Category: Special Education

With IEP season in full swing, we’re setting our sights on strength-based IEPs and how to develop one using a whole-child, strengths-first approach. But what exactly is a strength-based IEP? Is it just another buzzword or do kids actually need one? (Yes, they do!) If you’ve sat through an IEP meeting before, or read through …

Preparing for our kids’ transition out of high school and into the great, big world of adulthood can often feel like a mixed bag of emotions: excitement, joy, anxiety, gratitude — and maybe a side of panic?! If your child is in high school, part of the IEP process will include planning for their transition …

Are you up at night wondering how you should prepare because your child has a big transition right around the corner? Call it what you will — transitions, big leaps, rites of passage — these exciting milestones in our kids’ lives can also leave us (and our kids) feeling terrified. New friends, new campus, new …

Dear parents, as sweater weather draws near, it also brings us to a significant moment in the school year — progress reporting! Many of us can feel like we’re in the dark when it comes to getting meaningful IEP progress reports from our kids’ schools. Do they really matter? Baselines, hard data, present levels, goals …

It’s safe to say that we all know what IEPs are — but are you wondering (and maybe utterly confused?!) about what the heck they have to do with Common Core? Let’s break this down. Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are like a universal yardstick that helps teachers and parents understand what’s expected at each …

When determining which services our kids need, we often find ourselves wondering about things like whether the school is providing enough of a service. Can we be trained on what our kids are doing so we can support them at home? Are schools allowed to cut services because “all services are supposed to fade out?” …

If you see your child struggling to make friends or feel included at school, it’s painful, especially if you’re told that the school just “doesn’t do inclusion” (newsflash: that’s not a thing!). Inclusion is not just a buzzword — it’s the process of making big and small changes to the school environment, processes, and culture …

Fall is in the air, and along with it, crisp weather, pumpkin-spiced everything, and school in full swing. The honeymoon period is over and staff and students are digging in — this is the perfect time to take stock of our IEPs and make sure our kids are receiving the services and supports they need …

For those of us parenting children who need supports to thrive in school, we understand the feeling of wanting to start the school year off with everything in place, including their accommodations, which are meant to remove barriers to learning and meet THEM where they are (not the other way around!). As parents, we live …

Learning the complexities of reading and writing and figuring out nuts and bolts of math is a struggle for lots of kids. And while every child is unique in how they develop academically, if your child is exceedingly and persistently frustrated, they may have an SLD. As parents, the battle against the negative stereotypes that …