The parent of a child with a learning disability, I first got involved with special education over fifteen years ago when my son experienced some problems in first grade.  His test scores showed he was learning math but he was struggling with reading.  The school never said anything to me about this and promoted him to second grade.  After sharing my concern with my mom — a preschool teacher — I decided to have him tested.  (The school could — and should — have done the testing but they never mentioned it to me.)

The testing showed that my son had a learning disability. I took the results to the school and they said, “Well, we don’t think he has a problem, it’s just developmental, we have to test him ourselves, and he can go to second grade.” I decided to have him repeat first grade (which, in my son’s case, was a very good decision) and the school said they would test him. 

I waited and waited for the testing from August until late November.  Although I was in law school at the time, I knew nothing about special education law. I mentioned my frustration to a law professor and she referred me to a lawyer.  He advised me to tell the school they should complete the testing within two weeks or — the magic words — “I would file for due process.”

The school gave my son the tests within the next two weeks — the exact same tests I had paid to have done — and, not surprisingly, they concluded he had a learning disability!  After the testing, he was able to get special help in learning to read. Still, I had to carefully monitor the school’s procedures over the years. For example, one day my son came home and told me that he wasn’t going to the special reading class every day. The school had cut his hours in special education without holding an IEP meeting or discussing the change with me. After raising the matter with his teacher, she took care of reinstating the hours. Today my son has graduated from college and he reads a great deal. Getting the proper services made all the difference for him. Due to my experience with my son, I started practicing special education law. I became a Due Process Hearing Officer for the State of Missouri and began representing parents in due process hearings. I attend numerous IEP meetings and consult with parents every day.  

In addition to my law degree from Washington University in St. Louis, I have a Masters in Public Health specializing in Health Education. As a result I have the required understanding about learning theory to effectively communicate with education officials. I also practice law in the area of employment discrimination and I represent people with disabilities. This gives me experience in other areas of disability law that often overlap with special education law.  I’ve attended numerous workshops to learn how different types of disabilities effect kids in school and to keep abreast of the kinds of teaching methods and special education programs that might help them.
Each time I get a new client I learn something new about a disability, about learning, and about life.  It’s what I like best about my job. I look forward to working with you.

If you’re interested in talking to me about services, the best way is to call me at the office. You can also email me at specialedatty@sbcglobal.net.  Please don’t send me anything in the mail without talking to me first. My representation begins only after you have signed a contract and paid the initial retainer.

I am licensed to practive in Missouri and I also practice in Illinios by representing parents in IEP meetings.
Admitted to:  Missouri Bar 1991
US District Court, ED Missouri 1994
US Circuit Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, 1995
US Supreme Court, 1995