Category: Special Education Advocacy
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When IEP Research Stops Making You a Better Advocate (An Honest Audit)
I think a lot of us are doing this and pretending it’s the same thing as advocacy. There is a real, important difference between research that makes you a better advocate for your child and research that just makes you feel a little less terrified for the next forty-five minutes.
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Practice the IEP Meeting Before You Walk In (Free AI Prompt for Parents)
Here is the thing nobody tells you about IEP meetings. You will walk in prepared. You will have your folder. You will have rehearsed what you want to say in the shower for three weeks. And then someone will smile warmly across the table and say “We’re really pleased with how she’s responding,” and you…
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504 vs IEP: Which Does My Child Need?
504 plans and IEPs sound similar but are very different legal tools. Here’s how to tell which one your child actually needs, what each one provides, and what to do when the school pushes one over the other.
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How to Read Your Child’s Special Education Evaluation (Without Getting Talked Past)
Every single standard score on a special education evaluation has measurement error baked into it. If you get a report with a score of 81, the 81 isn’t a single fixed point. It’s the middle of a range. Depending on the test and the subtest, the actual ability the score is trying to capture could…
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The Special Education Paper Trail Schools Don’t Volunteer (And How to Find It)
The first time I sat through an IEP meeting where I felt completely outmatched, I left the room thinking the same thing every parent has thought at some point. “I have no idea if any of what they just said is actually true.” The school had a process. They referenced their process. They said things…
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Stop Debating Where Your Child Sits. Start Asking How They’re Being Taught.
If you have a child with an IEP, you have probably sat in a meeting and felt the full weight of this question: where should my child be taught? The inclusion debate has consumed special education for decades. Parents fight for general education classrooms. Schools push back. Other families pull their kids into self-contained settings…
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Decoding What Your Child’s School Is Actually Telling You: From Vague Labels to Real Information
Schools use vague labels like “struggles with phonemic awareness” in IEP meetings, but most parents don’t know what those terms actually mean. Here’s how to decode the jargon and ask the right follow-up questions so you can actually understand what’s going on with your child’s reading.
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Your Child May Be Entitled to More Than You Know: A Complete Guide to Related Services in the IEP
Most parents think IEPs only cover classroom accommodations. But related services like speech therapy, occupational therapy, and counseling can be part of your child’s plan too. Here’s what they are, who qualifies, and how to request them.
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Your Child Shouldn’t Have to Ask Twice: IEP Accommodations Are the School’s Job
IEP accommodations aren’t favors. They’re legal obligations. If your child has to remind their teacher what they need, something is broken. Here’s how to make sure the school follows through.