Valerie Aprahamian

Advocating for your Special Needs Angel Valerie Aprahamian

They are Born to Fly... Valerie's life turned upside-down the day she heard the diagnosis: Autism. Already the mother of a child with ADHD, bi-polar and seizure disorder, she refused to believe the doctors who said Chanel would never speak, write, or survive in a typical school environment. Worried about her daughter's future and infuriated by a broken, bureaucratic special education system that endangered Chanel's well-being on several occasions, Valerie armed herself with knowledge and became an advocate force to be reckoned with in her local school district. Unfortunately, her fast-growing non-attorney advocate business and great success in district reform did not dissolve the fear, anger, and sadness that is a natural part of raising a child with special needs. And when tragedy struck, not once but twice, Valerie found herself in unfamiliar emotional territory, being guided and supported by her two special needs angels to follow her heart and find her own wings. In Advocating for Your Angel, Valerie beautifully weaves her own powerful story of parenting a special needs angel with the information, strategies, and tools she used as a non-attorney advocate to transform her district and help Chanel graduate from a typical high school...with honors. In this book, you'll learn: -What Your Angel Really Needs from You to Find Their Wings -Your Parental Rights and Your Child's Rights in Easy-to-Understand Legal Terms -Tools and Strategies for Facilitating Powerful IEPs and Negotiating with Your District -Exercises to Help You Move from Pain to Purpose and Find Your Own Wings -A New Approach to Inclusion and An Evolutionary Lesson Our Angels are Here to Share If you are ready to be inspired and empowered to roll up your sleeves and advocate for your angel, this is the book for you. ... Only We Can Help Them Find Their Wings