In the public school system, today’s economy is forcing larger class sizes, layoffs and other changes that compromise our schools’ ability to serve students with ASD. With smaller budgets and fewer resources, is more important now than ever for parents and lawyers to be trained on how to best advocate for ASD children and teens in need of federally mandated services.
To prevail in this battle, you need information, skills, and tools. Whether you are an experienced special education practitioner, a parent needing advocacy training, or a lawyer desiring a pay-it-forward pro bono practice, EBCALA’s special education law day and related advanced courses are not to be missed. In two separate tracks, you will learn about Individualized Educational Programs (IEPs), how to artfully advocate, prepare for meetings, obtain a proper evaluation and re-evaluation, and how to resolve disputes with the school; and advanced practitioners will be updated on recent autism case law, complex special education cases and the status of restraint and seclusion laws. EBCALA is dedicated to helping practitioners and parents obtain an appropriate education for your child, through this training and networking with other EBCALA practitioners nationwide.
Lynne Arnold is a coordinator of a Talk About Curing Autism (TACA) chapter in Visalia, California. Through conference presentations and mentoring, she helps parents to understand their child’s rights to appropriate interventions and education. Lynne is the editor of Autism: Asserting Your Child’s Rights to a Special Education by David A. Sherman. She has presented at many national and local autism conferences including, Autism One, National Autism Association Conference, Families for Effective Autism Treatment (FEAT), Autism Society of America and for other autism groups. At the conference this year, Lynne will train practitioners and parents on the nuts and bolts of the IDEA, which was re-authorized in 2004 and came into effect in fall 2006, and the IEP process in general. Lynne also volunteers her marketing skills to EBCALA and is part of its steering committee.
Jennifer Keefe is a commercial litigator with an active pro bono practice for EBCALA clients in Texas. She serves on the Board of EBCALA and also leads a parent support group in Dallas named Warrior Parents of Dallas. At the conference, Jennifer will train legal practitioners on developments in case law related to autism over the past year, and she will also present an advanced special education lecture for the experienced practitioner related to wrongful restraint or seclusion actions.
Timothy A. Adams is admitted to practice as an attorney in California, in the United States District Courts—Central, Southern and Eastern Districts of California, as well as before the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. has served as an adjunct professor and Associate Director of the Special Education Advocacy Clinic, Pepperdine University School of Law. He is actively involved in educating parents and professionals throughout the United States in presentations and seminars to disability rights organizations and parent support groups including Autism One, National Autism Association, National Epilepsy Foundatione and Talk About Curing Autism (TACA). He has also trained Orange County Superior Court Judges regarding special education law in a presentation entitled “Ensuring the Best Interests of Children in Family Court Matters.” He has been interviewed and quoted in publications including the Daily Journal, the Orange County Register and the nationally published magazine Parenting. He is Adams & Associates’ Principal.