| Educating Down Syndrome Children | | | | 6. Make sure that your child is being held to the |
| Are you the parent of a child with autism or a | | | | same educational standards as children without |
| learning disability? Have you been fighting for | | | | disabilities, for accountability purposes. Each state |
| years to get your child an appropriate special | | | | has their own standards though national standards |
| education? Then this article is for you. This article | | | | are being developed. Educating Down Syndrome |
| will be addressing 10 steps that every parent | | | | Children |
| needs to take to finally get their child appropriate | | | | 7. Your child should have their educational |
| special and related services! | | | | progress monitored at least every 3 months |
| Children with disabilities have the right to a free | | | | (academic and functional). Many educational |
| appropriate public education (FAPE) that prepares | | | | programs have progress monitoring built in, so |
| them for post school learning, employment, | | | | check with your child's teacher. |
| independent living and financial self sufficiency, | | | | 8. Consider getting an Independent Educational |
| according to the Individuals with Disabilities | | | | Evaluation (IEE) with a child friendly evaluator that |
| Education Act (IDEA). | | | | is willing to assess your child and write a |
| Below are the 10 steps: | | | | comprehensive report, to include your child's |
| 1. Be assertively persistent and persevere for as | | | | disabilities, and recommendations for needed |
| long as it takes, for the benefit of your child. | | | | related and special education services. Ask other |
| 2. Document everything on a consistent basis, | | | | parents if they know of any really good |
| which means writing lots of letters. Remember | | | | evaluators that you can take your child to. It will |
| that if it is not written down it never happened. | | | | be worth it! |
| Documentation develops a paper trail, if you ever | | | | 9. Look into giving your school district 10 day |
| have a dispute with your school district. Especially | | | | formal written notice that you will be privately |
| write letters to follow up when the school district | | | | providing your child the related and special |
| makes promises, or says something that appears | | | | education services that they need (backed up by |
| untrue! | | | | an IEE) and you will be asking for reimbursement. |
| 3. Have high educational expectations for your | | | | There are very specific things that must be done |
| child. Schools often have low expectations, and as | | | | to ensure reimbursement, so check in IDEA to |
| a parent you must fight this for the good of your | | | | make sure that all procedures are followed. Also |
| child. Educating Down Syndrome Children | | | | check for cases on reimbursement to help you |
| 4. Make sure that your child is being taught with | | | | with your advocacy. |
| research based curriculums which No Child Left | | | | 10. If you have been fighting for years with little |
| Behind requires (NCLB). Some schools continue to | | | | to show for your fight I hope that you will |
| use outdated curriculum that are not backed by | | | | consider filing for a due process hearing! A due |
| research showing that the curriculum works to | | | | process hearing is a way for parents to settle |
| teach children with disabilities. | | | | disputes with special education personnel. It is |
| 5. Always make sure that your child is included in | | | | much more formal than an Individual Educational |
| all district and state assessments (unless they | | | | Plan (IEP) meeting, but with proper |
| have a cognitive disability), so that special | | | | documentation, and testimony from a good |
| education personnel are held accountable for your | | | | Independent Evaluator, you could possibly win. |
| child's learning. | | | | |