Special Kid School Talk Dr. Kari interviews Jeff Gottlieb, special needs attorney, who provides you with tips and strategies for success at a due process/ fair hearing. Mr. Gottlieb will describe the resolution, mediation, and due process procedures so you know what to expect and discuss how to prepare for each type of meeting. This show will prepare you to be a more successful advocate for your child, even if you never have to file for due process. The IEP is over and you’re unhappy with one or more of the provisions in your child’s IEP. Maybe it’s the placement, or services, or accommodations, or goals. All you know is that you want more for your child and you want to know what to do next! The phase after the IEP is daunting to most of us (me too!).
Click here to see Mr. Gottlieb’s website.
Download – Parents–Learn How to Get the Most From Your Child’s School
On this episode of Special Kid School Talk Dr. Kari interviews Robert Nemanich, parent of two highly successful college students who were diagnosed in elementary school with dyslexia. Children with special needs can receive a weak education in public school unless parents know how to get the most out of the system.
Download – Father Fights School District
On this episode of Special Kid School Talk Dr. Kari interviews a father of a student in a large public school district about his fight to receive a decent education for his child. He will share his tactics for receiving appropriate accommodations for his son and how he backed the school district into a corner! You don’t want to miss this show if your child attends a public school.
Download – The IEP Maze: Navigating Through The Special Education Process
Ask the Expert
Parents of kids with IEPs understand how difficult it can be to work with the school system to get an appropriate education for their child. Many parents don’t fully realize the services and educational placements they can get, or how to obtain them. Arlene Bell, special education attorney provides an overview of the Individuals with Disabilities Act and strategies for getting education that meets your child’s educational needs.
Nine Strategies for Getting the IEP Your Child Needs
Parents of children with Individual Educational Plans (IEPs) realize that this process was developed in order to provide an opportunity for parents and educators to come together to make important plans for a special needs child. However, the process is complicated and often can be confusing and stressful. Below are some strategies to ease the stress and maximize the results for your child.
Develop a vision statement or master plan for your child’s life
A vision statement should come from your heart; what outcomes do you want for your child’s life? Will your child pursue a college education? What career options do you foresee? From this picture, you can develop short and long range goals for your child in academic and non-academic areas. You will need to be very clear about how your child’s strengths and weaknesses affect his/her learning. Be sure you have short term goals for what you would like your child to accomplish this school year, as well as intermediate-term goals which are the milestones you want your child to achieve by the end of elementary, middle and high school. Clear goals give you the vision needed to make good decisions on your child’s behalf.
Educate yourself about the process and hidden agendas
Parents can easily feel intimidated and isolated unless they take the time and care to learn “the ropes.” Learning the ropes involves much more than knowing your legal rights. It also includes understanding the informal procedures at a school, the relationships among the members of the IEP team, and the position that a school traditionally adopts regarding educating special needs kids. School districts do not like to develop new approaches, set precedents or agree to services they perceive as expensive. Federal law (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) states that the power to determine educational programs and services resides in the IEP team; however, the hidden truth is that school personnel are not given the power to make decisions regarding costly or non-traditional educational services. These decisions are made by administrators. Be prepared for resistance and develop strategies in advance to deal with this resistance. Know your “bottom line” so you can bend on areas that are not crucial to you and stay committed to the goals that matter most. Read more
Educational services for pediatric cancer survivors – Foundation ThinkAgain makes learning possible!
Imagine that you are six years old and you’ve had a fever for days that your doctor can’t seem to bring under control with typical antibiotics. Then one day, when you get out of bed, your legs collapse…
Now you are in a hospital waiting for chemotherapy (you have been diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia). Your mother and father are in the room with you, as the nurses get you ready to have a needle inserted into your arm…
You spend most of the time at home. You feel tired pretty much all of the time. You throw up sometimes and you can’t get rid of the persistent nausea. You don’t have any hair…
When you finally return to school and try to take up where you left off, you’re so far behind, you get overwhelmed (the last thing you need now if you are going to completely recover from acute lymphoblastic leukemia) …
You can’t remember everything. Sometimes it’s hard to pay attention. It’s getting harder and harder to read. Your teachers feel sorry for you, but they don’t know what to do… Read more
Special needs students: Transition and Community College (insider secrets parents need to know)
Emily Iland, a Los Angeles award-winning author, advocate, and leader in the autism community, offers the third installment in the discussion about preparing college-bound students with special needs for post-secondary education before they leave high school.
Ms. Iland’s insights, based on experience with her own son and dozens of advocacy clients, are widely applicable to individuals on the autism spectrum as well as other special learning needs. The following article has valuable information for all parents of students with IEPs and/or ITPs, whether their child has a learning disability, ADHD or other learning problem requiring special education services.
The insider secrets about transition and community college
There is a well-kept secret that needs to be shared: Community College can be an excellent and FREE transition resource for students with autism and other disabilities while they are still in high school! Read more
For Parents of Special Needs Students: Raising a Successful College Graduate
Children with special needs have experienced more frustration and academic failure than most other children. Yet, some of them become successful college students who graduate with a specialty in a chosen field.
Sadly, most do not. Only about 57 percent of students with disabilities graduate from high school, and only about 10 to 15 percent of those graduating attend college.
What are some reasons students succeed in college? How can parents help their child be among those who accomplish this challenging undertaking?
Parental expectations are a key factor
Children who are raised with the belief that they have the skills to be successful at the college of their choice, if they desire to pursue a college education, have a great advantage! They prepare all of their lives for the experience of college. All through their school years they make powerful decisions that lay the foundation for college success.
Read more
What Students Need To Know To Thrive In College
Personal qualities that support academic success
Students who have the following personal qualities are much more likely to thrive in college. You can read more detailed descriptions of the qualities that insure college success here.
- Self-awareness and self-acceptance
- Proactivity as opposed to reactivity
- Perseverance
- Skill in setting short and long-range goals
- Use of effective support systems
- Strong emotional coping strategies
Understanding a student’s rights in college
Individuals with special learning needs are guaranteed special supports in elementary and high school by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. However, in college, no such guaranteed protections exist. Therefore, students need to work congenially with colleges to obtain reasonable accommodations that will facilitate their success.
Read more
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