Don't IEP Alone.

In this episode of "Don't IEP Alone," host Lisa Lightner speaks with Rachel Solomon, a young entrepreneur from Massachusetts with cerebral palsy. Rachel shares her inspiring journey of independence and her winning idea for a business called Quick Change. Her idea addresses the challenges of obtaining and maintaining medical equipment, like walkers, through a subscription-based servi...

Welcome back to "Don't IEP Alone," with Lisa Lightner where we provide support and guidance for parents navigating the complex world of Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings and special needs advocacy. In today's episode, we hear from Kelley Coleman, a parent, advocate, and author who shares her personal experiences and expertise in parenting a disabled child.  Kelley...

Welcome back to "Don't IEP Alone," with Lisa Lightner where we provide support and guidance for parents navigating the complex world of Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings and special needs advocacy. In today's episode, we hear from Kelley Coleman, a parent, advocate, and author who shares her personal experiences and expertise in parenting a disabled child.  Kelley...

Welcome back to Don't IEP Alone! In today's episode, we have Maria Slavin, the Founder of In-Sync and Social, LLC, and Exceptional Moms Coaching, with over 20 years of experience in occupational therapy. As a trusted clinical and educational consultant in the Philadelphia area, Maria specializes in social-emotional learning and self-regulation, offering a combined sensory and behavioral...

Welcome back to Don't IEP Alone! In today's episode, we have Maria Slavin, the Founder of In-Sync and Social, LLC, and Exceptional Moms Coaching, with over 20 years of experience in occupational therapy. As a trusted clinical and educational consultant in the Philadelphia area, Maria specializes in social-emotional learning and self-regulation, offering a combined sensory and behavioral...

Welcome to another empowering episode of the "Don't IEP Alone" podcast! I'm your host, Lisa Lightner, and today, I am thrilled to have a special guest, Nicole Santiago, from Family Adventures. Nicole shares her incredible journey, transitioning from a dedicated Spanish teacher to becoming an advocate for children with diverse learning needs, driven by personal experiences with...

Welcome, everyone! I'm Lisa Lightner, and I'm thrilled to bring you another episode of "Don't IEP Alone." Whether you're tuning in on YouTube or on different podcast platforms, or catching up with me on LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Instagram, I'm glad you're here. Don't forget to hit that subscribe button so you never miss an episode. I want to delve into t...

Welcome to "Don't IEP Alone" with your host, Lisa Lightner. If you're navigating the world of Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and special education, this podcast is your go-to resource.  In this episode, Lisa delves into the intriguing concept of parents as the IEP police. Drawing from her own experiences as a former special education compliance monitor in Pennsylvania...

Welcome back to another episode of "Don't IEP Alone." I'm your host, Lisa Lightner, a special education advocate based near Philadelphia.  In today's episode, we're diving into the world of social skills, just in time for the upcoming Thanksgiving festivities. As we gear up for the holiday season, it's essential to recognize that our children, especially those wi...

Welcome back to another episode of Don't IEP Alone. I'm Lisa Lightner, your host, and in today's episode, we dive into the important topic "No-Meet Addendum".  In this episode, I encourage parents to consider the no-meet addendum for manageable changes, emphasizing its efficiency and time-saving benefits. I recently used it for a transportation tweak and even when my son w...

Welcome to another episode of Don't IEP Alone podcast! This episode is the Part 2 of "Let's Talk About Behavior".  Children with autism and other learning disabilities often struggle with negative behaviors. These behaviors are often a result of the child's lack of skills or sensory experiences. Behavior plans are often used to address these behaviors. However, behavior pl...

Welcome to another episode of Don't IEP Alone podcast! In this episode, we will talk about BEHAVIOR! Lisa Lightner, host of the Don't IEP Alone Podcast, discusses the flaws and trends she's seeing with problematic FBAs. She argues that anyone can do an FBA, but not everyone has the necessary training to do so effectively. She also points out that FBAs often don't go deep enough...

