Do you have a child with a disability, who receives special education services?

Does your child with a learning disability or autism, still struggle academically, even with the services? This article will give parenting tips, on what a free appropriate public education (FAPE) is, and how you can help your child receive it.

FAPE stands for free appropriate public education. Below are two different definitions for FAPE:

1. The definition of FAPE under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), special education and related services that are provided at public expense, meet state standards, are appropriate, and are provided in conformity with an individual educational plan (IEP).

2. In a recent court case N.R. vs Kingwood Township the court decided that for a child to receive FAPE, the IEP (Individual Educational Plan) must allow the child significant learning, and give meaningful educational benefit.

Free appropriate public education is one of the most difficult concepts for parents and special education personnel to understand, and agree upon.

You can help your child receive FAPE by doing the following things:

1. Have high expectations for your child. With appropriate instruction, your child should be able to keep up with their age and grad appropriate peers (unless they have a intellectual disability).

2. Make sure that your child is receiving appropriate instruction, for their disability. If your child has a learning disability in reading, there are specific curriculums that will help your child learn to read. You may have to investigate them yourself, and bring the information to the IEP team.

3. Make sure that your child’s teacher is trained in the appropriate instruction. Some reading programs recommend that a teacher be certified in the specific method, in order to use the method effectively.

4. Make sure that your child is receiving the appropriate instruction for a long enough time, that will help them make progress. A lot of curriculums recommend amount of instruction time; make sure these are written in your child’s IEP, and are followed by school personnel.

5. Make sure that the curriculum that is being used is research-based. This means that there is research that proves that the curriculum works to help children learn.

By following the above suggestions, you will be on your way to ensuring that your child receives a free appropriate public education. You must be assertively persistent and vigilant, if your child is to learn and have a full life!

Resource Box: JoAnn Collins is the mother of two adults with disabilities. She has helped parents navigate the special education system for over 15 years. Her book “Disability Deception; Lies Disability Educators Tell and How Parents Can Beat Them at Their Own Game” is filled with advocacy tips and resources to help parents. To sign up for a wonderful newsletter, send an E mail to: JoAnn@disabilitydeception.com. For a link to more free articles, go to: www.disabilitydeception.com.