The Collaborative IEP

I learned a lot about myself when Jack was a baby.  One of the most obvious things I learned is that I’m a “why” person.  I want to know the reason for stuff.  I want to know the “why.”  We worked on coming to midline, deliberately reaching away from midline, and crossing midline.  Sure, I would have done it, because the therapists said to, but I really needed to know why....

You’ve probably heard me talk about All About Me Books, and you may be wondering what goes in this kind of document.  In today’s podcast episode, I walk you through All About Me Books (let’s just call them AAMBs) – why to draft them, what kind of information to include, how to format them, and how to use them in your advocacy.     I like to start an AAMB with a good description of t...

You’re getting the inside scoop on today’s podcast!  Tales from the trenches.  I sat down and thought about three common mistakes that people make in IEP meetings and am serving them up – with recommendations for doing better – for you today!   The mistakes: Agreeing to decisions without the knowledge to back it up, not knowing the people on the team, and not reading “the stuff.”&nb...

In today's episode we talk about the thing everybody fears: conflict. We don't only talk about it, but I actually encourage conflict. Keep reading. It gets better. You see, I always say that conflict yields effective change. I believe in constructive discord , allowing everyone to be heard, accountability for all team members, and interest-based negotiation.  Sound better than conflict? Yes!...

Meet Chrissy Baily, mom extraordinaire and graceful advocate for her adorable children, Juni and Johnnie.  Chrissy had talked with representatives at her local Down syndrome organization and her state’s disability rights staff but was still putting out fires advocating for her two children.  Then, her Down syndrome organization gave her a scholarship to my Special Education & Advocac...

My divorce clients sometimes say, “I’m sorry, Ashley, but you don’t understand,” often while pushing back on some optimistic or uber-reasonable advice I’ve given.  My patent response is, “You’re right.  I’m not divorced, so I don’t understand your experience, but I’ve had a lot of experiences that have given me perspective.  I have four broken vertebrae in my back and live in chroni...

Join me on today’s podcast episode as I chat with my good friend, Diana Abril, special education attorney and parent.  Diana and I not only talk about the importance of parent advocacy but also about steps that she’s taken to get started on her journey as a parent.  She offers lots of tips on where to get started in a parent advocacy journey, what skills to develop (and where to find tra...

Do you ever wonder how the experts do it?  What if  a poli-sci major that worked as a journalist and knew how to get the bottom of things got a Masters degree in education and then had a child with Down syndrome?  How would SHE advocate for inclusion?  Friends, meet Courtney Hansen, Rockstar Inclusion Advocate!   Courtney joins me in this week’s episode to talk all things...

We met on the podcast at the beginning of the semester – what was that eight years ago?- to discuss Preparing for the First Semester.  It felt like a more important semester but not the beast that it actually became!  It seemed natural therefore to give you some suggestions for this important second semester.  This week’s podcast is called “Three Tips for Preparing for Second Semest...

Communication is the name of my game!  IEP teams are just that – teams.  In order to work as a team through each year, and in some cases year after year, communication must flow from school to home and from home to school.    I know first-hand how difficult it is for teachers to put together all of the pieces to really understand a child.  I also know how amazing it is when a teacher shows extra i...

The second I met Kara Ryska, I knew I wanted to share her wisdom with you.  Kara is a Life Coach that specializes in helping mothers that are raising children with special needs. The mother of a child with a brain tumor and secondary diagnosis, Kara knows first hand what it is like to manage all of the doctors’ appointments, therapies, school meetings, special instructions for child care, and...

You’ve probably heard me say, “Data drives instruction.”  Here’s a new one for you.  “Evaluation data plans specially designed instruction.”  It doesn’t roll off the tongue as easily, and it means the same thing.  It’s just far more specific and really, really important.  There are way too many IEPs out there that aren’t specially designed to a child’s unique needs – that...

