Are you trying to get Floortime into your program? Get more services? Get individual attention for your child, or get more hours? The National Academy of Sciences put together a very important paper called Educating Children with Autism, where it reviews treatment options, intensity, and outcomes and makes clear recommendations regarding education and early intervention. This link will give you access to a summary. You can buy the full report here, as well, if you want.
Want to make sure implementation is strong, as well and their goals? This implementation plan can help. It can either be used to bring into the IEP with you, or as a collaborative tool to work with your IEP team.
- tons of legal help for IEP's. Explains IDEA2004.
- Wrightslaw information as it pertains to autism and related disorders. Key information as it relates to your child's rights, a review of caselaw, and also the school's limits in terms of dealing with behaviors.
http://www.handsandvoices.org/articles/education/popup/pop_index.html
Feeling disenfranchised? Tired of showing up at your child's IEP and leaving dazed, confused, and frustrated? Feel like everytime you make a suggestion, you hit a brick wall? This site will give you common "hurdle talk" that can keep your child's IEP from being successful, and you from advocating successfully for your child. Become empowered, learn the laws and understand your rights to advocate for a communication-driven education for your child.
http://www.whittedclearylaw.com/CM/Publications/publications48.asp
School threatening to change your child's placement or remove or reduce services, and you don't agree? This site explains the "Stay Put" provision that provides very important protection for your child in these cases.
http://icdl.com/ICDLguidelines/toc.htm
These are ICDL Clinical Practice Guidelines. In Part Four, there is quite a bit of information regarding when our children shoudl go to school, what type of enviorment is important, and certain factors that would be important to request in an IEP.
LEGAL RESOURCES/ADVOCACY
Attorneys:
Monahan & Cohen
http://www.monahan-cohen.com/home/
They also make many public presentations and have some very useful links on their site. Check it out!
Mauk & O'Conner LLP
Sara Mauk and Michael O'Connor
1427 W. Howard St.
Chicago, IL 60626-1426
773/508-9799
773/338-8397 (fax)
www.maukoconnor.com
This husband and wife team is very powerful. They have fought and won many cases with CPS. They come highly recommended from many families.
Special Education Advocacy Center
Jill Dressner
1935 South Plum Grove Road
PMB#274
Palatine, IL 60067
Ph: 847-736-8286
Fax: 847-397-7011
Email: jmdressner@aol.com
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
A.C.E Autism Center for Enlightenment
http://www.illinoisautism.com
A.C.E. is a new organization that was founded by parents and members of the medical community. One of the founders is an attorney and parent of a child with Autism. A.C.E. plans on hosting seminars of legal issues and helping families with their legal battles. Continue to check out their website as they develop their organization.
Designs for Change
http://www.designsforchange.org/
DFC's Special Education Reform Program provides assistance to families, principals, teachers, Local School Councils and social service agencies to assist them in creating appropriate education programs for Chicago students with disabilities.
Project CHOICES
http://projectchoices.org/
Project CHOICES is a "least restrictive environment" initiative funded by the Illinois State Board of Education. Its purpose is to increase the capacities of school districts and educational personnel to educate and provide support services to children and youth with disabilities in the preschool, school and community environments in which they would participate if not identified as having a disability.
Equip for Equality
http://www.equipforequality.org/
Equip for Equality's mission is to advance the human and civil rights of people with physical and mental disabilities in Illinois. This statewide advocacy organization provides self-advocacy assistance, legal services, education, public policy advocacy and systems monitoring.
Family Resource Center on Disabilities
http://www.frcd.org/
Among other services, the Family Resource Center on Disabilities conducts free seminars on the special education rights of children with disabilities, how to participate effectively in the IEP process, how to prepare for a successful due process hearing and transition and future planning, among many other topics.
DO NOT's:
DO NOT SIGN ANY DOCUMENT you don't agree with or question!!!
DO NOT accept "we can't provide that"!
DO NOT accept "our Early Childhood program is full right now" or "At this time, we can't give you an evaluation appointment"
DO NOT be afraid to fight the system for your child
DO NOT be intimidated by school officials
DO NOT be afraid to contact your school board members, local, state, and federal representatives if your voice is not being heard. Your child brings funds from all of these branches to your school. Officials can decide to cut funding to the school if you let them know that the school is not meeting your child's needs.
DO's:
DO WRITE/RECORD EVERYTHING (this means EVERY conversation, document, phone call and interaction) for your records
DO ADVOCATE for your child
DO Remember YOU KNOW YOUR CHILD BETTER THAN ANYONE
DO KNOW YOUR CHILD"S RIGHTS!!!
DO bring an advocate, friend, therapists, and family members to IEP Meetings. You have the right to bring as many pople as you wish.
DO ask the school if you can bring a tape recorder to any meeting you have
DO Remember from age 3-18 the school systeml has a legal obligation to serve your child. Your school system and you will be together a
long time. Go in knowing your child's rights!!!
DO use your voice for your child to be heard!!!
DO Know that your child bring's in tens to hundreds of thousands of FEDERAL dollars to the school he/she attends. Many public schools and school programs would not exist if schools did not receive $$ for its special needs students. Many schools in Chicago got programs and schools funded by first attracting special needs children so they could get the necessary funds.
Do Know who are your school board members, principal, superintendant, local, state and Federal Reps.
Do Know that in the city of Chicago we do not vote for our school board members. The Mayor assigns them. Arnie Duncan, CPS's CEO, has never taught or worked in a school. He is 33 yrs. old. CPS is in a $300 million dollar budget defecit.
Do know that the Stae of Illinois in 2006-2007 state budget did not give one penny to support our families and children.
Education Law