Way back when my younger son was born & my oldest turned 1 (1997) I stumbled upon a book called “Negotiating the Special Education Maze: A Guide for Parents & Teachers.” When both of our children with diagnosed with different forms of autism in the following years, the title of this book kept resonating with me. I went back and read it and sure, I found some helpful tips, but over the years, I can’t help but remember that Special Education is still a complex maze, one that is difficult to navigate for most parents. 

The special education process is like building a house. There is a logical order to both. Blueprints to Special Education is a training workshop presented by special education attorneys who explain how to use the building blocks of the federal and state laws to develop appropriate services for your learner. WAA holds Blueprints to Special Education twice a year, in time for IEP season, in the spring and the fall. 

The last one was held on March 19, 2022. The 4 attorneys who presented (Katherine George, Scot Johnston, Kerri Feeney & Nicholle Mineiro), all members of AFER, Attorneys for Educational Rights, presented the following topics:

• Initial Assessments, reevaluations, IEEs
• Writing effective IEP Goals & Progress reporting 
• Full range of instructional arrangements , supplementary aids & services, & 
• Resolving differences: Due Process;  Citizen Complaints (60 min)

There was extensive Q@A which was answered by attorneys during the workshop. You can find all the presentation materials and well as the anonymized Q&A on the WAA Education Law Resource Library, don’t forget to check out the WAA Best Practice Guidelines - Autism IEP Supplement. 

To reserve your spot for the September 17, 2022 Blueprints to Special Education, register online. 

If you have an emergent situation and need IEP coaching or Special Education legal assistance, call 425.894-7231 line 1 and ask for a Special Education intake.