We’ve spent a lot of time talking about the mechanics of an IEP and advocacy strategies, but we haven’t spent much time talking about parents’ and other team member’s emotions.  The ability of each team member to be present and available for discussions and to actively participate is of extreme import.  Parents can’t be fully present when they’re feeling overwhelmed.    Whether...

Communicate communicate, communicate!  If you’ve been around here long enough, you know how much I preach communication on IEP teams!  I really think communication is the key to collaboration.  In today’s episode we go through four communication strategies that I have my clients and students use to improve IEP team collaboration.    We talk about emails that I recommend fa...

Chances are you’ve read a Wrightslaw book or attended a Wrightslaw training! I’m thrilled to host Pete Wright, THE special education guru, on today’s podcast! Pete tried a special education case, Florence County School District Four vs. Shannon Carter, before the U.S. Supreme Court in 1993 and has been famous in special education circles since! His books and trainings bring practical information t...

Behavior is always a hot topic in special education.  If a school struggles to support a child’s behavior, the child often struggles comprehensively.  One solution is a comprehensive functional behavior assessment, which is an evaluation of the child’s trigger behaviors.  Once an FBA is done, the team can develop a BIP. Dr. Solandy Forte of Milestones Behavioral Services walks us th...

“Your child has to have a teacher with a certificate that allows her to teach children with more significant needs.”  Or, “you child has ___ disability category, so you’re child belongs in ___ room.”  Ever hear that?  If you have, you need to hear this: Disability category and diagnosis do not drive placement.  Disability category and diagnosis do not induce teacher certificate...

In today’s episode I welcome our favorite physical therapist, Amy Martin!  Amy was my son’s PT from the time he was about 3 months old until he was 9 when we took PT off of his IEP.  Amy has always provided me and our IEP team with wisdom on the importance of functional movement. Amy describes functional movement in terms of strength, positioning, balance, flexibility and provides lots of examples...

The IEP team is supposed to collaborate to develop an effective, meaningful plan with annual goals, specially designed instruction, and uniquely designed special education and related services.  That’s a big charge, and all too often, IEP team meetings are rote, bland, and driven by the school team with little parent participation encouraged or allowed.  In this episode I’ll walk you thr...

Do you feel like your child’s IEP lacks services that would benefit your child?  Have you asked for additional services when you get to that time in the IEP meeting, only to be denied?  I’ll let you in on a secret--- the timing of your request may be the problem.  All too often parents ask for services at the wrong time during an IEP meeting.  Let me explain.   The IE...

I’m no stranger to an inclusion argument, and while they’re always tricky and emotional, they’re among my favorite kind of cases.  The law is so simple, but the discussions around Least Restrictive Environment can get so convoluted.  In today’s episode, I’ll walk you through what the law mandates, a few factors to consider in an LRE case, and ton of strategies I use in my law practice wh...

Evaluations are a fact of life in special education. They are the gateway to the IEP. School districts are required to identify, locate, and evaluate children that are suspected as having a disability. That requirement is often called the “Child Find” requirement. As a result of Child Find, once a district or a parent identifies a child as possibly qualifying for special education services, the di...

In this episode I address the most commonly asked questions during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the past six months I’ve helped my own clients and have spoken with parents and staff at many disability organizations about decision-making during the COVID-19 pandemic. Things have twisted and turned, but we always land on the same themes. I have compiled a list of the questions that I’ve been asked most...

Sara Platenberg has a Masters Degree in Education with a focus in Gifted and Talented and Twice Exceptional Populations. She served the public school system in Virginia as a Gifted and Talented Specialist where she focused on Twice Exceptionality and meeting the needs of 2E students while utilizing researched based inclusion strategies. Her years as an educator and experience implementing strategi...

IEP Meetings can be intimidating. This episode takes the stress out by bringing basic, easily laid out information on what the meetings are, who attends them, why they occur, when they occur, where they are, and how they are scheduled. Sometimes the meeting is the most intimidating part of advocating for a child with a special education plan. My husband , Brandon, joins me in this episode as we re...