Reading & Other Learning Disabilities

From Reading & Other Learning Disabilities

A Blog by Dr. Gary G. Brannigan and Dr. Howard Margolis

Many parents face this problem: their child struggles severely and unsuccessfully to learn how to read. Yet, the school will not classify him as having a specific learning disability. He can’t get help that’s sufficient and explicit enough for him to overcome his reading problems. One reason may be the vague, ambiguous, inexact definition of “specific learning disability” used by the federal law and its rules and regulations.

The Federal Definition As you might see, the federal definition of specific learning disability is open to different interpretations:  Read more...

From Reading & Other Learning Disabilities

A Blog by Dr. Gary G. Brannigan and Dr. Howard Margolis

Parents of children in special education often ask, “How can I get the training I need to help my child at home?” As we discussed in our post of November 14^th, Getting Counseling and Training to Help You Help Your Child (http://www.reading2008.com/blog/getting-counseling-training-to-help-you-help-your-child.htm), training to understand your child’s special needs and to support your child’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) is a related service.

If the school’s IEP Team members say “No. It’s not what we do, it’s not required by law,” we suggest that you show them what the federal rules and regulations about special education say:  Read more...

From Reading & Other Learning Disabilities

A Blog by Dr. Gary G. Brannigan and Dr. Howard Margolis

Last week, we discussed five evaluation and IEP traps that often harm children with reading disabilities. Today, we’ll discuss five more.

Agree or Disagree: It’s fair to ask a school to measure a child’s progress once or twice a year, but asking a school to objectively measure progress weekly is simply asking too much. It’s “overkill.”  Read more...

From Reading & Other Learning Disabilities

A Blog by Dr. Gary G. Brannigan and Dr. Howard Margolis

Last week, we presented ten statements to expose evaluation and IEP traps that often harm children with reading disabilities. Today, we’ll discuss the first five.

Agree or Disagree: For an evaluation to help a child, it should focus on testing the child with widely used standardized tests that compare him to other children of his age or grade.  Read more...

Evaluation and IEP Traps

From Reading & Other Learning Disabilities

A Blog by Dr. Gary G. Brannigan and Dr. Howard Margolis

If your child is eligible for special education and you’re involved in developing his IEP, you may want to think about and respond to these statements. Next week we’ll post our responses.  Read more...

1. Agree or Disagree: For an evaluation to help a child, it should focus on testing the child with widely used standardized tests that compare him to other children of his age or grade.
2. Agree or Disagree: Schools should use a child’s test scores to determine the method(s) most likely to help her.

From Reading & Other Learning Disabilities

A Blog by Dr. Gary G. Brannigan and Dr. Howard Margolis

If your child has autism, what’s the best program or method for teaching him? Despite lots of hype, lots of claims, lots of testimonials, no one knows.

But unfortunately, many parents and school personnel mistakenly believe that all children with autism need the same instructional program or method, that only one program or method is universally recognized as the best, that only it is appropriate, that only it can help these children.

The Literature

The professional literature contradicts this view. Here’s a sampling:  Read more...

Here are 15 guidelines that can strengthen the effectiveness of your advocacy.

1. Have your child evaluated by experts who can identify your child’s needs.

2. Make sure you understand his needs before you meet with school personnel to discuss his needs and possible interventions.

3. Make specific requests (in writing) for meeting his needs; support your requests with reports from well-credentialed experts, experts whom the school respects.

4. Treat people with respect, even if you disagree with them, even if they reject your requests.  Read more...

From Reading & Other Learning Disabilities

A Blog by Dr. Gary G. Brannigan and Dr. Howard Margolis

If your child is eligible for special education, perhaps. One key to getting help is to show the school that his social and emotional problems are impeding his learning or that of his peers. Another is to show that they’re blocking him from achieving a primary goal of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA): “To ensure that all children with disabilities have [an] education that [meets] … their unique needs and prepare[s] them for further education, employment, and independent living” (34 CFR § 300.1). A third is to show that involvement in a social and emotional learning (SEL) program is critical for him to achieve his academic goals.  Read more...

Perhaps.

If your child is eligible for special education, he may be entitled to virtually any nonmedical service he needs to benefit from special education. To get him services, you need to first learn what he needs and then request it. Here’s a reasonable strategy to increase the odds of getting him what he needs.  Read more...

• First, get written reports from well-credentialed, private specialists. Make sure you fully understand the reports and they tell the school what services your child needs, why he needs them, and why they’re essential for him to benefit from special education. Share these reports with your child’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) Team.

Nothing can ensure that your child’s IEP meeting will be productive. However, you can increase the odds that it will be. Here’s one way. Before the meeting, meet with your child’s case manager and agree on how the meeting should be organized. You have a right to do this as you’re an important member of the IEP Team.

Fortunately, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA-2004) and the format of the IEP offer an excellent sequence for developing the IEP. Unfortunately, the sequence is often ignored and critical parts of the IEP are given the short shrift.  Read more...