ABOUT US
Valerie Aprahamian has been advocating for special needs children since 1997. For the past 15 years, she has attended hundreds of IEP meetings and represented countless families in the Southern California area in the pursuit of an appropriate IEP for their child.
My son’s learning disability was keeping him from learning. He is now in High School and we needed to get him help as quickly as possible. I was unable to navigate through the rules of the IEP meeting and did not receive any help from the school or the district even though I tried. Calling Valerie has been the best thing I could have ever done for our son. He is now progressing, and we are receiving the services we need for our son. Thank you Valerie!!!
We had no idea where to begin after our son was diagnosed with Autism when he was three. Valerie was able to guide us in getting the services that our son was entitled to and has been an integral part of his IEP team for the last six years. We would be lost without her.
When my son, Troy, and I walked into Valerie’s office for the first time, we were both very nervous. By the time we left, we both were overwhelmed with a sense of relief. Years of anger, frustration, and tears over Troy’s educational experience had been replaced with a sense of hope. Even though I am a teacher myself, I continued to struggle for years to get the school system to help my son and had been largely unsuccessful. With Valerie’s support and knowledge of special education law, we got the school to listen. I was no longer alone in my struggle. Together we navigated the evaluation process and developed IEP goals and objectives that were in my son’s best interest.
Even now, as the school system continues to fail my son, Valerie is there to guide me through the next phase of the battle. I don’t think I could have done this alone. It truly has been a blessing to have someone like Valerie advocate for my son.
My son has a learning disability and has been on an IEP since the 2nd grade but he never really got the help he needed. When he started junior high he was so frustrated that he came home crying everyday. I hired Valerie to help my twice exceptional child get all the accommodations, supports and services he needed. Valerie has the experience and knowledge to work with the district and set up the best education plan for your child.
Simply put, my entire world changed for the better after I hired Valerie. She applied her wealth of knowledge, persistence, compassion, and connections to obtain for my child what I honestly consider to be the special education service ‘lotto.’ I was lost and confused trying to navigate the process on my own. I had nothing. My life was a mess. My child was teetering on the margin of being able to participate in education. With Valerie’s advocacy, my child now has the best education possible along with every support and service available to assist her with reaching her potential. Working with Valerie is the best decision I have ever made.
Until I hired Valerie, the school site completely ignored me even though I had given them a formal written request for an assessment. Despite numerous telephone calls to the principal and school psychologist asking for answers and accountability, I continued to be ignored for months after my request. Within days of hiring Valerie, district staff began to complete the assessments I had requested months prior and an IEP was finally scheduled. With Valerie by my side at the first IEP, accountability was enforced and everyone was on their toes.
Since my child was nowhere near ready to participate in a classroom environment, Valerie negotiated for the district to fund a one-on-one in-home applied behavioral analysis therapy program in order to transition my child into the school setting. That daily in-home program continues to this day, not only because my child continues to demonstrate the need for it but primarily because Valerie advocates on my child’s behalf and holds the district accountable to meet my child’s needs. This program has transformed my child to a place that we can now say her “special needs” are a mere fraction of what they used to be.
Among other services, my child was provided with a one-on-one district aide to support her at school to help with navigating difficult situations. Throughout the year, the district aide proved to be everything but competent. Even with the district aide present, my child’s behaviors disrupted the classroom and caused her to be a danger to herself and others while at recess. With Valerie’s advocacy, my child now has a non-public agency one-on-one aide with her throughout the day at school. The aide knows my child well because she is provided by the same agency which delivers her in-home program. Having a sufficiently qualified aide means far fewer (almost none) classroom disruptions and less worry for me that my child might be putting herself or others in harm’s way. My child is now getting the education she needs in a safe manner. I feel victorious!
The process of obtaining services does not happen overnight. It is an ongoing process that requires cooperation, negotiation, hard work, collaboration, and patience. I knew I was not an expert and I needed help. Looking back, I am so relieved I was not too proud to ask for help. There is no possible way I would be in the fortunate position of being successful in having the district fund the services my child needs without Valerie’s assistance. Being an advocate is not just a ‘job’ for Valerie. Rather, advocacy defines who Valerie is. She is by far the most amazing person I know. I’ve done my best to absorb what Valerie has taught me. From the start, I listened to her, trusted her, and turned over my concerns to her. She has consistently been reliable, dependable, knowledgeable, and she has never steered me wrong. My advice to anyone considering working with Valerie: don’t delay. There is no time to lose when your child’s best interest and education that leads to an independent future are at stake.
Tara, Inland Empire
If you have a child that you suspect may have a disability, you have the right to have them assessed by your school district free of charge. Please don’t be afraid to have your child identified for a suspected disability. Disabilities such as autism and ADHD can be difficult for anyone but a licensed professional to diagnose.
If your child’s disability is affecting their education, they may be eligible to receive services under the IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The IDEA requires public schools to locate and identify children with disabilities who may need specialized education. These children must “have available to them a free appropriate public education (FAPE) that emphasizes special education and related services designed to meet their unique needs ” 20 U.S.C. sec.140(d). Children with disabilities must “to the maximum extent appropriate [be] educated with children who are not disabled ” 20 U.S.C.1412(a)(5).
