Wrightslaw - Special Ed Advocate Newsletter, June 12, 2002 (Issue 168)

At Wrightslaw, we help you gain the information and skills you need to navigate the confusing world of special education.

Highlights: Strategies for success - how one parent used school's test scores to get an ABA program; searching for successful strategies; Congress wants your Great IDEAs about IDEA 2002; people love FETA; advocacy training in Orlando; free pubs about IEPs and transition.

The Special Ed Advocate newsletter is free - please forward this issue or the subscription link to your friends and colleagues so they can learn about special education law and advocacy too. We appreciate your help!

https://www.wrightslaw.com/subscribe.htm

Do you want to learn more about special education advocacy? Learn how you can start a FETA Study Group.

https://www.wrightslaw.com/info/advo.feta.groups.htm

1. Strategies for Success: How I Used School Evaluations to Get ABA Therapy

In this issue, we introduce Strategies for Success, a new series of articles by parents about successful advocacy strategies. We will publish new articles from time to time on the Fetaweb.com site. We hope you enjoy the first "Strategies for Success" article by Sam's mom:

"My son Sam has autism. For 10 months, he received ABA therapy and made good progress. We recently moved to a new town. The school staff were not familiar with ABA therapy and were very skeptical about our ABA program. I had to persuade the new school to continue Sam's ABA therapy program . . . "

How did Sam's mom persuade school staff to provide her child with the ABA program he needs? Learn about "cold hard numbers", objective test scores, and subjective observations.

Read her advice about when to get a comprehensive evaluation, why you should provide information to the school, and how to build healthy relationships with school personnel in "How I Used the School's Test Scores to Get an ABA Therapy Program" at:

http://www.fetaweb.com/success/test.scores.aba.htm

2. The Search is On! Strategies for Successful Advocacy

We are collecting stories about successful advocacy from parents and advocates. Do you have a success story and advocacy strategy to share?

Learn more about our search for Success Stories at:

https://www.wrightslaw.com/info/advo.success.stories.htm

Learn more about Parent Advocacy at:

https://www.wrightslaw.com/info/advo.index.htm

3. IDEA 2002: Congress Wants Your Great IDEAs

On June 6, 2002, the U.S. House of Representatives unveiled a new website called Great IDEAs. Congress is asking parents, teachers and others for recommendations about how to strengthen and improve the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

Learn how you can submit your ideas at:

https://www.wrightslaw.com/news/2002/reauth.great.ideas.htm

If you are the parent of a child with a disability, you represent your child's interests. You need to stay informed about changes to the law that may affect your child. If you are a teacher or special education service provider, the reauthorized law is likely to affect you and your job.

For news and progress reports about the reauthorization of IDEA, bookmark the IDEA 2002 Page at https://www.wrightslaw.com/news/idea2002.htm

To learn more about key issues and changes Congress may make in the law, please visit the IDEA 2002 Resources page -

https://www.wrightslaw.com/info/idea2002.resources.htm

4. Wrightslaw Advocacy Training in Orlando - June 21 - June 22, 2002

School is out - and you need to fine-tune your advocacy skills before fall. Combine work and play! Join us for an advocacy training program, then reward yourself with a mini-vacation in Orlando.

The registration fee is very reasonable and includes a copy of Wrightslaw: Special Education Law (Retail: $29.95), conference materials for both days, a cookie break on Friday.

Please register early - most Wrightslaw training programs sell out early. To learn more, please visit the Orlando Conference Page at:

https://www.wrightslaw.com/speak/02.fl.htm

Questions? Please call 407-737-2566 or 888-558-1908.

NOTE: This is the last program scheduled until Fall, 2002!

To learn how you can bring Pete & Pam Wright to your community, read our FAQs about Advocacy Training Programs at:

https://www.wrightslaw.com/speak/faqs.htm

5. Summer Seminars from Kerrlaw

Minnesota attorney Sonja Kerr is offering Summer Seminars about parent rights and options in Minnesota. Topics include IEPs, Assistive Technology, Extended School Year, Behavior Plans and more (see schedule below).

To learn more about these Seminars, please visit Sonja Kerr's speaking page on the Harbor House Law Press site:

http://www.harborhouselaw.com/speak/kerr/schedule.htm

6. "Superb . . . Very highly recommended for all parents" ". . . the best, practical, informative, empathetic book . . ."

"A superb reference, From Emotions To Advocacy is very highly recommended reading for all parents of children in need of adapted or special education services .. . Filled with tips, tricks, and techniques and an immense wealth of resources, from Internet sites to advocacy organizations to worksheets, forms, and sample letters to guide one's written communication." - Midwest Book Review

In Wrightslaw: From Emotions to Advocacy - The Special Education Survival Guide, you learn:

• How to become an expert about your child’s disability and educational needs
• How to organize your child’s file
• How to use information from tests to understand your child’s disability
• How to use test scores to monitor and measure your child’s progress
• How to write SMART IEP goals and objectives

"From Emotions to Advocacy is the best, practical, informative, empathetic book on the market. It's amazing and thrilling to be an advocate for 15 years, to read FETA, and feel the thrill of 'Oh, my God! that is so true', and to be able to sharpen my skills." Fran, New Hampshire advocate

Read what people are saying: https://www.wrightslaw.com/bks/feta/feta.reviews.htm

Learn more about Wrightslaw: From Emotions to Advocacy:

https://www.wrightslaw.com/bks/feta/feta.htm

Internet Orders: https://www.wrightslaw.com/store/index.html

Mail & Fax Orders: https://www.wrightslaw.com/bks/orderform.htm

7. Free Pubs About IEPs & Transition

The heart of your child's special education program is the Individualized Education Program (IEP). These books will teach you how to write IEP goals and objectives that target your child's problems.

A Guide to the Individualized Education Program

This publication from the U. S. Department of Education describes how to write IEPs that improve teaching, learning, and educational results. Includes contents of the IEP; IEP team members; writing the IEP; placement decisions; implementing the IEP; revising and revising the IEP; resolving disagreements about the IEP; sample IEP form, information and resources, the federal regulations for IEPs, and guidance about IEPs.

http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSERS/OSEP/Products/IEP_Guide/

Designing Individualized Education Program (IEP) Transition Plans

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires schools to prepare students with disabilities for employment and independent living. Transition planning that involves students and their families leads to post-school success and independence. Article describes how to design quality IEP transition plans.

http://ericec.org/digests/e598.html

More Free Pubs: https://www.wrightslaw.com/links/free_pubs.htm

Free Newsletters: https://www.wrightslaw.com/flyers/free.nwltrs.pdf