Rights and Responsibilities of Parents of Children with Disabilities (continued)

• Develop a partnership with the school. Share relevant information about your child's education and development. Your observation can be a valuable resource. 

• Ask for an explanation of any aspect of the program that you don't understand. Educational terms can be confusing, so do not hesitate to ask. 

• Make sure the IEP or IFSP goals and objectives are specific and measurable. This will ensure that everyone teaching your child is working toward the same goals. Take the IEP or IFSP home to think about it before you sign it. You have 10 school days in which to make a decision. 

• Make sure your child is included in the regular school activities program as much as is appropriate, including, at least, lunch, recess, and non-academic areas such as art, music, and physical education. 

• Monitor your child's progress and periodically ask for a report. If your child is not progressing, discuss it with the teacher and determine whether the program should be modified. As a parent, you can initiate changes in your child's educational program. 

• Try to resolve directly with the school any problems that may occur with your child's evaluation, placement, or educational program. Most states have protection and advocacy agencies that can provide you with the guidance you need to resolve a problem. 

• Keep records. There may be questions about your child that you will want to discuss, as well as meetings and phone conversations you will want to remember. It is easy to forget important information that is not written down. 

• Join a parent organization. Besides sharing knowledge, experiences, and support, a parent group often can be an effective force on behalf of your child. Parents often find that, as a group, they have the power to bring about needed changes to strengthen special services. 

As the parent of a child with a disability, what can you offer the IEP or IFSP process?

Parents of children with disabilities can and should be involved in a number of ways, including the following: 

• Before attending an IEP or IFSP meeting, make a list of things you want your child to learn. Take notes about aspects of your child's behavior that could interfere with the learning process. Describe the methods you have found to be successful in dealing with these behaviors. 

• Bring any information the school may not already have to the IEP or IFSP meeting. Examples include copies of medical records, past school records, or test or evaluation results. Remember, reports do not say all there is to say about a child. You can add real-life examples to demonstrate your child's ability in certain areas. 

• Find out what related services are being provided, and ask each professional to describe the kind of service he or she will be providing and what improvement you might expect to see as a result of these services. 

• Ask what you can do at home to support the program. Many skills your child learns at school can also be used at home. Ask to meet with the teacher when your child is learning a new skill that could be practiced at home. 

• Discuss methods for handling discipline problems that you know are effective with your child. 

• When you feel teachers and school personnel are doing a good job, tell them. 

What are the resources available to help you?

Your local and state education agencies have information to help guide you through the special education process. Since the specific criteria and procedures used by school districts may vary, your local director of special education can help you access such information. Additional resources are available from national organizations. Some of them will also be able to direct you to local and state chapters that can provide more local support. 

Resources

The ARC, 500 East Border Street, Suite 300, Arlington TX 76010; Tel: 209.832.4300. 
Children with Attention Deficit Disorders (CHADD), 8181 Professional Place, Suite 201, Landover, MD 20785; Tel: 301.306.7070. 

The Council for Exceptional Children, 1920 Association Drive, Reston, VA 20191-1589; Tel: 888.cec.sped (Toll Free); Tel: 703.620.3660. 

Learning Disability Association (LDA), 4156 Library Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15234; Tel: 412.341.1515. 

National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities (NICHCY), PO Box 1492, Washington, DC 20013; Tel: 800.695.0285 (Toll Free); Tel: 202.884.8200.