This book employs a comparative approach to explore the nature of the disputes that arise between parents/children and education decision-makers over children''s special educational needs and to consider the different methods adopted for the resolution of these disputes. In doing so it seeks to analyse the evidence with reference to a theoretical framework concerning: the nature of disputes, in particular those between citizen and state; the role of alternative dispute resolution mechanisms such as mediation and negotiation; and the rights of parents and children.
