Published on
February 15, 2010 by
Jennifer Laviano
I guess I was due for a rant.
First, I get a vile comment on the blog that likened Asperger’s Disorder to a fad, and further blamed a number of disabilities on poor parenting. Thankfully, you, my loyal readers, jumped on board and shamed this yahoo with your reasoned replies. I have yet to learn more [...]
Published on
December 27, 2009 by
Jennifer Laviano
Am I the only one who yearns for the days before drug companies had ads on television? Remember, back when, if your doctor thought you needed a medication, she would prescribe it? Today, you are practically begged to self-diagnose, and only then ask your doctor “if it’s right for you.” Serious psychiatric conditions are reduced [...]
Published on
December 3, 2009 by
Jennifer Laviano
I’ve previously discussed ways in which school districts can try to drive a wedge between teenagers and their parents in a manner which benefits the school. But I have been seeing so much more of this lately, and in much worse ways, that I felt the issue needed revisiting. Just in the last few months, [...]
Published on
October 20, 2009 by
Jennifer Laviano
When lawyers get involved, very often experts are retained. I get it. Really, I do. But nothing makes me quite as angry as when a school district brings in an outside expert for the purpose of preparing their legal case, when for years the parents have been refused that very expertise by the same people!
It [...]
Published on
October 15, 2009 by
Jennifer Laviano
Hey, nobody likes having to admit they were wrong. I don’t like it, and I’m sure you don’t either. But it never ceases to amaze me how much time and money is spent litigating special education matters, simply because somebody is unwilling to acknowledge that they made a mistake.
As a Special Education attorney who represents [...]
Published on
October 11, 2009 by
Jennifer Laviano
Once a student has been identified as being eligible for special education and related services under the IDEA, they remain so until and unless they 1) graduate from high school, 2) “age out” of eligibility, or 3) are determined to be no longer eligible. This last scenario is commonly referred to as being “exited” from [...]
Published on
September 24, 2009 by
Jennifer Laviano
It’s unfortunate, but true: when parents of children with disabilities begin to seriously question the appropriateness of the special education program being provided to their child, the school district will often start to play “the blame game.”
The Special Education Blame Game is when educators attempt to assign responsibility for a student’s lack of success in [...]
Published on
September 15, 2009 by
Jennifer Laviano
A friend of mine who is a special education advocate, and who also happens to be the mother of a teenager with a disability, brought to my attention a few years ago that she finds it offensive when school district staff refer to her, and other mothers, as “mom.” As an example, during an IEP [...]
Published on
September 3, 2009 by
Jennifer Laviano
Well, school has started just about everywhere, and I have spent the last few weeks in a mad-dash scramble of IEP meetings, Mediation and other events trying to finalize programs for several of my clients. It’s always a stressful time for me, and even more so for parents of children with special needs. And just [...]
Published on
August 30, 2009 by
Jennifer Laviano
When I talk to parents whose children are in middle or high school who have not yet been identified for special education services, most of the time they will tell me that they have had concerns for years. Many times, there are also teachers or other educators in the school district who have shared similar [...]
Filed Under Occasional Rants
Tags: Connecticut Special Education, disabilities, eligibility, Eligibility determinations, Eligibility under IDEA, FAPE, identification, identification under IDEA, prejudices in special education, special education, Special Education Law, stigma and special education
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