your legal rights

Infants and children up to age three are now eligible for early intervention services including an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP). The IFSP is a written account of personal and social services needed to support a family with a young child at risk for future difficulties because of a disability. Children between the ages of three and five are also eligible for services, including an Individual Education Plan (IEP).

New categories, including developmental delays for children three to nine, autism, and traumatic brain injury, have been added to the list of those served under Special Education.

Other laws in the United States protect people with disabilities against discrimination. Two of them, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), ensure the civil rights of all people with disabilities.

These web sites offer specific, jargon-free explanations of the latest amendments to IDEA, and also answer other legal questions.

The Disability Rights Activist: http://www.disrights.org
IDEA 97: http://www.kidstogether.org/
US Department of Education: http://www.edlaw.net/home.html

disability evaluations
Many states provide multidisciplinary evaluations for children, and the protocols for those evaluations are often determined by IDEA. Although this is a federal law, how it is implemented varies from state to state. As an example, in North Carolina, IDEA is implemented somewhat differently for the two age groups: birth to three and three to five. The Developmental Evaluation Centers, which are located at 18 locations throughout the state, provide multidisciplinary evaluations for children ages birth to five. However, case management and intervention services are provided by different agencies for children birth to three and three to five. For children ages birth to three, case management is provided through the Child Service Coordination program (often implemented through the county public health centers), and early intervention services are provided through the local area mental health/substance abuse/developmental disabilities programs. For children ages three to five, case management and intervention services are provided through the public school system.

talk to teachers

The meeting to plan the individual educational program (IEP) may be particularly intimidating for parents. These web sites offer helpful hints for preparing for and speaking effectively at these meetings.

Band-Aids & Blackboards-When Chronic Illness.Goes to School: http://funrsc.fairfield.edu/~jfleitas/contents.html
Educational Information: http://www.askeric.org/Qa/
Understanding the IEP: http://www.ldonline.org/

helpful resources

Here is a list of web sites that address specific issues of special needs, dynamics and support, social acceptance and how to access community resources.

Help for Parents Beach Center on Families and Disability, University of Kansas: http://www.beachcenter.org
Exceptional Children's Assistance Center: http://ecac-parentcenter.org
Exceptional Parent: http://www.eparent.com/
Family Village: http://www.familyvillage.wisc.edu
Federation for Children with Special Needs: http://www.fcsn.org/resource.htm
Kids on the Block-Social Acceptance: http://www.kotb.com
The Sibling Support Project: http://www.chmc.org/departmt/sibsupp/
Time Out for Families chat room: http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/timeoutforfamilies

print handouts

special education abbreviations

your legal rights

Infants and children up to age three are now eligible for early intervention services including an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP). The IFSP is a written account of personal and social services needed to support a family with a young child at risk for future difficulties because of a disability. Children between the ages of three and five are also eligible for services, including an Individual Education Plan (IEP).

New categories, including developmental delays for children three to nine, autism, and traumatic brain injury, have been added to the list of those served under Special Education.

Other laws in the United States protect people with disabilities against discrimination. Two of them, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), ensure the civil rights of all people with disabilities.

These web sites offer specific, jargon-free explanations of the latest amendments to IDEA, and also answer other legal questions.

The Disability Rights Activist: http://www.disrights.org
IDEA 97: http://www.kidstogether.org/
US Department of Education: http://www.edlaw.net/home.html

disability evaluations
Many states provide multidisciplinary evaluations for children, and the protocols for those evaluations are often determined by IDEA. Although this is a federal law, how it is implemented varies from state to state. As an example, in North Carolina, IDEA is implemented somewhat differently for the two age groups: birth to three and three to five. The Developmental Evaluation Centers, which are located at 18 locations throughout the state, provide multidisciplinary evaluations for children ages birth to five. However, case management and intervention services are provided by different agencies for children birth to three and three to five. For children ages birth to three, case management is provided through the Child Service Coordination program (often implemented through the county public health centers), and early intervention services are provided through the local area mental health/substance abuse/developmental disabilities programs. For children ages three to five, case management and intervention services are provided through the public school system.

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