The Wrightslaw Way

Mark your calendars! Join Pete in Oklahoma City, Pat in St. Paul and Wayne in Peoria, IL.
FREE - December 3, 2009: Oklahoma City, OK - Special Education Law and Advocacy Training sponsored by the  Oklahoma Disability Law Center and Partners in Education Advocacy. Speaker: Pete Wright.
December 3, 2009: St. Paul, MN - From Emotions to [...]

My 6 year old grandson has ASD, Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis, & Hypermobility Syndrome. He is prone to fractures and in danger of re-fracturing the same bone over & over.
He was physically restrained at school and received numerous bruises. The principal said he was restrained for rocking back & forth in a chair. My [...]

Want to become an advocate or fine tune your advocacy skills?
It’s never too late to catch up on Summer School for Advocates at http://www.wrightslaw.com/nltr/09/summer.school.advocates.htm
When you complete the 5 part series, you’ll find your certificate here.
Need A Pocket Manual for Advocates? Get a free download…

Does a teacher or service provider have the right to refuse to be recorded during an IEP meeting? Is there caselaw or code that deals with this?
An IEP meeting should focus on how to provide appropriate education to a child with a disability. There should be no conversation at an IEP meeting that cannot [...]

This time of year the football chant is ringing in our heads - “We’ve got the pow-er!” This year, get some of that advocacy power!
“Key changes in the special education arena this year have given parents more decision-making power regarding their children with special needs. For example…

Act today to share your concerns about:

Closing the disability achievement gap
Ensuring a meaningful education that enables every child to succeed
Meaningful parent participation in IEP meetings and as equals in educational planning
Using effective, research based programs and highly qualified teachers
Restraint/seclusion

Do it today! Email deadline for comments/concerns is Wednesday, September 9 by 5:00 pm EDT
Email [...]

Last week we posted about using an IEP Parent Attachment to add input to your child’s IEP.
We heard immediately from Daunna who wrote:
The question was “How can I deal with [the school's refusal to include a parent attachment]?”
Judy Bonnell’s parent attachment form is a great idea, but it’s not really an attachment unless the school [...]

School has started for some or is just around the corner for others. Time to check out the fall lineup for Wrightslaw conferences.
September 18, 2009: Indianapolis, IN - IDEA 2004 and NCLB: What You Don’t Know CAN Hurt You! sponsored by the Autism Society of Indiana, and DisabilityGoTo, Inc. Speaker: Wayne Steedman.
October 16-17, 2009: Virginia [...]

Thanks to Chicago Special Education Examiner, Kindall Nelson, who reviews and recommends books every parent of a child with special needs should read.
Several of Kindall’s favorites, she says are “invaluable to parents, teachers, and others,” are our favorites too.
Don’t miss

Who is your child’s first teacher? You are. Who is your child’s most important role model? You are. Who is responsible for your child’s welfare? You are. Who has your child’s best interests at heart? You do.
You know your child better than anyone else. The school is involved with your child for a few years. [...]