You Can Do
A Back-to-School Survival Guide for
Parents of Kids with Special Needs
By Erica Rimlinger
Teaching kids
with special needs is
not just a vocation. It is a specialized skill, and
for some, it’s even a calling. When COVID-
19 shuttered schools this spring, parents of
kids with special needs found themselves,
overnight, forced to assume the role of special
educator, all while parenting, quarantining
and, in some cases, simultaneously performing
other jobs.

Now, with public schools in the D.C. area
announcing a virtual start this fall, parents
face this news with hard-won insight into
the strategy, energy, time and skill required
to help kids with special needs learn at home.

Speaking for myself, I can only say (with a
hint of desperation creeping into my voice),
“I am not equal to the task.” Or, as I have read
on social media in countless posts in countless
variations, “HELP! I can’t do this again!”
Washington FAMILY consulted the experts
to find answers and, hopefully, provide a bit of
reassurance as you and your child begin a new
school year of virtual learning.

Your Child’s Rights
Education attorney Alexandra Rosenblatt,
whose second-grade daughter has Down
syndrome, wants to remind parents that a
child has the same educational rights at the
kitchen table as they do in the classroom.

“While almost all children struggle with
virtual learning, the struggle for children with
disabilities is significantly greater,” Rosenblatt
says. “I see a lot of parents hesitant to request
more support, services and modifications to
meet their child’s needs. Some parents worry
about being a ‘problem parent.’ Some parents
simply don’t know they have the right to ask
for more support and services,” she says.

What happened when schools closed in
the spring “isn’t going to cut it” this fall,
Rosenblatt says. She advises parents take time
to “identify what didn’t work.” For example:
“If the recorded videos did not work for your
child, then advocate for more live instruction.

If whole class or small group virtual learning
didn’t work for your child, then advocate for
more one-to-one instruction,” she says. “If
the work presented was not modified the
way it should have been, ensure the school
is modifying the workload and worksheets
based on how your child learns best.”
Schools must, Rosenblatt emphasizes,
“follow what is in the IEP. If you don’t agree
with what’s in the IEP, schools have to hold an
IEP meeting.”
30 Washington FAMILY SEPTEMBER 2020
Your IEP
What’s in the IEP anyway? Annie McLaughlin,
a board-certified behavior analyst and parent,
advises parents to find out—in great detail.

“Spend time reviewing your child’s IEP and
try to understand what your child knows and
doesn’t know,” she says.

McLaughlin, who works with parents to
translate and construct better IEPs, encour-
ages parents to ask educators questions such
as, “What are these goals based on? How did
you choose that number? How are you mea-
suring progress? What supports are used in
the classroom? Can I make that happen at
home? How?”
McLaughlin also encourages parents to seek
definitions for terms such as “grade-level pho-
nics” that would be unfamiliar to a layperson.

“Go to the common core website. Email teach-
ers,” McLaughlin says. “Get examples. Ask the
teacher, ‘Can you take a video of yourself doing
that skill?’ Ask them to train you.”
Rosenblatt agrees that parents should be
as informed as they can and keep detailed
records. “Keep an electronic or physical
COVID notebook,” she advises. “Make notes
each day about how successful learning
was, whether the work and instruction were