The Collaborative IEP

Today we welcome Erin Yolac, an educational advocate from sunny California!  Erin and I explore her advocacy journey through the lens of her own educational experiences.  Erin will talk directly to parents, particularly those whose children have been diagnosed with dyslexia and/or ADHD, and will give lots of tips and empathy to them.  We’ll talk about the importance of early interve...

Christmas Chaos!  It’s so normal and relatable.  But wouldn’t you rather relate to people with a peaceful heart and mind?!  In today’s episode, I give you TEN (yes, ten) tips for surviving the holidays with your neurodiverse family, but let me tell you… these tips support you are caregivers, as well as your other family members, too!  Our first ever BONUS episode is a good one...

Beth Liesenfeld was an OT that provided school-based supports for years.  She observed families that got what they wanted and deserved and families that didn’t.  She made notes of her observations and started helping families advocate more effectively with her experiences and observations!  Join Beth and me for a co-hosted/co-published podcast on Advocacy from the Inside Out. ...

Better Speech? Yes please! In today’s episode, I talk with Lenora Edwards, a speech and language therapist, about online speech therapy and language development. You’ll learn how language develops in children as they grow from babies into school-aged children and how to facilitate language as a parent and teacher. Lenora provides virtual speech and language therapy at Better Sp...

You keep the data. You report the data. You’re all about the data. But they still don’t listen! Have you ever tried to capitulate your child’s data in a chart or graph? This simple advocacy strategy can be super helpful and might just make a difference in your child’s next IEP meeting. In today’s episode I’ll walk you through an Excel tutorial… wait! I promise it...

In today’s episode of the podcast, I will review for common pitfalls in progress monitoring. I grabbed these pitfalls from an article, but they are definitely things that I have seen in my practice repeatedly. Of course, you know I will give you strategies and solutions so you can avoid the pitfalls, and address them if errors occur.

In today’s episode, we are going to talk about all of the ancillary information that can impact data. This information is super important to understand and to consider when evaluating data. Incoming weeks we will talk about what to do with this information and how it can, impact, advocacy, instruction, and more. Data feels a little like Bruno. We should probably talk about it, but nobody wants to....

Conflict adverse? This episode is for you! A few weeks ago, I was sitting in an IEP meeting and used a negotiation strategy that I’d just used in parenting Jack. I realized the irony… our children TEACH us skills that help us advocate for THEM! In today’s episode we’re talking about two skills that you’ve probably developed in parenting your children that will immensely enhance...

A couple weeks ago, I was asked to speak on a Hot Topic in special education advocacy at a conference for people with ADHD. Without hesitating, I suggested that I speak about executive functioning – and not only EF – but really HOW to advocate for better supports for students that struggle with executive functioning. Let me tell you--- this is coming up in soooooo many IEP meetings in my...

It seems so simple. Too simple. Unbelievably simple. Like do negotiation experts actually teach this? Do law schools professors actually harp on this? Is it seriously the bane of the mediator’s existence? Friends, in today’s episode I give you THE most simple negotiation strategy. It’s one that you think you know. But wait. You might need to know more a...

In preparing for my new job, I’ve been cleaning my office building and preparing to rent it out. It’s been a real trip down memory lane. As I’ve thought about all of my favorite attorneys and advocates, a few verbs kept circulating through my mind. In today’s episode we dive into the mindset of attorneys and advocates. How do we work? What makes us tick? How do we achieve success for our clients?...

A Book called “The Behavior Code?” Yes please! In today’s episode, I summarize one of my most favorite books, “The Behavior Code,” by Jessica Minahan and Nancy Rappaport, MD. Let me tell you… if you read just the first 26 pages of this book, you’ll be able to talk to your child’s school team so much more effectively! And if you commit to 42 pages, you’ll also be able to suggest...

My dad, our beloved Kurtie, often prays, “God, give me patience, and give it to me NOW!” If you’re a parent in special education, you can relate to this, and you may have whispered, “God, give me resources, and give them to me NOW!” The fact is that there are soooo many resources about special education and advocacy on-line… so many, in fact, that it is hard to determine where the best resources e...

