Customer Reviews

Autism: Asserting Your Child's Rights to a Special Education

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A thoughtful and comprehensive guide to the legal aspects of special education including IEP meetings, extended school year, least restrictive environment, section 504, and obtaining outside services. This is one of the top rated books for special education on our Children's Disabilities Information site because the discussions of the various special education aspects of autism are based on practical experience.

It is not a recap of the typical education system response! For example, topics include obtaining extended school year support, the importance of professional evaluations, and the problem of schools mislabeling children with autism as having mental retardation. Along with detailed guidance on special education, approximately 1/3 of this large format book consists of 60 example forms for most any contingency you might run into, such as requesting records, requesting test results and test protocols, complaints, and more.

Be sure to definitely read this before your child's next IEP.

I've been dealing with IEPS and special education programs for my son for several years and this book still taught me a lot! It is well written, very easy to read, and covers almost everything you have to contend with.

Sadly, the quality of a child's special education program relies mostly on the parent's ability to advocate. This book will empower you to be a much better advocate for your child.

This book is a valuable tool for navigating the complex world of special education law and programs.

I'd also like to thank the author and editor for all their work putting this book together -- it is going to help so many parents and children!

This book is an excellent resource for any parent of a special education child -- not only for a parent of a child with autism. Attorney Dave Sherman gives parents much very helpful information getting through the SE system. I highly recommend it for all parents trying to cope with their child's special education needs.

This book is a must have, especially for those who have a newly diagnosed child with autism. If memory serves me correctly, US Rep. Dan Burton had a grandson with autism and he went to a school meeting because his daughter was having such a hard time getting an appropriate education... my point in sharing this is that you need to be prepared from the very beginning (being nice and/or influential is not going to do it for you, you need to be knowledgeable regarding your child's rights) and this book will do that for you. It is an easy read with many excellent templates for letters (some with the applicable law referenced), and it is a breeze to find just what you need. I also like that it is written especially for parents of children with autism. I have a 19 yr old now and wish I'd had this book a long time ago!

I am a mother of three boys ages 2,4,and 6. My four your old son was diagnosed with autism at 30 months old. As devastating as it has been it is very important to know as soon as possible how to assert you child's rights to a special education. This book tells you how to do just that. It's easy to use and written in a way that if I don't have much time I can find information on exactly what I'm looking for fast. I highly recommend this book.

This book was very helpful with my daughter's transition into school dept recently. She turns 3 in July and I had been told in my transition meeting that she would not qualify for ESY because they would not know if she would regress.
I sat in her IEP and explained that it was my understanding of the law that we did not have to prove regression just loss of emerging skills. A statement that I would never have used before the book. My daughter got ESY without a fuss from the Special Education Director who had been the one to tell me that she would not :)
I would like to see more than about the IEP from a little ones experience though. I feel that the book will become even more help as she grows.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has an autistic child. Some of the information has been so valuable and has helped me become aware of rights that I didn't even know existed. Don't believe that the school knows your child's needs better than you do. Arm yourself with the information this book provides. You are the strongest advocate for your child.

This is a very well written, informative book on being an advocate for your child within the school system. I recommend it highly!

I found this book to very well written, but because special ed laws can vary from state-to-state, some of what it said was inaccurate for my state. That said, a lot of it WAS helpful, and overall I am glad I bought it.