By Greer Gurland
As soon as I see the TV commercials for back-to-school supplies, I get butterflies in my stomach. How will this year go for my kids who have special needs? How can I prepare them, and me?
As a special education attorney, I have an unfair advantage: I know the answers to a lot of questions parents ask about what they can do to help their child with special needs succeed in school. Let me share the top five truths I want parents to know, as they send their kids off for another school year:
!. When a child is struggling in school, the answer is not always “work harder.” Children — even very bright children — can have learning or other challenges that make school rough. And schools can do a lot to help them.
2. Parents are their children’s best advocate. Schools have more resources than ever, but often parents need to share what they see and ask for their child to be evaluated in all areas of suspected disability.
3. This is a new day in special education. Children with special needs — including ADHD, dyslexia and autism — are often educated side by side their non-disabled peers. But now they can be taught differently and receive supports that help them succeed and feel good about themselves.
4. Maintaining a positive, cooperative relationship with the school is crucial when it comes to designing a school program to help your child. School personnel want to help. Work together, while letting the school know that you are an informed parent.
5. Know you are not alone in feeling stressed about how to help your child, or about what you can do to help. Connect with other parents in your school district, and learn your rights.
Greer M. Gurland is a Harvard law school graduate and special education attorney and the mother of five special needs children. Her new book is “How to Advocate Successfully for Your Child: What Every Parent Should Know About Special Education Law.” She lives in Westfield, New Jersey.
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