Genre: Non-fiction book/Special Education | Pages: 99
Star rating:
Short introduction of the book by Jennifer Price:
It’s a non-fiction book in special education that does not read or look like a textbook. It’s a that does not read or look like a textbook.
It provides summaries of important legal cases, but without confusing legal language.
At the end of each case are “Thought Questions” with note-taking space for parents. The cases are a compilation from 2018 but the Thought Questions are applicable any time.
The book summarises specific cases from 2018 and is, therefore concise.
My Review:
This book has been refreshingly new and opened me up to a whole new world of education that i was totally ignorant and oblivious about. Let us not completely ignore the fact that this book aids parents or guardians with children who require special education or even understand if they need it.
The author who is also an attorney states that -" The ultimate purpose of this book is to empower parents (and anyone else working as an educational advocate) about how courts rule on education cases concerning children who have disabilities - intellectual, behavioral, or physical " and I largely agree with this after reading the book. If the book could help ideate these concepts to someone who has no exposure or understanding of any of this, I can't imagine how helpful it would be to someone who could actually relate to it. If you're a frustrated parent looking to understand what the next step actions must be when the school or the surrounding is not helping you help your child, you should really consider picking this book up.
I answered a few "Thought Questions" and I must tell you that I have my brain a lot of work. There is a lot of thinking involved and introspection to clearly visualise your observations and look at them after producing them in response to these questions. I must tell you that it provides clarity on so many aspects that your mind may have blocked or completely overlook as something insignificant. She provides some really wonderful case studies supporting the child's rights and various scenarios including parents decisions and rights during the process. Along with this she introduces ER, IEE and IEP and several other terms and the workings of the same which is educational and helpful. She also leaves some important notes in highlights to eliminate oversight which comes handy for specific situations. She provides in-detailed steps to take over the necessary actions in the right direction for your child. She has a complete section dedicated to Bullying and it truly addresses your worries. The conclusion sums up the whole book wonderfully.
I was introduced to a lot of American legal terms. Although a lot of this was a good to know information; given that I am an Indian, I learnt that a lot of them have similarities, references and derivatives of these laws. However, this book is largely targeted towards American parents and it is good to keep this in mind while purchasing the book. Alternatively, if you're looking to understand these entities in laymen terms, this book is for you.