EBD Blog

Writing in School me, a blog sponsored by the Los Angeles (CA, US) Times, Bob Sipchen documented the difficulties that parents too often face in seeking help for their children with disabilities. Mr. Sipchen described the trials and tribulations of working with sometimes recalcitrant local education agencies to secure identification and appropriate services. Although the bulk of his entry focuses on the parent of a preschool child just entering the eligibility maze, he captures the difficulty clearly when recounting the situation for parents of an older child.

As it happens, one of my Times colleagues has a son with a similar diagnosis. For years she has struggled on two fronts: to raise a boy whose behavior problems seem all too obvious and to persuade the district that the child has problems and is entitled to additional help.

Those all-important IEPs are done annually, and she now has a small stack of the intricate forms. Thumbing through, she points to a page listing all the people — therapists, an attorney, a psychologist, etc. — who attended one meeting on her son’s behalf. This one cost $300, this one $150, this one $50, she says, running down the list. So far, she figures her head-butting with the district has cost her well over $20,000, not counting the days of missed work.

My colleague’s a journalist, adept at sorting through complex information. Her ex-husband is a Harvard-educated attorney. They find the process daunting, frustrating, infuriating, befuddling.

Here’s hoping that more parents realize how potent they can be—by law, they essentially hold 50% of the cards—and LEAs realize how important it is to collaborate with parents in determining and delivering needed services. I hope Mr. Sipchen’s sensitive treatment of the issues is passed around among special education administrators all over LA and beyond.

Link to Mr. Sipchen’s entry. And here’s a flash of the electrons to Lenny Schafer’s Autism Report which alerted me to Mr. Sipchen’s post.