Chicago Special Parent Magazine 2008

MENTAL HEALTH Metropolitan Family Services of DuPage 222 E. Willow Ave. Wheaton (630) 784-4800 www.metrofamily.org Murphy & Associates 19 E. 1st St. Hinsdale (630) 734-0417 National Alliance on Mental IllnessGreater Chicago 1536 W. Chicago Ave. Chicago (312) 563-0445 nami.org National Alliance on Mental Illness of Illinois-NAMI Libertyville (847) 249-1515 il.nami.org abilities and mental illness. Paul Seaman Counseling and Psychotherapy 9631 W. 153rd St. Suite 37 Orland Park (708) 256-7285 www.paulseaman.com Counseling. North Shore School Psychological Services Inc. 3000 Dundee Road Suite 205 Northbrook (847) 509-1950 www.nssps.com Counseling and mental health case management services to families and individuals of all ages. Visit the Web site for other locations throughout Chicago and Illinois. National Alliance on Mental Illness of DuPage CountyNAMI 2100 Manchester Road Building B, Suite 925 Wheaton (630) 752-0066 www.namidupage.org Neumann Association More info online www.Chicago Parent.com 5547 N. Ravenswood Ave., Chicago (773) 769-4313 www.neumann association.org Serving people with developmental dis- School psychologists providing consultation, assessment and intervention. Thresholds Psychiatric Rehabilitation Centers 4101 N. Ravenswood Ave., Chicago (888) 99-REHAB TTY (773) 880-6263 EDUCATION Prepping for IEP reviews What to do to make sure your child receives services RESOURCES BY CHLOE WILEY I t is one thing to create a detailed Individualized Education Program for a student needing special services ranging from speech therapy to modified instruction. But the implementation is a different story. Medill Reports spoke with Mary Mulae, special education litigation attorney and parent of a child with learning disabilities, about how to make sure your child gets needed services. measurable and benchmarks are set to check progress. Medill Reports: What are the IEP basics that parents should know? Mary Mulae: They need to view it as the blueprint for their child’s education. It identifies where their child is at academically, functionally and socially. Deficits are defined in the plan and it maps out how to make meaningful progress by breaking things down into annual goals. Make sure those goals are MR: What do you find should happen in meetings yet often does not? MM: I rarely go to a meeting where the discussed progress of the child is actually meaningful progress. When parents look at a child’s grades and know that they are struggling, you have to start saying ‘I don’t agree with these goals.’ Concerns need to be brought up to make sure the plan for next year is meaningful. MR: How can parents prepare for the annual IEP review meetings? MM: Review IEP progress reports, which should have been received throughout the year. Compare them to IEPs from the year before and think about what you want to see included in the IEP for the next year. Parents should have the big picture in their heads: if you see your child in college, how are they going to get there? What skills are they going to need? Make sure those skills are included in the IEP as early as possible. MR: What should parents check for before they sign the pile of IEP paperwork? MM: I’ve found some Chicago IEP forms that have a little box on the front that says I agree or I don’t agree and they have been pre-checked ‘I agree.’ So, parents have to make sure they check for things like that. If ■ www.wrightslaw.com you do not ■ www.childrenslawgroup.com like the goals ■ www.equipforequality.org or measures in the IEP, write that down somewhere in the paperwork. One thing that needs to definitely be discussed and is often not, is ESY (Extended School Year). The box for that is also checked no. ESY is for a child who might regress if they do not keep up with skills. And take a copy with you when you leave—you have the absolute right to leave that day with that form. LEARN MORE 50 | Specıal Parent 2008 CHICAGO | ChicagoParent.com http://il.nami.org http://nami.org http://www.metrofamily.org http://www.paulseaman.com http://www.nssps.com http://www.neumannassociation.org http://www.ChicagoParent.com http://www.namidupage.org http://www.wrightslaw.com http://www.childrenslawgroup.com http://www.equipforequality.org http://ChicagoParent.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Chicago Special Parent Magazine 2008

Chicago Special Parent Magazine 2008 Contents In Our Shoes Of Mothers and Mission Control A Love Story Keeping the Whole Family Well What Do I Do? Resources God's Special Child Our Kids Inspirations

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