In order to effectively engage and be an advocate during the special education process, parents must be equipped with knowledge of the special education process as well as their rights. This article reports the results of a synthesis of published studies that explored, reported, or estimated parents' knowledge and understanding of the special…

Family-school partnership is an essential component of the special education process for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Latinx families especially face systemic barriers when participating in education decision-making for their children with IDD. However, few interventions have been developed to facilitate and…

Parents with children receiving special education services are more than likely very involved in their child's school and teachers--including planning, reviewing, and assessing their child's educational program. Over time, these parents learn a lot about the special education process and how to communicate and negotiate on their child's behalf.…

Researchers have long documented the importance of parent participation in the development and success of children in schools. Parent participation is a critical component in special education programming and is embedded in special education legal requirements in the US. However, navigating special education programming has proven particularly…

School psychologists are well served to stay up to date on trends in special education law, particularly with respect to determinations when school teams' decisions are challenged. This allows them to focus on proactive best practices that foster accurate specific learning disability (SLD) identification and active collaboration with parents. This…

Millions of students with disabilities in the United States have access to educational programming to assist and provide special education support services. In existence for mere decades, special education as it currently stands was founded on groundbreaking legislation and refining law in the form of the Individual with Disabilities Education Act…

Parental engagement in special education promotes positive student outcomes and parent-school relationships. In order to promote engagement, parents must possess a basic knowledge and understanding of special education processes and parent and student rights. Little is known regarding parental knowledge about special education or how they learn…

Parental engagement in special education promotes positive student outcomes and parent-school relationships. In order to promote engagement, parents must possess a basic knowledge and understanding of special education processes and parent and student rights. Little is known regarding parental knowledge about special education or how they learn…

This study aims to illustrate the effectiveness of the programme of informative parent training which is about the rights of families of children with special educational needs (SEN), and which is presented via the direct instruction method. The research was designed in a semi-experimental model consisting of a single group pre-test and post-test…

The right of parents of students with disabilities to dispute decisions or actions by the school district is one of the tenets of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Of the three formal dispute resolution mechanisms under the IDEA, written state complaints (WSC) are the most commonly completed, from start to finish, yet the…

This mixed methods study evaluated the strengths and weaknesses of Colorado's special education procedural safeguard notice (CPSN) through readability and design factors. Per IDEA, procedural safeguard notices must inform families of children with disabilities of their rights within special education. Local education agencies (LEAs) distribute the…

Because parents face barriers in advocating for their children within the special education system, some families request help from a special education advocate. In this study, we evaluated the perceptions of caregivers who requested advocacy support to understand why, for whom, when, and where the advocacy services were needed; how the advocate…

This guide is meant to help parents, schools, and community members use the Kansas Special Education Process Handbook. The parent guide to the Kansas Special Education Process Handbook was written by the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE). It is a start for learning about special education requirements. It is recommended to use this guide…

Special education, for students ages 3 to 21, is guided by federal and state requirements. The federal requirements are referred to as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The state requirements are referred to as the Ohio Operating Standards for the Education of Children with Disabilities (Ohio Operating Standards). IDEA…

The describes the nation's progress in (1) providing a free appropriate public education (FAPE) for children with disabilities under IDEA, Part B, and early intervention services to infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families under IDEA, Part C; (2) ensuring that the rights of these children with disabilities and their parents are…