The book is intended to help parents of handicapped children secure good special education services for their children. Nine chapters focus on aspects of parent advocacy and include practical information and case studies. Chapter 1 emphasizes the importance of parental knowledge about the educational planning process and the professionals involved. Chapter 2 provides suggestions for observing one's child in terms of movement, communications, social relationships, self concept/independence, senses/perception, thinking skills, and learning style. Referral and evaluation are the topics of chapter 3. The issues of recordkeeping and confidentiality are covered in a fourth chapter, while chapter 5 considers eligibility and the roles of parents. The individualized education program is discussed in chapter 6, with sections on the Individualized Education Program (IEP) meeting, goals and objectives, and placement options. The seventh chapter touches upon parents' rights in due process hearings as well as factors involved in requesting hearings and appeals. The parents' role as monitors of the special education program is dealt with in chapter 8. The final chapter reviews the preceding ones and briefly discusses legal and political advocacy and the function of parent groups in educational advocacy. Appended information includes a chart depicting educational planning terms used in six states. (CL)