Review (PDF) Nolo's IEP Guide: Learning Disabilities
Create an individualized education plan (IEP) and secure the education your child deserves! Children with learning disabilities have different needs than other kids in special education -- let Nolo's IEP Guide: Learning Disabilities help you work with your child's school to make sure those needs are met. This one-of-a-kind book walks you through the Individual Education Program process, providing all the instructions, suggestions, resources, and forms you need to understand the special education system. Step by step, you'll learn how to: understand your child's rights prepare to make your case untangle eligibility rules and evaluations develop effective IEP goals figure out the best programs, services and teaching strategies get ready for IEP meetings resolve disputes with the school district do legal research on learning-disability issues The 5th edition has been updated to reflect the latest laws, federal regulations, and court decisions that affect the IEP process, and includes fully up-to-date forms, sample letters, and resources to help you every step of the way. Plus, read an expanded section about "appropriate" education measures resulting from a recent U.S. Supreme Court case, and get new details on eligibility for special education services for your child.
Series: Nolo's IEP Guide: Learning Disabilities
Paperback: 442 pages
Publisher: NOLO; 5 edition (April 7, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 141331323X
ISBN-13: 978-1413313239
Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 1.2 x 11 inches
Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #335,657 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #26 in Books > Law > Specialties > Disability #50 in Books > Law > Specialties > Educational Law & Legislation #215 in Books > Law > Legal Self-Help
I'm afraid, however, that while Nolo's IEP Guide had a lot of potential, it not only fails to provide adequate information on what to do when IEPs go sour (which is, more often than not, what happens) but that some of the material, particularly information on ADHD, in the book is simply WRONG. Let me make this clear, I have sat through hundreds of IEPs over the years and have had first hand experience dealing with school districts that have not only committed egregious violations of laws against special needs children but that these violations have been subtantiated by federal and state agencies, including the United States Department of Education (USDE), Office for Civil Rights, and the USDE Family Policy Compliance Office - which enforces the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). I've also prevailed in Due Process hearings.Although Nolo's IEP Guide: Learning Disabilities contains much useful information parents, especially those who do not have adequate or experience dealing with the IEP process (and most don't), most will not be able to spot the errors in this book - which could ultimately harm their children. Some of these errors include:1. One VERY important thing for all parents to do when preparing for IEPs is to make sure that they have ALL of their child's education records as defined by FERPA (this means they need EVERY record including by not limited to their child's COMPLETE file and ANY document that is shared by District employees, teachers, etc. with others in the District). While Siegle's guide barely mentions FERPA, he provides an example "letter" on how to demand those records. That letter, found on page 43, cites FERPA and infers that Districts must produce those records within five days of the request. That however, is WRONG!
I had borrowed a copy of Mr. Siegel's The Complete IEP Guide: How to Advocate for Your Special Ed Child from our library back in 2008 when going through the IEP assessment process for my 2nd child (his speech delay turned out not to be severe enough to meet the legal criteria for an IEP in our state). I found the book very helpful in figuring out what I needed to do step-by-step-by-step. My 3rd child will be aging out of Early Intervention at the beginning of 2012 so we'll be going through the process again soon. Again I appreciate the clarity that Mr. Siegel brings to an often-confusing sea of acronyms and legal technicalities.As this "IEP Guide: Learning Disabilities" seemed very similar to my recollection of The Complete IEP Guide: How to Advocate for Your Special Ed Child, I went ahead and checked out a copy of that book from my library in order to do a side-by-side comparison. The "IEP Guide: Learning Disabilities" appears to have the full text of the original book with a few minor differences in organization (for example, chapters 4 and 5 are combined). It then adds a 6 page chapter entitled "What is a Learning Disability?" discussing the legal definition of a LD and how to recognize the signs of one. There is also a section added to the chapter on eligibility for an IEP specifically devoted to LD's. Other than that, the two books appear virtually identical.For that reason, I would have to disagree with the reviewer who called this book a "companion" to the original volume.
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