First thing: don\’t be worried about the readability of this book. I tend to mentally prepare myself for exhaustion when I see hints that lawyers were involved in writing something I\’m about to read… but despite the law-firm-sounding name, Wrightslaw has actually put together a fairly plainspeak guide. Normally one can expect a certain level of… fine print, I guess? Evasiveness. And just in general, a lack of clarity. The authors of this book clearly made a point of avoiding that convention in favor of plainer answers, as much as possible. I strongly approve. I get very tired of trying to sort through Legalese, as I call it. I much prefer simple, concise, clear wording.
My second major impression of this book\’s contents is pleasant surprise. Generally when one mentions \”education\” I think of academics. But whoever wrote the laws governing IEPs was apparently very aware of how truly different one child can be from another. As such, IEPs can include everything from transportation to therapy to assistive technology. From the stories I\’d heard, I kind of assumed the IEP was only meant to help a child learn math, reading, writing, etc. But in fact, if deemed appropriate and necessary for the child\’s development, the school can provide things like ABA therapy, social skills groups, a wheelchair, or even a laptop for taking notes on.
I had no idea so many things were covered under the law, and it\’s flatly astonishing to know that someone (probably many someones) gave so much thought and concern to a population that most people wish would just disappear. Whoever wrote those laws was exceptionally forward-thinking. Normally people love to put special-needs children into little categorical boxes and say, \”You need this because you\’re this, and you don\’t need that because you\’re this.\” Under the set of laws we have currently, it\’s illegal for schools to do that. Instead, they are required to examine the child\’s specific needs, strengths, and weaknesses, and make a plan based on those things. That\’s the \”Individualized\” in \”Individualized Education Plan.\”
Naturally, no matter how well-written the law, there will be people trying to bend it this way and that to avoid expense, effort, and time. Which is why this book makes a point of answering a lot of commonly asked questions, grouped into 14 different subjects. Topics included in this book are: how to write a good IEP, who\’s included in the IEP team, what kinds of services can be included in an IEP, transition services, how to resolve disputes with the school, and even what things to do when you\’re transferring schools.
While this wasn\’t the most riveting book I\’ve ever read, it did answer pretty much every question about IEPs that I\’ve ever heard from a confused parent, and a lot more besides. It even makes the point of telling you when laws may differ by the state, and prompts you to do research of your own. There are also links to additional resources interspersed in the pages, such as a comprehensive list of all the services and accommodations you could ask for in an IEP, sample letters to a school regarding a particular issue, and checklists to photocopy and take with you to IEP meetings.
After reading this book, I kind of wonder what my IEP would have looked like, if I\’d had one. I didn\’t really struggle academically, save for a few subjects I really didn\’t like or care about. But if the education includes appropriate development… the IEP would probably have to have something about reducing my anger issues in middle school. Maybe emotions recognition and management training? I still find that somewhat challenging, but I think I\’m improving. And perhaps something to help with my chronic anxiety and depression. I bet that last one would\’ve been a headache and half, though, both for my parents trying to fight for it, and for me having to sit through it. I\’m also not sure I would have appreciated it, at the time. I was pretty set on being left alone in middle school and high school. Of course, perhaps having a therapist or someone I knew could be trusted to help me help myself might have changed that. I have no idea.
realisticautistic 