The Los Angeles Times is running an excellent series of articles on children with autism. Part 2 of the series, entitled Warrior parents fare best in securing autism services, notes that "not all families have the means to battle for coveted assistance." To get what is best for your child, you often have to fight for it, even if it requires hiring an attorney and "waging a small war with the gatekeepers of state and school district services."
Most people cannot afford to hire an attorney to take on a school district that does not recognize the need for special education services for a child. How do those parents learn the system so that they can advocate for special education services for their child?
There is a new website that will empower parents to advocate for special education services: www.YourSpecialEducationRights.com. Hosted by Special Education Attorney Jennifer Laviano and Special Education Advocate Julie Swanson, the site provides answers to complex questions and offers practical strategies that will empower parents to advocate for their child. The site has an extensive library of videos on all aspects of special education.
The site has a yearly subscription of $85. In my view, that is a small price to pay to help manage a child's special education services.
The requirement to provide special education comes from the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which is federal law. A parent of a disabled child anywhere in the country would benefit greatly from this site.