Special Education Inner Circle

In this episode of the Special Education Inner Circle podcast, we explore the world of building your own IEP coaching practice. It's easier than you think! Catherine breaks it down into three essential pillars: IEP Development - Find your niche by specializing in helping specific families. This will attract the right clients and establish you as an expert in the field. Personal Development - Becom...

Our staff shortages in special education are not short-term or temporary. They are here to stay for a long time and that means we need to get serious about how staff shortages are impacting individual children and what we can do to move forward without playing the waiting game of "when we get staff, this will be better".  Exploring the Consequences of Staff Shortages: Remember, staff shortages imp...

Summertime is the perfect opportunity for all children to thrive through experiential learning. Beyond traditional academics, hands-on experiences provide invaluable growth and development. Immersive activities like outdoor adventures, arts programs, and specialized educational programs create a diverse learning environment, everyone can benefit from.  Experiential learning helps children to gain...

Meet A.J., creator of Tracked Learning. Tracked Learning was conceived out of necessity. As a Special Education instructor, he spent years frustrated with the lack of tools to track the progress of his students in a timely manner. The redundancy and inefficiency of quarterly progress reports minimized his time to instruct his students, which was not only inconvenient for him, but more importantly,...

Woah, this episode was difficult to record! It brought up emotions that I didn't know I still had about my daughter's experience with receiving support for reading in elementary school. As a parent, I remember I initially agreed to the services, but later I had to sign my daughter out of some of them due to the stress it was causing her. It broke my heart to see my daughter feeling like she was be...

Every time I walk into the room to lead a Parent IEP workshop I have brightly colored index cards or sticky notes in my hand. I pass them out and ask every parent to tell me...  "What's one thing you wish your child's teacher knew?" The results of that question are valuable insights into  what parents REALLY want from the school system and often they are focused on the importance of communication,...

Today on the Special Education Inner Circle podcast, I interviewed Dr. Maria Gilmour, author of  Seven Superpowers . We chatted all about providing compassionate behavior support at home and school. Sometimes this can feel tricky when emotions are running high, but Maria has been working with children for 25 years and has great strategies to share! Key Strategies Discussed: Compassionate support m...

As someone who has been working in the education system for a long time, I can tell you with confidence that the strategies that we use to deliver therapies at school have not changed in decades. It's definitely time to start thinking about therapy differently and giving it the attention it deserves. In this episode of the Special Education Inner Circle Podcast, I share with you  five consideratio...

Every week our Master IEP Coach® community gathers to discuss wins, worries, and struggles in our Special Education system. This week on the Special Education Inner Circle podcast I'm sharing 3 conversations and solutions that you can use at your IEP table. : The Difference Between a Compliant IEP and a Best Fit IEP Moving Beyond Meetings to Save Time and Resources Data-Driven Decisions for Specia...

Life Skills or Academic Skills? Don't force yourself to make a choice! Both are critical for a child to be prepared for their future. How can you integrate life skills into academic routines? Listen in to learn a few ideas you can implement immediately! Earn Your Master IEP Coach® Certificate   www.masteriepcoach.com Need more IEP ideas? Start with these 12 IEP Questions (Free Download):   www.iep...

When Special Education teachers and parents start sharing their stories of why they need IEPs to be different, change starts to happen. Maybe you'll even decide to use your story to help others! Download Master IEP Coach® Resources:   www.masteriepcoach.com Prep for your next IEP meeting with these 12 IEP Questions:   www.iepchecklist.com

Workload Overload isn't just a teacher problem in Special Education. It's everyone's problem. Parents, you can build trust by being honest with your child's teacher about how you are going to advocate to make sure they have everything she needs to educate your child… including time. Teachers, it's time for you to create a timeline and task analysis to evaluate and document what's really happening...

When creating IEP goals, it is important to consider the student's needs not only in the classroom, but also at home. Goals that support students at both home and school are more likely to be achievable and lead to success in both environments. In addition, IEP goals should also be valuable beyond the school years. By creating IEP goals that support students at both home and school and consider lo...

As a special education parent or teacher you can find yourself in the most unexpected situations and seasons in your life. Jillian Benfield, author of The Gift of the Unexpected, shares with us how you can live life unedited, get off the balance beam, and find comfort in the word "and". Breathe a sigh of relief while listening to this episode, knowing you're not alone in your struggles, especially...

If you're a mom of a child with disability and you're worried about what resources are available after high school… you're probably a "Sue" or a "Julia". You're either going to build something new or make something better so you and your family have opportunities in the future that never existed in the past. Listen in to hear how Sue created a whole new streaming world for her daughter and her pee...

Special Education Teachers shouldn't have to choose between keeping their job or helping parents through the IEP process. It's possible to do both! Parents and Teachers, Grab this free list of 12 IEP Questions to begin working together at a whole new level:   www.iepchecklist.com

I just finished leading the Master IEP Coach® Business Mentorship in Arizona. Parents, Teachers, Admins, and Therapists came together to learn how to become Master IEP Coaches® and use their expertise to help others through the IEP process. Maybe you're thinking... Could I become a Master IEP Coach® and create part-time or full-time income by bringing parents and teachers together to solve Special...

Collaborative data collection between home and school is an effective way to maximize IEP outcomes! Students need to master skills outside of the classroom environment and building independence in foundational skills takes consistency. It's time to get rid of old fashioned data collection and work together to create smart IEP decisions based on facts. Grab your free Frenalytics account at   https:...

I didn't feel prepared to teach reading when I finished my college degree and became a certified Special Education teacher. After working in the field of Special Education for decades, I realized I wasn't alone. Join Karla and Beth from SLANT SYSTEM® to discover how they became leaders in helping struggling learners. The SLANT System® is an Orton-Gillingham based structured literacy training. SLAN...

When an IEP team wanted to dismiss a 12 year old boy from speech services because he wasn't making progress, it was time to get creative and find new resources! I'm fascinated by the technology at Control Bionics, their NeuroNode, and how it has helped so many children open up a whole new world of communication. Look at Control Bionics and Reach Out to Their Team for Help in Accessing Their Breakt...

Just like the Southwest crews are not to blame for planes not flying, teachers are not to blame for schools not having the resources or support for executing appropriate IEPs. Just like the passengers are upset at the crew for not flying, parents often get upset at teachers for Special Education failing. Flight crews and passengers are on the same side. They want to be flying. Teachers and parents...

What happens when you start sharing draft IEPs, educating families in military communities, and hosting IEP coffee talks in your hometown? Jenna, Destiny, and Christine shared their results inside the Master IEP Coach® Network and I can't wait to share these wins with you! Resources: Learn to Be a Master IEP Coach®: www.masteriepcoach.com/learn Find a Master IEP Coach®: www.masteriepcoach.com/dire...

I took a fitness class last week and it was different than anything I've experienced before! This fitness class reminded me about 3 important things in our IEP process. 1) We need more options for P.E. during the school day. 2) We need more person-centered planning for employment options. 3) When we see a gap in our communities, we often need to fill it with NEW solutions, just like Let's Go Fitne...

If a child lacks confidence in communicating, they communicate less. When they communicate less, they develop a habit of not participating. This habit can often follow them into adulthood. That's exactly why we need to work together in Special Education to provide research-based programs in the area of communication. We also need to get serious about the data that needs to be collected and the tea...

Talking about future planning is one of the toughest topics in the disability community. This Special Needs Planning Guide is the perfect resource for both parents and teachers to support the uncomfortable conversations that must be addressed when we consider what we can do to prepare for the years to come. Grab Your Copy of The Special Needs Planning Guide and save 10% Find the book:   The Specia...