| 1. |
Delay is Deadly – Human development and education happens, and it is impossible to recover days lost in the life of a child.
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| 2. |
Parents are Experts – In the ivory tower world of special education, there are many experts, but none more knowledgeable or reliable than the parents of the child.
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| 3. |
Parents are Equal – At least they are under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, where an equal partnership between parents and school systems is mandated.
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| 4. |
Parents are Advocates – There are many professionals in school systems who advocate for children (and many more who just say they do), but none of them can do what a child’s parents do.
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| 5. |
“I” equals “Individualized” – As in Individualized Education Program, the single most powerful aspect of a disabled child’s schooling, the right to individualized treatment.
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| 6. |
Education is Broad – Under the IDEA, it is much more than reading, writing and arithmetic, but concerns social/emotional development, organization, and self concept.
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| 7. |
Schools are Responsible – Not for everything, but for a lot. The school systems are trained in this federal law, receive federal money under it, and are presumed to know what they are doing. They are therefore responsible.
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| 8. |
Appropriateness Bounds LRE – The least restrictive environment for a disabled child must first be determined to be an appropriate one for him or her.
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| 9. |
All Needs Must Be Identified – Disabled children do not necessarily get the best education money can buy, but they do have the right to have all of their educational needs identified before a program is proposed.
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| 10. |
Observation is Best – Nothing substitutes for a parent finding the time to go into the school and observe in the classroom. This applies to all education, not just “special ed.”
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| 11. |
Development, Progress, Entitlement – A shorthand formula meaning nothing more complicated than a child is entitled to progress in normal human development. If this is not happening, then the IDEA provides for other paths to that natural entitlement.
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| 12. |
Sometimes, Get Help – As in the rest of life, sometimes our personal efforts are not enough. If you think you might be at that place, give us a call.
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