[rindava]

Your local public school system is required to have a parent resource center to provide you info and specifics on their programs and your child's disability. If you really want to read the laws type in IDEA 1997 and it will pop up. Your state's department of education should also have alot of info.

Actually, under the new IDEA regs, she has to be grade place, but it does not mean she is working on grade level. There are so many different types of Special Education and so many different levels ( consult, inclusion, mainstreaming, self contained, day treatment, etc...) It really depends on what she is identified as having. Also, by federal regulation they must accept the other school districts IEP and place the child. They have 30 days to write a new one and can also insist the child be re-evaluated by them. Another problem you may run into is that in some states before finalization you do not have a lot of say over IEP issues and the kid is assigned a suragant parent for IEPs. This was the case with my Va girls, but not my Missouri son. Different states, a little different laws.

This is a great site for special needs adoption questions.

Visit Mothers from Hell 2, if you want some great advice about IEP meetings (but it also shows you how bad the meetings can get.)

You need to know your child's disability and what approach you want to take. Also, the more I am in this special needs adoption world the more I think the root to a lot of the kids problems is attachment disorder. Read up and find info about that. Of course, exposure to drugs in utero and brain damage cause by abuse is not treatable through RAD parenting methods. SOme kids just do have disabilities or other mental health problems.

Don't let your local agency mess you over on an adoption subsidy and advocate for all the services you and your child will need.

Good luck.