The special education process can be difficult, especially with the paperwork, acronyms, meetings and reviews. If you are a parent of a child with a disability, these things can be very confusing. Nevertheless, there are resources available to assist you in becoming more comfortable with the process and to provide you with the information you need to be a stronger advocate on behalf of your child.

Your first mission is to become involved in the development of your child's Individualized Education Plan (IEP). An Individualized Education Program (IEP) is a legally binding document that describes the educational program that is designed to meet your child's unique needs. Each child who receives special education and related services must have an IEP. It must be designed for only your child and must truly be an individualized document that creates an opportunity for teachers, parents, school administrators and related services personnel to work together to improve the educational results for your child.

The IEP is the foundation of a quality education for each child with a disability. The IEP should reflect your child's areas of growth with goals and objectives specifically designed to meet each child's individual needs. No IEP should look the same for any two students. In order for an IEP to work, the school, student and parents all need to be in agreement with the plan. As a parent, you can request a preliminary meeting with your child's teachers to develop goals and objectives for the upcoming school year. Those goals and objectives will be discussed at a Committee on Special Education (CSE) meeting.

CSE meetings are held yearly to review the goals, placement and services your child receives. You should receive written notice five days before the Committee on Special Education (CSE) meeting is to take place. All the participants that will be attending your child's meeting will be listed in the notice. If you are unable to attend the scheduled meeting, call the school district and ask to have the meeting rescheduled. You may also be able to participate through phone conference if you cannot attend in person.

During this meeting, the team will develop the next year's IEP. A draft version of the IEP is created and revisions can be made. The required participants at a CSE meeting are as follows: the child's teacher, a school psychologist, a representative of the district who is qualified to either teach or supervise the provision of special education, a school physician and a parent of a child with a disability who resides in the school district.

The school physician, however, does not attend a CSE meeting unless parents request it. The CSE parent representative is a parent of a student with a disability residing in the school district and must be present unless the parents request in writing that they not participate.

The CSE meeting is the time to ask questions, express concerns and request services or further evaluations. Make sure your points are understood while at the same time attempting to understand the school's position.

Amanda Derby is the housing advocate for Options for Independence, located at 75 Genesee St., Auburn.