This book is an alternative account of special education from the cross-generational perspective of 15 mothers whose children labelled learning dis/abled (LD) attended public schools during the last four decades.

Written by parents who have been through the US special education system, this book cuts through the jargon to provide other parents with a no-nonsense road map full of valuable first-hand insights and tried-and-tested advice. The authors clearly describe: · the special education process, including the school hierarchies parents are likely to encounter and etiquette to be aware of when dealing with school personnel · the information parents should expect to see in school evaluations and Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), and what to do when this information is missing or insufficient · problems parents may encounter when the needs of the school conflict with the needs of a child, including how to deal with such situations and when to seek legal advice · the importance of organizing special education documentation and establishing a 'paper trail', and how to begin this process · why transition planning is so important, and transition services parents may want to consider for their child. Demonstrating that parents really do have the power to make special education work for their child, this empowering guide is essential reading for parents of children with disabilities who are new to the special education system in the US, as well as those who feel frustrated with the system.

Be your child's best advocate! Children with special needs who succeed in school have one thing in common--their parents are passionate and effective advocates. It's not an easy job, but with The Everything Parent's Guide to Special Education, you will learn how to evaluate, prepare, organize, and get quality services, no matter what your child's disability. This valuable handbook gives you the tools you need to navigate the complex world of special education and services, with information on: Assessment and evaluation Educational needs for different disabilities, including multiple disabilities Current law, including the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Working within the school system to create an IEP The importance of keeping detailed records Dealing with parent-school conflict With worksheets, forms, and sample documents and letters, you can be assured that you'll have all you need to help your child thrive--in school and in life!

Irreverent, thought-provoking, hilarious, and edgy: a collection of personal stories celebrating motherhood, featuring #1 New York Times bestselling authors Jenny Lawson and Jennifer Weiner, and many other notable writers. Listen to Your Mother is a fantastic awakening of why our mothers are important, taking readers on a journey through motherhood in all of its complexity, diversity, and humor. Based on the sensational national performance movement, Listen to Your Mother showcases the experiences of ordinary people of all racial, gender, and age backgrounds, from every corner of the country. This collection of essays celebrates and validates what it means to be a mother today, with honesty and candor that is arrestingly stimulating and refreshing. The stories are raw, honest, poignant, and sometimes raunchy, ranging from adoption, assimilation to emptying nests; first-time motherhood, foster-parenting, to infertility; single-parenting, LGBTQ parenting, to special-needs parenting; step-mothering; never mothering, to surrogacy; and mothering through illness to mothering through unsolicited advice. Honest, funny, and heart-wrenching, these personal stories are the collective voice of mothers among us. Whether you are one, have one, or know one, Listen to Your Mother is an emotional whirlwind that is guaranteed to entertain, amuse, and enlighten.

Provides an insider's view of the special education process for parents and teachers This book explores the special education process-from testing and diagnosis to IEP meetings and advocating for special needs children. Step by step the authors reveal the stages of identification, assessment, and intervention, and help readers to better understand special needs children's legal rights and how to become an active, effective member of a child's educational team. Grounded in more than twenty-five years of working with parents and educators, the authors provide significant insight into what they have learned about the special education. This book fills the gap in the literature for the millions of children receiving special education services and the parents who are clamoring for information on this topic. Includes valuable tools, checklists, sample forms, and advice for working with special education students Demystifies the special education process, from testing and diagnosis to IEP meetings and advocating for children New editions covers Response-to-Intervention (RTI), a new approach to diagnosing learning disabilities in the classroom; expanded coverage of autism spectrum disorders and bipolar disorder; and a revamped Resources section.

More than three million children in the U.S. have been diagnosed with a learning disability, and their parents, more often than not, feel at a loss as to where to turn for both practical and emotional help. Anne Ford, who raised her severely learning disabled daughter Allegra and became an advocate for LD children, understands this all too well. In A Special Mother, Ford offers reassurance and information on getting through the early period surrounding the diagnosis: Guidance about coping with the emotional upheaval and confusion of a childs diagnosis Information on getting an accurate diagnosis and understanding what it means Advice on caring for your own psychological needs Knowing your rights Suggestions for striking a balance between advocacy and obsession Filled with voices of other mothers who have struggled with the issues of raising an LD child, A Special Mother lets parents know they are not alone, and that they can enable their child to thrive.