When a student has an IEP, their school district is responsible for their education until the student receives a high school diploma or turns 22 years old. If the student stays in school until 22, they will receive a Certificate…
Read more
There are many great, passionate educators out there. Some will become friends, mentors, or guiding lights in your journey as the parent of a kid with special needs or learning differences. Then there are the rest. The ones who make…
Read more
We’ve heard schools districts say all sorts of interesting things. Here’s a list of the most common special education myths we’ve come across. “We can’t provide individual instruction for your student. We would like to, but . . .” A…
Read more
IEP Hack #1: Create your own box on the IEP signature page After creating your own box, check the box you just created. Immediately next to the checkbox, you can authorize goals (if you are in agreement with them). Another…
Read more
You worked hard to get an appropriate IEP in place for your child; It meets their needs and covers all the bases. You relax, ever so slightly, hoping the next school year will go as planned. This can happen, sometimes…
Read more
Writing effective IEP goals is harder than it sounds. Parents use progress on these goals to measure their child’s special education placement and services, meaning it is a huge part of how we know whether they are working or need…
Read more
Timing: Ask for what you want Ask for a two-hour IEP team meeting. You will have to take off work, arrange child care, and find parking at a busy school, so you should make it worth your while. We see…
Read more
When you find yourself in the special education world, there are many reasons to hire an advocate. Most parents just want to have an IEP meeting, discuss their child’s needs, create goals and services, and sign the document. While this…
Read more
The beginning of a new school year can be scary for many families whose students have IEPs. Often it means new service providers, teachers, classrooms, peers, and schedules. Fortunately, there are ways to mitigate some of the anxiety and stress…
Read more
Many parents of atypical children want those children to be taught alongside their typically developing peers. Often, parents have an idea of how they want that to look: their child will form friendships and be exposed to age-appropriate lessons, with typical…
Read more