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Spelling can be challenging for students with learning disabilities, especially if they struggle with reading.  The types of tools you might want to try depend on difficulties with spelling and the importance of spelling to the task that your son is trying to complete.  For example, on a writing assignment, it may be more important for your son to get his words out on paper and express his ideas than to spell every word correctly.  In those situations, your son could benefit from a writing program with word prediction or the use of a contextual spell checker.  By using software to remove the need to know how to spell every word correctly, your son can focus on the act of writing as a way of demonstrating his knowledge.

You have the right to disagree with the school's decisions concerning your child.  This includes decisions about:

• your child's identification as a "child with a disability;"
• his or her evaluation;
• his or her educational placement; and
• the special education and related services that the school provides to your child.

In all cases where the family and school disagree, it is important for both sides to first discuss their concerns and try to reach consensus.  Decisions can be temporary.  For example, you might agree to try out a particular plan of instruction or classrooom placement for a certain period of time.  At the end of that period, the school can check your child's progress.  You and other members of your child's IEP team can then meet again, talk about how your child is doing, and decide what to do next.  The trial period may help you and the school come to a comfortable agreement on how to help your child.

Always remember that you and the school will be making decisions together about your child's education for as long as your child goes to that school and continues to be eligible for special education and related services.  A good working relationship with school staff is important now and in the future.

Yes.  Under IDEA, your child must be re-evaluated at least every three years, unless you and the school agree that a re-evaluation is not necessary.  The purpose of this re-evaluation is to find out:

• if your child continues to be a "child with a disability," as defined within the law; and
• your child's educational needs.

The re-evaluation is similar to the initial evaluation.  It begins by looking at the information already available about your child.  More information is collected only if the IEP team determines that more information is needed or if you request it.  If the group decides that additional assessments are needed, you must give your informed written permission before the school system may collect that information.  The school system may only go ahead without your informed written permission if they have tried to get your permission and you did not respond.

Although the law requires that children with disabilities be re-evaluated at least every three years, your child may be re-evaluated more often if you or your child's teacher(s) request it.  However, re-evaluations may not occur more than once a year, unless you and the school system agree that a re-evaluation is needed.

Yes.  If you and the school want to change your child's IEP after the annual IEP meeting, you and the school may agree not to convene an IEP meeting.  Instead, you and the school will develop a written document that will amend your child's IEP.  If your child's IEP is changed, all IEP team members will be informed of the changes, and if you request it, the school must give you a copy of the revised IEP.

Yes.  At least once a year a meeting must  be scheduled with you to review your child's progress and develop your child's new annual IEP.  But you don't have to wait for this annual review.  You (or any other team member) may ask to have your child's IEP reviewed or revised at any time.

During the meeting to revise the IEP the team will talk about:

• your child's progress toward the goals in the current IEP;
• what new goals should be added; and
• whether any changes need to be made to the special education and related services your child receives.

This annual IEP meeting, or any periodic IEP review you might request allows you and the school to review your child's educational program and change it as necessary.

Yes.  At any time after providing initial consent, you may revoke consent, in writing, for the continued provision of special education and related services.  Once you revoke the consent, the school system may no longer provide special education and related services to your child, and they may not use mediation or due process procedures to try to override your revocation of consent.

The school must obtain your informed written consent before the initial provision of special education and related services to your child and must make reasonable efforts to obtain that consent.

If you don't respond to the request for consent for the initial provision of special education and related services, or you refuse to give consent, the school system may not override your lack of consent and implement the IEP.  The school system is not considered in violation of its requirement to make a free appropriate public education available to your child.  Your lack of consent, however, means that your child will not receive special education and related services in school.

According to IDEA, your child's IEP must include specific statements.  These include:

• Present levels of academic achievement and functional performance.
• Annual goals.
• Special education and related services to be provided.
• Participation with children without disabilities.
• Dates and location.  The IEP must state (a) when special education and related and supplementary aids and services will begin; (b) how often they will be provided; (c) where they will be provided; and (d) how long they will last.
• Participation in state and district-wide assessments.
• Transition services
• Measuring progress.

It is very important that children who receive special education participate in the general education curriculum as much as possible.  They should learn the same curriculum as children without disabilities - for example, reading, math, science, social studies, and physical education.  In some cases, this curriculum may need to be adapted for your child to learn, but it should not be omitted.  Participation in extracurricular activities and other nonacademic activities is also important.  Your child's IEP need to be written with this in mind.  When your child's IEP is developed, an important part of the discussion will be how to support your child in regular education classes and activities in the school.

The acronym IEP stands for Individualized Education Plan.  This is a written document that describes the educational program designed to meet a child's individual needs.  Every child who receives special education must have an IEP.

The IEP has two general purposes:

1. to set learning goals for your child; and
2. to state the supports and services that the school district will provide for your child.

The next step is to write and implement what is known as an Individualized Education Program - usually called an IEP.  After a child is found eligible, a meeting must be held within 30 days to develop the IEP.

If the eligibility team decides that your child is not eligible for special education, the school system must tell you this in writing and explain why your child has been found "not eligible."  Under IDEA, you must also be given information about what you can do if you disagree with this decision.