However, a child may not benefit from a regular classroom if they have a disability that cannot have their individualized instruction delivered to them in that setting unless all special education supports and services are implemented. There are very specific requirements about eligibility of services, Individualized Educational Program (IEP) components and procedural requirements related to complaints and disputes that must be strictly followed.
Many parents find themselves in a situation where their child is either struggling academically or having discipline problems in school. Often times, there may be an unidentified disability causing these problems. If they do have a disability that is negatively affecting their education, they would likely benefit from specialized education services.
Depending on your child’s individual needs, modifications can be made such as preferential seating in the classroom, use of a computer, allowing extra time for tests, homework modification, books on tape, and many more.
Often, children with disabilities are misunderstood, resulting in unfair treatment of students, such as unwarranted expulsions and suspensions that violate their constitutional rights. Advocates for Angels also deals with the expulsions and suspensions that a child with a disability may be facing.
Special education law is complex; you may have many more questions that have not been addressed here. Please contact the offices of Advocates for Angels. We are devoted to helping parents and guardians with the legal issues surrounding children with special needs.
Call 909-841-2600 to find out how we can answer your questions and begin the process of meeting the needs of your special needs child.
Compliance Complaints are written to the California State Board of Education when school districts violate IDEA or California Education Code regulations by failing to implement their child’s agreed upon IEP, mediation agreement or hearing decision. Districts fail to adhere to these regulations and violate parent rights on a regular basis but parents are not aware that violations are occurring regarding their child’s IEP. Complaints should be filed with the California Department of Education, Special Education Division, 515 L Street, Room 270, Sacramento, CA 95814. Telephone: (800)926-0648. Fax: (916) 327-3704.
Advocates for Angels and Valerie Aprahamian write compliance complaints as a form of advocacy when school districts are unwilling to work with parents. Often, parents find themselves experiencing IEP meetings in which IEP team members conduct themselves in an adversarial manner. IDEA requires school districts to collaborate with parents and adhere to special education law. A Compliance complaint is an advocacy tool in which parents can hold districts accountable to meeting the needs of children on IEP’s and respecting parent rights.
The California Department of Education must resolve the complaint within 60 days. It will review all relevant information and make an independent determination about the alleged education code violations. An on-site investigation may be conducted if necessary and a written decision will be provided to the complainant addressing each allegation.
Thirty days after the timeline for corrective action, the CDE’s Focused Monitoring Technical Assistance Unit contacts the complainant to confirm that the complaint has been resolved. Additional information regarding the filing of a state complaint may be accessed by calling the Procedural Safeguards Referral Service at (800) 926-0648.
The complaint should contain the name and address of the child, the name of the current school and school district, a description of the problem, (e.g. The District is failing to implement the last agreed upon IEP – The district agreed to provide speech and language services three times a week. The District is only providing services once a week), and proposed resolution (e.g. That the District be ordered to provide speech and language services three times a week and any compensatory speech and language services to make up for missed sessions).
Valerie Aprahamian has written numerous compliance complaints that have found districts to be out of compliance with the California Education Code. Contact Advocates for Angels if you believe your district has violated your rights or the rights of your child. When you hold your local school district accountable, you will begin to see significant progress in your child’s education and your IEP team will be willing to meet the needs of your child and take care in implementing your parental rights.
When a child exhibits behaviors that impede his or her ability to learn and has been found eligible for special education services, his or her Individualized Education Program (IEP) Team will meet to discuss various behavior interventions.
Behavior Goals
As a first step towards behavior intervention, the IEP Team may begin by implementing a behavior goal in the student’s IEP. Behavior goals should be written positively to include how success is to be measured, an expected time for when the goal should be completed and how teachers and staff will help the child to achieve them.
If the behavior goal is not successful in modifying the negative behavior or the behaviors present themselves to be more serious, a Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) may be done and a Behavior Support Plan (BSP) may be created. The first step in creating a BSP is to conduct a Functional Behavior Assessment.
Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA)
A Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) identifies why certain behaviors are occurring or rather the “function” of a behavior. For example, a child may want attention, so he or she may disrupt the classroom every time he or she wants attention. The FBA will identify that when the child is disrupting the classroom, it is to seek attention. It will also identify what the antecedents are before the behavior occurs and any subsequent behaviors that occur. Then this information is used to establish positive ways of serving the child’s needs so that he or she doesn’t resort to the negative behaviors to achieve the desired result. The goal is to teach the child more appropriate ways to manage their behavior that does not impede their education or the education of other students. Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 (IDEA), these behaviors do not have to be a manifestation of the student’s disability in order for a FBA to be done.
Behavior Support Plan (BSP)
After the FBA assessment is completed, a Behavioral Support Plan (BSP) will be developed. The BSP will list the identified behaviors impeding the child’s learning or the learning of his or her peers. It will list the predictors of the behaviors, why the IEP team thinks these behaviors occur and what strategies need to be introduced to stop them from materializing. The plan also establishes behavior goals for the child to meet consisting of positive behaviors designed to replace the negative ones. A BSP is included with the child’s IEP.
