PRS Education Issues

Many of our children will require special services from the school district. We are including some tips from veteran parents who have firsthand knowledge of the educational process.

IEPs are crucial to the development of our children. There are so many aspects to a successful IEP. The first is needs. Every child, just based on the different factors involving PRS, has unique needs. These needs might include Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Speech Therapy and special classroom help.

Specific goals need to be written into the IEP. Many parents initially leave these to the "professionals" or they assume because they discuss something that it has to be implemented. If the goals aren't written down specifically, they may not be acted upon. Then precious time is lost.

Parents might want an outside assessment of their child. Because of conflicts of interest in certain school districts and because of financial concerns, many special services are not obtained. We need objective people to evaluate our children.

Parents need to keep their emotions, as much as possible out of these meetings. Much ground can be lost if we are angry or accusatory towards the teachers or principals. We run the risk of being written off as hysterical parents.

Many parents have found it useful to have an an advocated involved in the IEP meetings. This person is trained to know the laws and often can explain things to the parent in an understandable fashion. They can also make sure the laws are being followed and the child's best interest is considered. If you need an advocate, please and we will try to assist finding an agency that can help you.

An informed parent is a child's best advocate.