Reach Your Child's Potential with Professional Insights
Michele is a Special Education Consultant and Advocate and has worked as a public school counselor, school administrator, and special education advocate for over 17 years. In 2009, she founded the web site Understanding Special Education. The goal of the site is to help parents of children with special needs understand how to navigate through the special education system while working collaboratively with their school district.
Most parents know that by law, they are empowered to be an active, participating member of the Individual Education Plan (IEP) team. On my web site, I often mention how you are the voice of your child. The IEP meeting is the place to utilize this voice while participating as an equal member. Unfortunately, this [...]
I often get emails from parents stating that their school has implemented some type of program or service without their knowledge or consent. There may be times when the school deems it necessary to interview your child and sometimes a school will place your child into an intervention program without notifying you. These programs are [...]
In December I received a lot of emails from angry, frazzled parents. Grades came in, their child’s behavior had become a serious problem, and they didn’t like their new caseworker. Emotions were running high and a lot of finger pointing was going on. But behind all of the emotion, what I really heard was “I [...]
Surprisingly, over three million children in the United States have some sort of specific learning disability or special need. Schools are mandated by a federal law called the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to provide specialized services to children who qualify for special education. Every day, I receive an email from a parent asking [...]
Parents are not always aware as to what educational options are available to a child who has a disability. Maybe your child has an anxiety disorder or suffers from frequent asthma attacks and your not sure what the school can provide. For many children with special needs, a 504 plan is a great way to [...]
During my years in education, parents would often call me, angry about their child’s grades, frustrated with a teacher’s unfair policies, or simply wondering why they didn’t know their child wasn’t doing well in school. When parents don’t hear anything from a teacher, they often assume that their child is doing great and that there [...]
Utilizing the Student Study Team is often a parent’s first step of action when their child is struggling in school. Most school districts use some sort of a student study team (SST) to create intervention plans for students who are not experiencing success. The name of the group may vary from district to district but [...]
For many of us, summer vacation is a welcome break from the craziness of the school year. No homework battles, rigid schedules or projects covering the dining room table. However, it can also be a great time to reflect on how your child is progressing in school and to ask yourself some important questions about [...]
