When Robyn Sanders began to notice that her son Dylan was having speech difficulties, she turned to her son’s pediatrician.
“We became concerned when Dylan turned two and still was not talking. Our pediatrician referred us to early intervention,” she says.
Sanders and her husband discovered Achievements, a local agency that provides both special education and general education services to children in the Capital District
“They guided us through the process. Dylan was evaluated and was approved to receive speech, OT and special education,” Sanders says.
Though it may sound simple, the special education process can sometimes be a confusing one. From not knowing where to begin to the hundreds of acronyms, terms, legal acts and not knowing your child’s rights, finding the right services and funding for your child can be an uphill battle. But there are organizations out there that can help.
“The process is sometimes very confusing and paperwork heavy,” Sanders says.”There is a lot of information and verbiage coming at you at all times. It can be overwhelming.”
So, where do you begin?
Tami Callister, Executive director of Achievements, says the starting point depends on the child’s age. As in the Sanders’ situation, the first source was their child’s pediatrician. Though a child’s doctor can always be a good source, guidance counselors, social workers, psychologists and teachers are also good starting points for grade school children.
“At Achievements, we provide evaluations to determine if children have needs. If services are warranted, we provide psychological services, speech, physical therapy and occupational therapy,” Callister says.
Achievements also helps to point parents in the right direction.
“We get a lot of calls that are for nothing we provide services for, but we give them information and will try to point them in the direction they need. Sometimes parents need to be linked with social services, disability support or a law clinic for understanding what your child’s right are,” Callister says. “Parents are probably most frustrated when they can’t connect to resources.”
She adds that sometimes the services are fragmented and parents are left wishing that everyone knew the same thing about their child – the physician, the school and the service providers.
“Places like the Child Care Coordinating Council and programs such as the Parent Network are amazing,” Callister says.
Liz De Libero, Program Director at Parent Network of the Capital Region, says it is their goal for families and schools to work together.
“We help families understand the process,” she says. “It can be a complicated, daunting and difficult process. We help them understand their rights, regulations and responsibilities. We help them with strategies for communicating positively with the school, being involved and to understand different parts of the process.”
The Parent Network of the Capital Region is an agency under Wildwood Programs funded by the New York State Education Department.
De Libero says questions such as ‘what is an Individualized Education Plan (IEP), what should be on the document and what does that mean?’ are all common questions of parents going through the process.
So, where does a place such as the Parent Network come in to play?
“What happens is if a family suspects that their school age child has a disability, the school district does an evaluation. They have standard tests and procedures they use to look at how a child is functioning academically and behaviorally. Depending on the disability, they then have a meeting with a Committee on Special Education (CSE) to look at whether the child is eligible for services,” De Libero says.
In New York State there are 13 different disability classifications ranging from emotional disturbance to a learning disability, says De Libero. Where it can get tricky she says, is that the classification is not necessarily the name of the disability.
“It’s just where it fits. For example, ADHD is not the classification – it is usually classified under health impaired or sometimes it could be a learning disability. It has to fit under one of the 13 classes to get services. Disability alone does not necessarily mean they will need services,” she says.
Once the child is deemed eligible for services, De Libero says the parents will receive a Prior Written Notice (PWN) informing the parents in writing of the school district’s recommendation regarding the identification, evaluation and education placement of the child. This is where places such as the Parent Network come in.
“Many districts have our center listed as a place to get information,” De Libero says. “We have a relationship with several school districts. This is how it works best, when schools and families work together.”
However, De Libero says the school does not have to refer parents to the places such as the Parent Network.
“A lot of parents comes to us through our website, or the New York State Ed website,” she says. “There are 12 centers in New York State now.”
De Libero says lately she is seeing a lot of confusion and questions related to the common core learning standards and disabilities.
“There is a misunderstanding because of the way the state rolled out the common core. Kids with disabilities are allowed certain modifications and accommodations based on the disability and their IEP,” she says. “There seems to be a concern that because of common core that everyone had to do the same thing and kids can no longer receive those accommodations, and that’s not true.
The Parent Network recently brought in an expert who explained Common Core and how it impacts kids with learning disabilities and had more than 50 people sign up. New York State also recently added information to the EngageNY website providing more information and guidance about disabilities and Common Core.
“There are also some really good videos there about how we can have the same learning objectives for kids functioning at different levels – just how we get there is different or the degree of participation is different,” De Libero says.
It’s issues such as these that De Libero says they are there to help with.
“We are here to help parents advocate for their children,” she says. “The number one thing is communication. We very often have parents call and say we need an advocate. Once we meet with them, they are more educated about the process and so they feel more confident to advocate for their child.”
De Libero says it is a long relationship with the school district and it’s important that it’s a positive one.
“Sometimes parents feel anger or frustration and direct that towards the school. It’s important to approach the school in a positive and collaborative way. There is a balance between being assertive and friendly but advocating strongly for your child,” she says.
The Parent Network has a grief and coping workshop run by parents with kids who have already been through the process.
“They do a training to help parents understand that having a child with a disability … there is grief that goes along with that,” she says. “Both of them really know how to work with the system. They advocate for their children and maintain positive relationships understanding there are good years and bad years.”
All in all, Callister says it’s important to be patient and don’t give up.
“If you don’t feel like you are getting the answers you need, keep asking questions. If it doesn’t feel right, trust your gut. Sometimes in everyone’s busy world, kids get put on the back burner not intentionally.”
Sanders says to always remember you are your child’s advocate and sometimes you might need to push to be sure your child is receiving the services they need.
“Communication is key,” she says.