Welcome to another episode of Don't IEP Alone podcast! In this episode, titled "IEE: Understanding Your Options," we dive into the important topic of Independent Education Evaluations (IEEs).  Relevant Article: https://adayinourshoes.com/iee-independent-education-evaluation/ Host Lisa Leitner opens up about a recent somber experience and reminds us to cherish our loved ones. She the...

Welcome back to another episode of Don't IEP Alone. I'm Lisa Lightner, your host, and in today's episode, we continue our discussion on IEP evaluations.  Relevant Links: https://adayinourshoes.com/iep-re-evaluations-what-parents-need-to-know-timelines/ https://adayinourshoes.com/iep-evaluations-iee-timeline/ This is part three of the series, where we dive into the quiet waiting peri...

 Navigating the IEP Evaluation Process: Part 2 - Permission to Evaluate Form Explained Relevant Links: https://adayinourshoes.com/iep-evaluations-iee-timeline/ https://adayinourshoes.com/iep-re-evaluations-what-parents-need-to-know-timelines/ Welcome back to another episode of Don't IEP Alone with Lisa Leitner! In today's episode, we are diving into part two of our series on IEP evaluati...

Welcome back to another episode of "Don't IEP Alone." I'm your host, Lisa Lightner, a special education advocate based near Philadelphia.  In this episode, we delve into a topic that many parents encounter when navigating the world of IEPs: evaluations. We often find that parents reach out to advocates when things aren't going well with their child's IEP, and sometime...

Dr. Jessica Myszak is a Chicago-area psychologist who specializes in autism assessment. Doing both in-person and telehealth evaluations in many states across the US, she has developed a niche in less-typical presentations of autism--autism in AFAB children and adults, high-masking children and adults, and pathological demand avoidance (PDA). Website— https://helpandhealingcenter.com/ Tik Tok-- htt...

Ariadne Wolf is a dedicated advocate for disabled and neurodivergent women writers who have faced trauma. Having worked closely with this community, Ariadne discovered their struggle to share their pain stories and connect with audiences in a meaningful and authentic way. This realization led her to establish an editorial consulting business, focusing on empowering and supporting her disabled comm...

00:02:30 Youth facing adult charges, reviewing records and assessing language and cognition to align with charges. Discussing impact of disorder on ability to meet elements. 00:05:19 Parents should familiarize themselves with special education laws and their rights to ensure their child receives appropriate services and not agree to anything they feel is wrong. 00:07:34 The term "school to pr...

Welcome back to another episode of "Don't IEP Alone"! In today's episode, we dive into the fascinating topic of executive functioning with the incredibly knowledgeable Tera Sumpter, SLP. Tera, who likes to think of things in terms of growth and planting, shares her insights and strategies for developing and supporting executive functioning skills in children.  She categorizes t...

Elliott Jaffa Dr. Elliott B. Jaffa Associates Arlington, VA ejaffa316@gmail.com 703-931-0040 00:02:15 The goal is to catch kids being good. Ask what they learned instead of "how was school?" Praise observable behaviors, not physical appearance. Parents struggle with the language of positivity. 00:06:18 The speaker asks an easy question, but with language restrictions. They then ask if th...

The Impact of Socialization in the Digital Age: FaceTime vs. In-Person Interaction 00:02:07 Growing concern over children's socialization and anxiety. 00:03:50 Video games can count as socialization, but face-to-face interaction is also important. 00:07:33 Families need to focus on mental health. 00:13:18 Parents must be vigilant with IEPs. Specialty design instruction must match child's...

Welcome back to the Don't IEP Alone podcast with your host, Lisa Lightner! After a long hiatus, we are thrilled to be back and ready to provide you with valuable content. In this episode titled "Back to School 2023, is your IEP ready?", Lisa dives into the current state of education, particularly in the aftermath of the pandemic. She discusses the challenges parents and educators ar...

IEP considerations for parents in the post covid era. Read more here: https://adayinourshoes.com/comp-ed-compensatory-education/ Support the show Other ways I can help you with IEPs: 📚 Order my book

My chat with Kyle Boyer about how to talk with our kids about race. To get the list of resources, watch the video or read the transcript: Talking with Kids about Race Support the show Other ways I can help you with IEPs: 📚 Order my book