S3 Ep325: Free and Appropriate Education Under IDEA with Ashley Barlow, Special Education Lawyer

Update: 2024-04-30

Description

Ashley Barlow, a special education attorney based in Kentucky, joins Wendy Taylor on the podcast. Ashley brings a unique perspective to the discussion, drawing from her experience as a teacher, attorney, parent of a child with Down syndrome, and someone with a physical disability.

Main Discussion Points:

Free and Appropriate Education Under IDEA:
- Explanation of parents' rights and protections under IDEA, including the right to request an IEE at public expense.
- Importance of the IEE in ensuring that students with disabilities receive necessary support and services for effective education.
- District's obligation to pay for the IEE unless the request is proven unreasonable.

IEE Process:
- Overview of the IEE process, allowing parents to obtain an independent evaluation if they disagree with the school district's assessment.
- Role of the IEE in providing parents with additional information and perspectives for making educational decisions for their child.

Effective Reading Interventions for Dyslexia:
- Characteristics of effective reading interventions for students with dyslexia: systemic, explicit, multisensory, and research-based.
- Discussion on the Orton-Gillingham approach, a structured and cumulative program designed to develop phonemic awareness, phonics skills, decoding strategies, and reading fluency in students with dyslexia.

Individualizing Inclusive Education:
- Federal mandate for children with disabilities to be educated to the greatest extent possible with non-disabled peers.
- Importance of tailoring inclusive education to meet the specific needs of each student.

Misconceptions About Inclusion:
- Addressing misconceptions, such as the idea that inclusion means always keeping a student in a general education setting without considering individual requirements.
- Importance of assessing each student's needs and providing appropriate levels of support and intervention.

Implementing Inclusive Education:
- Emphasis on accommodations, modifications, and specially designed instruction to ensure that students with disabilities can access the curriculum and make progress in their learning.