One of the things I use most often in my advocacy is the United States Department of education's policy documents. These documents can help yield learn about a particular topic, turn into what a district might be thinking, and tears out certain elements of special education laws. They can be hard to find, because sometimes they get buried in websites, so in today's episode, I walk you through how...

I see this trend at IEP meetings…. Teams start discussion topics like inclusion or strategies like reading interventions, and they keep getting stuck. The real reason they’re getting stuck is because the child is struggling with BEHAVIOR! If a child isn’t regulated or prepared for learning, the interventions are far less likely to work. So, parents can advocate for better behavior strategies. This...

I had my first IEP meeting of the school year last week, and when my client told me it was the first one that didn’t make her cry in years, it hit me. Parents feel more confident when I am at their meetings, because I help them understand the law. I take time to educate them about special education process, which is founded in the law, and intern, they gain super important confidence. In today’s e...

Do you struggle to find the right balance this time of year?  Avid pool patrons, we try to squeeze out EVERY bit of fun in the sun; but we also all enjoy the routine and structure that comes with the Back to School season.  So, today we’re talking about how to find that balance – special education style.  I’ve got 5 simple tips to help you find structure AND fun in the couple of wee...

Kayla Schadegg uses her platform at Mrs. Kansas International to advocate for people with Down syndrome. Do I have your attention?!  Yes, that’s right! I have a real live beauty queen on the podcast today, and we aren’t talking swimsuit fashion! Kayla will share her own birth story experience till drive her passion for teaching doctors and medical professionals about delivering disability dia...

Happy 100th Episode, ABC friends!!!  If we were in a school, we’d likely be dressing as 100-year-olds, complete with walkers and bushy eyebrows!  In today’s milestone episode, I’m sharing with you 5 lessons that I’ve learned over the last two years as we’ve shared experiences here at Ashley Barlow Co and on the podcast.  I share the story of how ABCo was conceptualized (during a riv...

The turning of the calendar page to August is a good reminder to start working on that Back to School Communication!  Have you updated your All About Me Book?  In today’s episode I give three super easy tips to help you advocate as effectively as possible with an All About Me Book!  Need a template?  Download one HERE!  https://ashleybarlowco.podia.com/all-about-me-books&n...

I can’t wait to share with you Holly’s story.  Whether you’re a parent, a teacher, or already an advocate, you’ll find some way to connect with Holly Johnson, today’s guest, and her sunny outlook!  Holly is an elementary school special education teacher, who learned a lot about life during the COVID-19 pandemic, took the ABC Course and is on her way to becoming a special education advoca...

In today’s short, sweet episode we look at 34 CFR 300.116, a regulation that teases out inclusion really nicely and gives us a LOT of help in arguing for inclusion.  When I faced my own inclusion “discussion” with Jack’s IEP team, I first read the LAW (what’s in IDEA), but it didn’t help much.  The REGULATIONS “tease out,” or explain, the law.  This reg contains many factors that th...

You know when your intuition just tells you something is right, but you have a hard time advocating? It’s like you know something is right, but you cannot really articulate it, so you say a lot of words but never really get to the point. I have clients come in with this issue often, and there is one strategy I always give them. In today’s podcast we will talk about this problem, as well as the str...

Have you ever wondered if you should get tutoring for your child that is on an IEP or 504 Plan?  How do you find a tutor?  How do you know if they’re a good fit?  What kinds of tutoring models are out there?  We’ll answer all of your tutoring question in today’s episode… yes, even that one.  My guest, Kelsey Frobeen, and I will even talk about the risk that tutoring will t...

Visual Schedules Made Easy?!  Yes please!  If anyone has ever told you that your child would benefit from visuals, this episode is for you!  Right?  This episode is for EVERYone… because we can ALL benefit from visuals (hello, grocery list)!  Today I’m talking to the one and only Tara Tuchel of Autism Little Learners, creator of the online course called “Visuals Made Easy”...