Functional Analysis Assessment (FAA)
If behaviors prove to even be more serious, California offers an even more comprehensive assessment and plan. The Hughes Bill (Assembly Bill 2586) effective as of May 1993, outlines the requirements of a Functional Analysis Assessment (FAA). An FAA occurs when an IEP team determines that the previous behavioral approaches in the child’s IEP have proved to be ineffective and the child’s behavior continues to impede their education or results in suspensions or recommendation for expulsion. The report must be done by an assessor who is specifically trained in behavior analysis and positive behavior support and is based upon observations of the occurrence of the behavior, the antecedents, consequences following the behavior, and the settings in which the behavior occurred. The assessor will also review health and medical records to look for factors that may have influenced the behavior. A history of the behaviors will also be assessed including the previous behavioral interventions that were used. The assessor will then make recommendations to the child’s IEP Team in the FAA report.
When the FAA is completed, the IEP Team will then convene a meeting to review the results and recommendations. If it finds it appropriate, the team will then develop a Behavioral Intervention Plan (BIP).
Behavioral Intervention Plan (BIP)
A BIP is created based upon the results of the FAA. The IEP Team is expanded to include a behavior intervention case manager who is trained in behavior analysis to oversee the plan. The plan may include altering the antecedents, alternative or adaptive behaviors that can be taught to the student and change of the response and consequences of when the behaviors are displayed. Once a BIP is created, the case manager provides training in order to ensure that the BIP is followed by all educators, service providers and school site personnel who come in contact with the student.
Emergency Interventions
Under the Hughes Bill, emergency interventions may be used only for immediate, unforeseen dangerous behaviors and may not be used in lieu of a BIP. This emergency intervention may include “hands on” strategies or other interventions that are not included in the BIP. Once an emergency intervention is used, the parent must be notified within one school day and a “Behavioral Emergency Report” must be done. If the child does not have a BIP, the IEP team will convene a meeting to review the report and determine if an FAA should be done and if an interim behavioral intervention plan is needed. If the child does have a BIP, the IEP team will convene to determine if the BIP needs to be amended to include the behavior that resulted in an emergency intervention.
The first step in the IEP process is to have your child assessed for eligibility and services. To require that the school district does this in a timely manner under IDEA regulations you must send a written request for assessments. Make sure you send the request by certified mail, via fax, or take it to the school district’s special education office and obtain a written receipt. Keep a copy for your records.
Advocacy Note: Every communication to the school district should be in writing and make a copy for your home records.
Legal Time Lines
1. The school district has 15 days from receiving your request to send you an assessment plan. The assessment plan should be in the primary language of the parent, it should be easily understood, explain what types of assessments that will be done on your child and contain a copy of the notice of parental rights and procedural safeguards.
2. Parents have at least 15 days to approve and sign the plan. We suggest that you sign the plan immediately so the evaluation moves quickly. You should sign the plan and write on it that you are requesting copies of the assessment reports be sent to you 1 week prior to the IEP meeting.
3. The school district has 60 days (including weekends) to complete the assessments and hold an IEP meeting. This does not include holidays or vacation in excess of five days.
a. An exception exits if the parent (or holder of educational rights “repeatedly” fails or refuses to make the child available for the assessment.)
4. If your child already has an IEP, you can request an IEP meeting at any time. Your request needs to be in writing. The School district has 30 days from the date it receives your written request to hold an IEP.
5. Assessments should be conducted in all areas of the child’s known and/or suspected disability including:
1) health & development;
2) vision & hearing;
3) motor abilities & general ability & self-help skills;
4) language function & academic performance;
5) orientation & mobility skills;
6) career & vocational abilities;
7) social & emotional development and behavior.
The evaluation must be conducted in the language and form most likely to yield accurate information on what the child knows and can do academically and functionally, unless it is not feasible to provide or administer.
Advocacy note: The term “functionally” is very important. Arguably, this refers to a child’s social-emotional behavior. This is especially important with children who demonstrate behavioral and emotional difficulties. Make sure that the school district conducts a comprehensive evaluation which includes social-emotional behavior.
6. Reassessments
a. Reassessments shall not occur more frequently than once of year unless both the school district and parent agree otherwise.
b. Reassessments are to occur at least every three years, unless the parent and the district agree that a reevaluation is unnecessary.
Advocacy Note: Be careful when a child’s three year evaluation is coming up. The school district may ask you to sign a document waiving the evaluation because “it is clear that the child still qualifies for special education and an evaluation is therefore unnecessary.” REMEMBER, an evaluation is conducted also for the purposes of determining present levels of educational performance. This is very important because the present levels of performance determine the areas of need which drives the goals and objectives and support services.
Contact Valerie Aprahamian to receive assistance in understanding how to obtain accurate and complete evaluations and interpret the findings to develop the most appropriate IEP for your child. The assessment is the most important component in the foundation of creating goals and objectives which drive your child’s supports and services. If you are experiencing lack of progress in your child’s education, it most likely can be addressed through the assessment process.
Valerie Aprahamian
Telephone
(909) 841-2600Fax: (951) 520-1132
Email us using the contact form above!