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Create a Paper Trail
As you secure services for your child, put all requests, concerns, and thank-you's in writing -- and keep copies on file. A note asking the teacher for your child's test scores can be valuable if you later have to document that the request went unmet.
After each IEP meeting and conference with school staff, summarize the main points in a letter to participants. This establishes a written record of what was said.
A recent U.S. Supreme Court decision underscored the importance of good record-keeping. The Court ruled that, in a due-process hearing, the legal burden of proving that a plan fails to meet a child's needs falls on the parents. It's more important than ever to document your child's difficulties, to be assertive about receiving progress reports, and to push for changes to the IEP as the need arises.
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