Rating: 
Summary: I have seen no better book...
Review: This book, is THE guide to protecting your child and making sure he receives the special education services that he needs. The author's give some VERY good, sound advice throughout the book. Just having the laws handy makes it worth the price, the legal commentaries are just the icing on the cake. It it the best book I have bought and highly recommended to anyone who has a special needs child. Whether you are familiar with the laws or not, you should own this book. There is also a companion strategy guide available from the same publisher that is very good. And there is also a Advocate's Guide coming out soon from the same author's and I will buy that as soon as it is released. Knowledge is power. The best way to help your kids is to learn as much as you can. This book is your best resource to do that.
Rating:
Summary: I have seen no better book...
Review: This book, is THE guide to protecting your child and making sure he receives the special education services that he needs. The author's give some VERY good, sound advice throughout the book. Just having the laws handy makes it worth the price, the legal commentaries are just the icing on the cake. It it the best book I have bought and highly recommended to anyone who has a special needs child. Whether you are familiar with the laws or not, you should own this book. There is also a companion strategy guide available from the same publisher that is very good. And there is also a Advocate's Guide coming out soon from the same author's and I will buy that as soon as it is released. Knowledge is power. The best way to help your kids is to learn as much as you can. This book is your best resource to do that.
Rating:
Summary: Great Resource for Parents and Professionals
Review: This is a great resource, putting all the laws, rules and regulations that are relevant to special education in one handy place. In addition to the actual copies of laws, notation of relevant case law is a really useful addition. Overviews of the laws/regulations and commentary are extremely helpful. This book is a valuable resource for school psychologists, and it is required reading for my graduate course covering legal and ethical issues for school psychologists in training. Knowing the regulations and the law will help professionals plan programs that meet the needs of children and the requirements of the law. I recommend it highly for parents, also. Parents are many times at a disadvantage because they do not know the law. With this book as a reference parents can be a fully participating member of the special education team.
Rating:
Summary: The Special Education "Bible"
Review: What a wonderful resource for parents, their advocates and attorneys who need fast references and quick answers to special education legal problems! As a special education attorney who has represented children with disabilities for many years, I can tell you this is a resource that is truly "one of a kind." The feature I like the best are the Wrightslaw "indented" notes throughout the special education regulations. Just an example- one new and confusing issue is whether public schools must provide services to disabled children who attend parochial schools. Pete and Pam sum it up nicely on page 44 where an "indent" gives the reader the basic rule and warns the reader about the changing case law in this area. This overall review of the law with comments is long overdue and a desperately needed resource for many parents. It is simple, understandable and handy to keep in one's briefcase. Knowing that this self-help resource is "out there" for parents and their advocates during a time when special education attorneys are in short supply and problems are many, helps me worry less about the 105,000 children with special education needs in Minnesota whose names and needs I will never know. That the book includes the 1997 revision of the IDEA and its regulations is only ice cream on the cake. Sonja Kerr, Esq.
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