Special Education Law and Advocacy
According to the American Psychological Association, 40-50% of marriages in the United States end in divorce. Of all children born to married parents this year, 50% will experience the divorce of their parents before they reach their 18th birthday. (Patrick F. Fagan and Robert Rector, “The Effects of Divorce on America,” Heritage Foundation Backgrounder, May 2000.) […]
A group of smart minds in the New Jersey world of special education gathered and put together an excellent guide to assist schools, parents, and providers in helping children with dyslexia. They recently issued “The New Jersey Dyslexia Handbook: A Guide to Early Literacy Development & Reading Struggles” (PDF) which is free to download from […]
In the Comments describe your worst experience advocating for a child with a disability with your school district. Did they fail to adequately find or evaluate a disability? Did they design a poor IEP? Did they fail to take your suggestions for the IEP? Are you unhappy with the placement or classroom for your child? […]
NOTE: This change applies to the appointment of a guardian for a person receiving services from the Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD). It does not change the requirements for guardianship of a person outside the DDD system. I was recently asked if Nurse Practitioners (“NPs”) or Physician Assistants (“PAs”) are qualified to complete affidavits to […]
I’m going to lie to you. About special education law. So don’t read any further. You’ve been warned. (If you continue reading, you’ll see why.) I’m a special education lawyer who represents parents and children with special needs. (All you heard was “lawyer”, so you know I’m lying. So stop reading now.) If you become […]
Soapbox time. Many of you don’t know what Common Core is or don’t care (because you don’t have children in K-12 any longer), but I’m here to tell you the evils of Common Core throughout our society. And it’s not as obvious as you would think. Common Core was established to sound good and […]
You may look at the title and think you’ve accidentally wandered onto a blog about pack animals. No, don’t worry, you’re in the right spot. I’m not talking about actual beasts of burden, but rather the beast of the burden of proof in special education disputes and how to overcome the beast that it is […]
If you are a parent of a child with a disability, READ UP! This is YOUR Bill of Rights for your child’s IEP: Your child is entitled to a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) as provided by an IEP. An IEP must be in place at the beginning of each school year your child is […]
If you fell and broke your arm, would you go to a heart surgeon? Of course not. You would go to an orthopedic doctor who could determine whether you need a cast, sling, surgery, etc. The same principle applies in law. If someone has sued you for cutting down the tree on their property, you wouldn’t […]
If you are a parent of a special education student or advocating for one, do yourself a favor and . . . PRINT OUT THIS ARTICLE (or at least the plan below). Not only will this article save you time and lots of money, it will help you understand how best to help your child […]
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