Read the information the school system gives you.  Make sure it includes information about how to appeal the school system's decision.  If that information is not in the materials the school gives you, ask the school for it.  IDEA includes many different mechansims for resolving disagreements, including mediation.  The school is required to tell you what those mechansims are and how to use them.

Also, get in touch with your state's Parent Training and Information (PTI) center.  The PTI can tell you what steps to take next.  Your PTI is listed online at www.nichcy.org/Pages/StateSpecificInfo.aspx

The decision about your child's eligibility for services is based on whether your son or daughter has a disability that fits into one of IDEA's 13 disability categories and meets any additional state or local criteria for eligibility.  This decision will be made when the evaluation has been completed, and the results are available.

If your child is found eligible, you and the school will work together to design an individualized education program for your child.  The school will give you a copy of the evaluation report on your child and the paperwork about your child's eligibility for special education and related services.  This documentation is provided at no cost to you.

Under IDEA, a child may not be found eligible for services if the determining reason for thinking the child is eligible is that:

• the child has limited English proficiency; or
• the child has not had appropriate instruction in math or reading.

The infomation gathered from the evaluation will be used to make important decisions about your child's education.  All of the infomation about your child will be used:

• to decide if your child is eligible for special education and related services; and
• to help you and the school decide on what your child needs educationally.

Professionals will observe your child and may give your child written tests or talk personally with your child.  They are trying to get a picture of the "whole child."  They want to understand such aspects as:

• how well your child speaks and understands language;
• how your child thinks and behaves;
• how well your child adapts to changes in his or her environment;
• how well your child has done academically;
• how well your child functions in a number of areas, such as moving, thinking, learning, seeing, and hearing; and
• your child's job-related and other post-school interests and abilities.

IDEA gives  clear directions about how schools must conduct evaluations.  For example, tests and interviews must be given in the language (i.e. - Spanish) or communication mode (i.e. - sign language) that is most likely to yield accurate information about what your child knows or can do developmentally, functionally, and academically.  The tests must also be given in a way that does not discriminate against your child because he or she has a disability or is from a different racial or cultural background.

IDEA states that schools may not decide on a child's eligibility for special education based on the results of only one procedure such as a test or an observation.  More than one procedure is needed to see where your child may be having difficulty and to identify his or her strengths and needs.

The following people may be part of the team evaluating your child:

• you, as parents;
• at least one regular education teacher, if your child is or may be participating in the regular educational environment;
• at least one of your child's special education teachers or service providers;
• a school administrator who knows about policies for special education, about children with disabilities, about the general educaiton curriculum (the curriculum used by students who do not have disabilities), and about available resources;
• someone who can interpret the evaluation results and talk about what instruction may be necessary for your child;
• individuals (invited by you or the school) who have knowledge or special expertise about your child;
• your child, if appropriate;
• other qualified professionals; who may be responsible for collecting specific kinds of information about your child (i.e. - school psychologist; occupational therapist; speech and language pathologist; speech therapist; physical therapist; adaptive physical education therapist; teacher; medical specialist; others).

The school collects information about your child from many different people and in many different ways.  Tests are an important part of an evaluation, but they are only a part.  The evaluation should also include:

• the observations and opinions of professionals who have worked with your child;
• your child's medical history, when it relates to his or her performance in school; and
• your ideas about your child's school experiences, abilities, needs, and behavior outside of school, and his or her feelings about school.

The school must evaluate your child in all the areas where your child may be affected by the possible disability.  This may include looking at your child's health, vision, hearing, social and emotional well-being, general intelligence, performance in school, and how well your child communicates with others and uses his or her body.  The evaluation must be individualized and comprehensive enough to determine if your child has a disability and to identify all of your child's needs for special education and related services if it is determined that your child has a disability.

If the school refuses to evaluate your child, there are two things that you can do immediately.

Ask the school system for information about its special education policies, as well as parent rights to disagree with decisions made by the school system.  These materials should describe the steps parents can take to appeal a school system's decision.

Get in touch with your state's Parent Training and Information (PTI) center.  The PTI is an excellent resource for parents to learn more about special education, their rights and responsibilities, and the law.  The PTI can tell you what steps to take next to find help for your child.  To locate the State Resource Sheet for your state, go to the following link: http://www.nichcy.org/Pages/StateSpecificInfo.aspx.

You can ask the school to evaluate your child.  Call or write to the Director of Special Education or the Principal of your child's school.  Describe your concerns with your child's educational performance and request an evaluation under IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Act), to see if a disability is involved.

The public school may also be concerned about how your child is learning and developing.  If the school thinks that your child may have a disability, then it must evaluate your child at no cost to you.  The school must ask your permission and receive your written consent before it may evaluate your child.  Once you provide that consent, the evaluation must be conducted within 60 days (or within the timeframe the state has established).

The school does not have to evaluate your child just because you have asked.  The school may not think your child has a disability or needs special education.  In this case, the school may refuse to evaluate your child.  It must let you know this decision in writing, as well as why it has refused.  This is called giving you prior written notice.

When children are struggling in school, it's important to find out why.  It may be that a disability is affecting your child's educational performance.  If so, your child may be eligible for special education and related services that can help.

As a first step, the school may need to try sufficient interventions in the regular education classroom and modify instructional practices before referring your child for special education evaluation.