Navigate and Advocate: A Parent's Guide to the Special Education Process from a Mom and a Professional [Paperback]

When You Understand the Process, You Achieve Progress

Foreword by Temple Grandin

Do you think your child might have a disability and needs a school evaluation, but you don’t know where to start? Do you find the special education process with all the meetings and excessive terminology to be overwhelming? This guide can help.

The power tools needed to help build and execute a successful plan for your child are all included in this manual.

These include understanding:

• basic federal and state laws,
• documentation,
• how the process works,
• your rights as a parent,
• the value of teamwork,
• how to maintain high but realistic expectations,
• plus, IEP meeting tips!

The author’s unique perspective has been shaped by both personal and professional experiences, and in collaborating with school personnel through both roles.

Her passion for helping other parents through the complexities of special education and supporting students of all abilities shines through in Navigate and Advocate.

Be Empowered

Being introduced to the world of special education can be intimidating. So many documents, so much information, so many acronyms, so much jargon. Sitting at the table with new faces who seem to speak a different language. I’ve been there, and I decided that in order to best help my child, I needed to select credible sources to read and learn all I could about my child’s disability, the school process, the roles of members on school teams, and my rights as a parent. Little did I know this quest to support my own child would set me on a path to work in the field of special education, sit at the table as a professional to support other parents, and to earn a Master of Science degree in Special Education. Regardless of the journey, I believe all parents and guardians have the ability to succlÓ-