Special Education Terms That Every Parent Should Know

Once your child is evaluated and you have had a Committee on Special Education Meeting to determine the correct initial placement and services that your child requires you find yourself in Oz. Your house, your home, your lives have survived a tornado. The storm has subsided for a moment and a new game plan has evolved. Suddenly you are in a strange land, with strange people all around you who speak another language. As a parent or caretaker who wants what’s best for your child you need to have the appropriate tools to navigate through this strange land successfully. You are responsible to protect your charge by being the best advocate for them that you can be. You need to prepare for the unexpected while living the unnatural, outside of the norm. You will be looked at strangely as will your child at times. Strange, insensitive and selfish individuals will treat your beloved like they have no worth or value. Others will attempt to treat you like you are not in charge and that you have to listen to what they have determined is the best course of action. Yet even with their college degrees, special training and often superior educations no one is better at taking care of your child than a loving, fully committed and involved parent.

I am the parent of an 18 year old ex-preemie. I have worked in the system since 1991 when I was licensed by New York City to teach K-12. A year later I gave birth to a child who was born with special needs. I have been a substitute Special Education teacher since 1997. I have also been a GED instructor since the 80’s and have taught in the SUNY college system. I am speaking to what I have learned in and about the NYS (New York State) system. You can go online and look up the regulations and specifics for your individual state. I have been involved in the system as a parent, an educator, a parent member and an advocate for parents, children and adults with special needs. I have given legislative testimony to an active NYS Senator. I have spoken and trained at workshops and seminars, I have also trained as a National Parent Member, served as the Head/Training Parent Member and attended over a thousand committee meetings as a parent, an advocate and a parent member.

I am sharing my background so that you understand that even with a certain level of "expertise" in the area I have been dismissed and disrespected by school and board personnel at times. The priority is the child, you know your child. You may have given birth to them and know them like you know yourself. You knew that something wasn’t right and now you are seeking to obtain the best services available to assist them in living a better life. To enable them to live up to their full potential with a long term goal of helping them to live a productive and useful life. So we are going to review some of the new terms you need to understand and I am going to give you some resources that can assist you along this journey.

free to take this journey with me. Dee

This journey began with a problem that you, your physician, a teacher or counselor observed and it was determined that an evaluation was needed. An evaluation to determine if special education or supportive services are needed is a series of testing. A functional behavioral assessment will help to determine why your child is exhibiting behavioral issues that are interfering with their ability to learn. A psychological performed by a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist can determine pathological and or physiological, psychiatric or neurological issues. Referrels to obtain medication or extensive neurological exams with special testing may be made. Medication can not be issued unless a psychiatrist or other doctor makes a medical determination that it’s needed. Meds can also be prescribed by a pediatrician or a neurologist. A pathological problem or condition may have left damage that requires treatment or correction (for example brain damage caused by an unknown seizure disorder).

Special Education is a separate division in most school boards. In certain towns the main function of the BOCES (Boards of Cooperative Education Services) system is providing special education services. Special Ed can be Early Intervention services for a young child in their home. Or a child may need resource room which involves a small classroom situation with a teacher who specializes in the subject your child needs assistance with. It can mean placement in a smaller classroom with other students who are also classified and have IEP's (Individualized Education Plans) that have to be followed to enable them to obtain an education. Some children require adaptive or special equipment to function in the classroom. It could be that your child can attend a few regular education classes and needs assistance and small class placement in other subjects. If your child suffers from a permanent or severe neurological disorder or other type of impairment they may need to receive instruction at a school that specializes in meeting their needs.

A bio-psycho-social is an exam that encompasses three areas. If you are being referred from a drug or rehabilitation center this exam will have been performed and a copy of it should be given to the individuals performing the educational testing. There will also be a sociological assessment (Vineland) performed where you, a teacher and possibly other caretakers will be asked questions. The social exam adds information that testing alone can’t provide to the examiners about the “subject”. It also personalizes them and can clarify testing issues. A child may know what a circle is, can tell you what it is but doesn’t have the fine motor coordination to draw one. A parent can clarify abilities in a social because of the personal nature of the questions and you are able to add clarifications where you may feel they are necessary.

After all the evaluations are done a meeting is held between the professionals to determine what if any services are actually needed. A psychologist, a social worker, a teacher, someone who performed one or some of the evaluations may be present, and a parent member. This meeting may occur a few minutes before your meeting with them. You can bring an advocate with you to the meeting. The committee on special education or sub committee that has been convened will lay out a plan to assist your child in obtaining an education with the services they need in the least restrictive environment. Once you agree to their determinations and suggestions an IEP (Individualized Education Plan) that is designed to the special needs of your child is produced. A copy of the IEP will be sent to you.

If you do not agree with the determination for services or with a determination that no services are needed you can request a re-evaluation. Your child can not be placed in the system without your permission except In extreme cases where a child is acting out and presents as a danger or their needs are deemed extensive. Then the Board of Education Chairperson may feel they have a legal obligation to assist the child and they can go to a judge and obtain a court order.

If you disagree with the level of services the committee has determined and feel that your child requires additional services you can obtain an outside evaluation (at the school systems expense). This evaluation may support your claims and then you can request an impartial hearing. An objective legal advocate trained in the laws protecting your childs rights to an education and procedures will then determine what is needed and can state that the school board has to supply the additional services requested and required.

Remember that the committee starts from the least restrictive environment and adds services as it becomes clear that these services do not meet your childs needs. There are service agencies that give assistance based on exactly what your child’s needs are. Some agencies only assist with specific needs. In New York we have used the services of AHRC (the Association for the Help of Retarded Citizens). They are located in NYC and across the state. We have also been informed that there are branches outside of the state as well. A search on the internet will assist you in finding a local agency. You should state if there is a specific determination you need information about (ie: developmental delays, autism spectrum disorders, orthopedic impairments, or TBI-traumatic brain injury, etc.), They have assisted in finding medical services, assisted with personal care, provided a case manager/service coordinator for services needed, assisted with medical transportation and more.

Some of the links I have placed in this article are definitions and others are the addresses to obtain information provided by the Commissioner on Education, The Commissioners informational website is updated on a regular basis and it recommends that you verify the information you need is up to date. I have published a hub listing the contents of the Commissioner's regulations known as part 200 and part 201. Good luck on your journey. Almost 19 years later it can still be a bumpy road, but my daughter is a blessing. I hope I was able to offer you some information that will assist you or give you a place to start looking for the answers to your questions.

This is my third article in a 30 day 30 Article Challenge I am participating in from 8/1/8/31/10 and I would appreciate your opinions. The Challenge is a way to spark creativity, increase performance and at the same time improve the quality of my writing. The first article was Facebook are they selling your information. The second article was Container Gardening for the Black thumb. Feel free to take this journey with me. Dee