Supportive Parenting: Becoming an Advoca: Becoming an Advocate for Your Child with Special Needs Book

Preface     9
Acknowledgements     11
Why This Book?     15
How to use this book     20
Pre-diagnosis: Is it Normal for Everything to be so Hard?     25
Our long journey to initial diagnosis     26
Why wasn't it obvious that we had a problem?     30
How good parenting can actually mask developmental abnormality     33
An overload to our family's functioning     39
My advice to you?     41
Obtaining a Formal Evaluation     44
Referring your child for evaluation: an overview of the process     44
Can starting the evaluation process hurt my child?     52
How do you bring the school into the process?     54
Selecting evaluators for your child     55
Our experience obtaining an evaluation for Marcus     59
What if you're not satisfied with an evaluation?     60
Your role in the formal evaluation process     68
Having our Michael evaluated: a work still in progress     69
Before, during, and after the diagnosis: emotions!     74
Useful resources     80
What Next? What Does This Diagnosis Mean?     81
Donning your emotional armor as you work to master the cold, hard facts     83
My boys and hypotonia: a personal example of learning what a diagnosis means     90
Knowledge with a purpose: acquiring an effective understanding of your child's diagnosis     98
What to tell your child about his or her diagnosis     106
There's always tomorrow     108
Beginning Therapeutic Interventions for Your Child     110
Selecting and scheduling therapists     111
Recognizing your role in the therapeutic intervention process     119
Hooking up with other types of supportive resources     122
Useful resources     123
Marcus and Asperger's Syndrome: An Example of How the Manifestation of a Disorder (and One's Parenting Role) Can Change Over Time     125
Your Parenting Role, Part I: Promoting Positive Behavior and Reducing Misbehavior in Your Child     144
Structuring your home life to support your child     145
Understanding misbehavior     151
When children's behavior falls short: reacting to (mis)behavior     154
Useful resources     166
Your Parenting Role, Part II: Increasing Your Child's Competence     167
Scaffolding more capable performance     169
Training more competent behaviors     171
Modeling competent performance and making the implicit, explicit      175
The appropriate use of practice     176
The Special Education Process: Formulating an Individualized Education or Family Services Plan     179
How is the IEP or the IFSP created?     180
What is in the IEP?     183
Pulling it all together to create an appropriate intervention plan     199
How can you best contribute to the IEP or IFSP team?     202
Useful resources     209
Monitoring the Progress of Your Child     212
Are the terms of your child's IEP being implemented?     213
Is your child's IEP working?     218
The importance of putting yourself in the learning loop with your child     221
What should you do when you see your child having problems?     223
A further note on conflict     227
Useful resources     231
Advocating for Your Child: It Never Ends, or Does It?     232
Helping our children become advocates for themselves     235
Transitioning into the adult world: ready or not, it will come!     238
When words matter: understanding the politics of "special needs" and how it affects your child     243
And no, at some level, it never ends     246
Useful resources     248
References     250