[WRIGHTSLAW: 2006 Tax Benefits for Parents; Getting Records in Order; Planning for the Future - Special Ed Advocate from slaw (02/05/07)

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Our mission is to help you gain the knowledge and skills you need to meet

the varied and diverse needs of children with disabilities.

In This Issue:

1. 2006 Tax Benefits for Parents of Children with Disabilities

2. Planning for the Future

3. How to Get Your Records in Order

4. Coming Soon! slaw Programs in DE, CA, NC, ME, IL

5. Subscription and Contact Info

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1. 2006 Tax Benefits for Parents of Children with Disabilities by Mike

O'Connor, Esq.

If you have a child with a disability - a severe learning disability (SLD),

autism spectrum disorder (ASD), AD/HD, or other physical, mental or

emotional impairment - you may qualify for valuable tax benefits.

According to parent attorney Mike O'Connor, " It's likely that 15-30 percent

of families with a disabled child have one or more unclaimed tax benefits. "

Did you know that " tuition costs for a special school that has a program

designed to educate children with disabilities and amounts paid for a

child's tutoring by a teacher specially trained and qualified to deal with

severe disabilities may be deducted " ?

Did you know that " Special instruction or training or therapy, such as sign

language instruction, speech therapy, and remedial reading instruction " may

be deductible? Did you know that related books and materials can qualify for

the medical expense deduction " ?

Did you know that " Parents who attend conferences to obtain medical

information concerning treatment for and care of their child may deduct some

of the costs of attending a medical conference relating to a dependent's

chronic health condition " ?

In 2006 Tax Benefits for Parents of Children with Disabilities, Mr. O'Connor

provides a summary of the most significant federal income tax benefits. He

advises you to print out this guide and provide your tax adviser with a

copy. We agree with this excellent advice!

Download your copy of 2004 Tax Benefits for Parents of Children with

Disabilities by Mike O'Connor, Esq.

http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/tax.2006.benefits.oconnor.htm

More articles on dozens of special education law and advocacy topics.

http://www.wrightslaw.com/topics.htm

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2. Planning for the Future

" My child has severe disabilities and neurobehavioral problems. I am worried

about his future when we are no longer able to care for him. What can I do

now to plan for the future? "

We receive many questions about future planning for children with

disabilities. If you are the parent of a child with special needs, you need

to educate yourself about all available options.

It's never too early to start planning for your child's future. You need to

learn about living arrangements, wills, trusts, guardianship, and estate

planning. You may also need to learn about Medicaid, Medicare and Social

Security benefits.

In Special Needs: Planning for the Future at

http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/future.plan.index.htm

you'll find articles, books and videos, and free publications that will help

in your special needs future planning journey. For example:

When Disability Aid Can't Provide for Toys & Haircuts, Special Needs Trust

Helps

http://www.altonweb.com/cs/downsyndrome/index.htm?page=feetrust.html

Special Needs for School-Age Children: Planning Ahead When Your Child Has a

Disability

http://www.bridges4kids.org/articles/7-06/onesource_future.html

Choosing the Ideal Trustee of Your Child's Special Needs Trust

http://www.eparent.com/lifeplanning/financial/financial04_04.htm

Special Needs: Planning for the Future

http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/future.plan.index.htm

Special Needs: Planning for the Future

http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/future.plan.index.htm

Information on dozens of topics, from ADD/ADHD and Autism to Section 504 and

Transition:

http://www.wrightslaw.com.topics.htm

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3. Getting Your Records in Order

What do filing income taxes, future planning, and advocating for your child

have in common? All three jobs require you to keep good records.

In " Organizing Your Child's File: Do It Right! " we teach a simple method to

organize your child's file. After you use our parent-tested system to

organize the information about your child, you will have a clear

understanding of your child's disability and educational needs.

http://www.fetaweb.com/03/organize.file.htm

More articles about The Parent as Expert: http://www.fetaweb.com/expert.htm

If orderly financial record-keeping sounds daunting, " Get Your House in

Order " in ADDitude magazine describes a simple way to deal with your

financial files.

http://www.additudemag.com/additude.asp?DEPT_NO=405 & SUB_NO=11

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4. Coming Soon! slaw Programs in DE, CA, NC, ME, IL

The Winter 2007 schedule includes programs in these communities:

February 13: Wilmington, DE - What You Don't Know about IDEA and NCLB CAN

Hurt You!

http://www.wrightslaw.com/speak/07.02.de.htm

February 20: San Diego, CA - Special Education Law & Advocacy Training

http://www.wrightslaw.com/speak/07.02.ca.htm

February 27: Charlotte, NC - Special Education Law & Advocacy Training

http://www.wrightslaw.com/speak/07.02.nc.htm

March 8: Bangor, ME - Special Education Law and Advocacy Training

http://www.wrightslaw.com/speak/07.03.me.htm

March 17: Downer's Grove, IL - Emotions to Advocacy Training

http://www.wrightslaw.com/speak/07.03.il.htm

Please check the schedule to see when we will be in your area:

http://www.wrightslaw.com/speak/schedule.htm

slaw offers a variety of special education law and advocacy programs

taught by experts in the field. If you are interested in bringing a

slaw program to your community, please read the Conference Information

at

http://www.wrightslaw.com/speak/conf.form.htm

======================

5. Subscription & Contact Info

The Special Ed Advocate is a free online newsletter about special education

legal and advocacy issues, cases, and tactics and strategies. The Special Ed

Advocate is published weekly (usually on Tuesdays or Wednesdays, with

occasional breaks). Subscribers also receive " alerts " about events and

special offers on slaw publications and products.

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To unsubscribe, please go to http://list.feat.org/scripts/wa.exe?HOME. Click

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Leave slaw. " This will take you to a page where you can click " Leave

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Please forward The Special Ed Advocate to others who share your interest in

special education law and advocacy. If you were forwarded a copy of The

Special Ed Advocate and want to subscribe, you can sign up through our

website at: http://www.wrightslaw.com/subscribe.htm

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http://www.wrightslaw.com/archives.htm

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Yellow Pages for Kids: http://www.yellowpagesforkids.com/

* Contact Info *

Pete and Pam

slaw & The Special Ed Advocate

P. O. Box 1008

Deltaville, VA 23043

Website: www.wrightslaw.com

Email: webmaster@...