I know the topic of advocating for our special kids is HUGE. I've often wondered if I could do it justice because I only have one child, one set of experiences, one specific situation and each child's educational needs and support services are so vastly different. But, I'm taking a crash course in special ed regulations - otherwise known as trial by fire.

We had an IEP meeting today - a 4+ hour IEP meeting. The two biggest issues on the table were eligibility (it has been 3 years since her eligibility had been established) and placement (due to several out-of-school suspensions). My objectives (and obvious agenda) was simple - get her eligibility changed from EBD (emotional/behavior disorder) to autism, based on diagnoses that have appeared in her records for several years now, but really came to a head last year when we had an independent neuropsych eval indicating moderate autism was at the core of all the other diagnoses. As I blog you will undoubtedly learn that LuLu has definite autistic traits and definite traits of other neurological and psychological disorders. I call it the "combo platter".

Knowing that I was about to venture into uncharted waters with little knowledge of what happens when a child with an IEP is suspended the maximum days the law says she can be without a manifestation hearing...I did a smart thing. I hired an advocate. In our area there are several advocates for hire. They are generally moms of other special education children who have a passion for helping families and have training through the Georgia Advocacy Office or other program.

Today's world-record meeting was heavily attended -- there were 15 of us - too many for the small conference room in which we were squeezed. At one point someone brought in a fan to cool things down.

As her parents, our input is mandated by law, but this meeting wasn't really about listening to what we had to say. It took an excruciating amount of time, but the bottom line was that the 12 people on "their" side of the table already had the agenda set - they knew what they were there to accomplish and in the end all agreed with themselves that my daughter was best placed in a psycho-ed facility -- if not the MOST restrictive environment, at least one of the most. This is despite us saying NO to that facility on two other occasions and touring that facility two other times.

So, now, we're headed to due process. For those who don't know how special ed law works (I'm learning - crash course), the parents can agree to disagree with the rest of the IEP Team. When this happens if the IEP team doesn't change it's mind in some way, the parents don't sign the IEP and declare they are filing due process. Our advocate knew all the exact words to say. I just had to nod (which was good - because I was beyond being able to talk.)

The next step is to go home and hire an attorney. In our case we need to get the due process paperwork filed by Friday to prevent her from being sent to the new placement (evoking a "stay put" order). So, I'm about to learn something new when it comes to special ed systems and laws -- how to sue one! It is a lesson I wish I didn't have the opportunity to learn, but one I'll share here as much as time and the freedom to report the details allows.

And I wish for all of you reading this - days free of 4-hour IEP meetings and Due Process Hearings!