The Complete IEP Guide is designed to be an IEP-101 guide, and it does that well. The guide tells parents about how to advocate for themselves and their child in getting needed special education services. As someone who works on the other end of special education I am always happy to see a book that tells parents how to better advocate for their children. The book lacks a bit in specifics- it would be nice to see examples of well written IEP objectives, or possibly an entire sample IEP. However, I would give one word of caution. The Complete IEP Guide frequently reminds parents that they should do their best to work with the school district, then provides advice that is likely to irritate the district officials. For example, while it would be nice to have a copy of a therapist's evaluation 2 months before the IEP, in the wonderful reality that we live in the evaluation is just as likely to be completed and scored a week or even a few days before the IEP meeting. Also, although the IEP is supposed to be a working document I know plenty of districts who present one at the meeting that is already written and the parent input and signature is more of a formality. While this isn't the way that it is supposed to be, it is what happens sometimes in some districts. In some of these areas you will want to proceed with tact since some parts of this book could be subtitled "How to Be a Nuisance to your School District".
Cautions aside, this book is a great introduction to the world of IEPs and special education. It includes blank copies of helpful information-gathering forms. These forms are designed to show parents how to compile and use data to guide the IEP process. There is also a section about law, attorneys, and due process in case the IEP process does not go as it should.
This is another book that I received for free from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
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