The Parent IEP Lab

Today we are taking a minute to celebrate me being able to work on The IEP Lab full time for 1 year! Wahoo! In celebration, we are doing a HUGE giveaway in exchange for podcast reviews! Here is the skinny: Prizes: -ALL submissions will receive an exclusive "Accommodations 101 Guide"   -10 winners of IEP 101 Parent Workbook (make your 30-day advocacy plan!) $19 value -5 winners of the December Deco...

**FREE LEVERAGING PARENT ROLE IN IEP WEBINAR THIS WEEK!** CLICK HERE TO REGISTER! Episode 76: Paraprofessionals/Aides/Paraeducators/Paras   Does your child receive support from a paraprofessional but you aren't quite sure what a paraprofessional is or does? If you have questions about paraprofessionals, this episode is for you!   We are diving into who paraprofessionals are, what they do, how they...

Welcome to the final installment of the Bonus Eligibility Category Series! In this episode, we dive into Multiple Disability eligibility category. There is reason why this one is last on the list -- because there are other categories that combine to make this one! So be sure to scroll back through your podcast player to explore the other categories, too! In this episode: 1) We use the Colorado Sta...

Episode 74: The "D" Word: Data!   Understanding data is key to effectively advocating for your child! But what does the data in your child's IEP even mean?   In this episode, we're covering what you need to know about data so you can be prepared when you walk into your next IEP meeting, We are diving into what IEP data is, where you should find it in the IEP, and why it is so important when advoca...

Traumatic Brain Injuries are one of the hardest categories because that injury is one that is unseen to the naked eye. Many times behaviors and vision complications are just missed because this category requires a lot of medical knowledge. Fortunately, there are a ton of resources for this category (especially in states like Colorado and Pennsylvania!) and anyone across the country can access reso...

We all want our children to get the best support possible. In today's episode, Staci Neustadt from Making Sense of Autism is joining us and sharing how to figure out your child's strengths and how to use that information to get them the best support they can have.   Staci Neustadt is a Speech-Language Pathologist and CEO of Making Sense of Autism. She is sharing the framework they use to help pare...

***DOORS ARE OPEN TO THE ULTIMATE PARENT IEP PREP COURSE!*** Developmental Delay is...a little bit different than the other eligibility categories! In this episode we cover: -Using Colorado's Eligibility checklist as an example, we dive into the category of Developmental Delay -We cover common missed opportunities for parent advocacy (that help make that IEP effective!) -AND we talk about at what...

Are you wondering what effective parent advocacy looks like? Interested in learning more about advocating for inclusion? This episode is a replay of one of the incredibly insightful 2022 Parent IEP Advocacy Summit sessions.    Kathy Brill is a nationally recognized advocacy leader who became passionate about inclusion while raising her daughter who has Cerebral Palsy. She is sharing what inclusion...

Deaf/Blindness is one of the 13 eligibility categories set out by IDEA (the federal law that outlines special education) In this episode we: -Take a look at eligibility criteria for this category taking Colorado's Checklist as an example -Talk about complexities of this particular category (especially in light of staffing shortages) -AND of course, talk about common missed opportunities within the...

Have you ever wondered what social skills you should be teaching your child or what social skills goals you should ask for in your child's IEP? Today, we are diving into all things social skills for neurodivergent learners and IEP goals.   Rebecca Beaudet of the Com Collab is joining us to share their insight on what social skills mean and what the Neurodiversity Movement is. We are also covering...

Welcome! If you are a parent or guardian of a child with an IEP and want to find a way to advocate that is balanced and doesn't involve a lot of conflict, you are in the right place!! Subscribe to this podcast to get insider information about the school culture and IEP process to get your child a supportive and effective IEP! The IEP Lab offers: The IEP 101 Parent Workbook Decoding IEP Data Worksh...

The Parent IEP Advocacy Summit is only ONE WEEK away! You have until midnight of September 21st to get your free ticket (after that it's VIP tickets only!) So scoot on over to www. TheIEPLab.com/summit to get your ticket! In this Bonus Eligibility series, we are diving into ALL 13 categories of disability laid out by IDEA (the federal law that outlines special education)! In this episode we: 1) Go...

Does your child struggle with math? Does working on, or even thinking about, math give your child anxiety? Today, we are diving into math anxiety and how to help kids who struggle with it.   Allison Dillard joins us to talk all about math anxiety. We are chatting about what math anxiety is, the difference in the "new" way of teaching math and the way we grew up learning math, tips for parents of c...

If your child qualifies under this label (or if you suspect that they will) there are a few tricky things about this category related to skilled staffing and this being a more medical-type category! In this episode we discuss: 1) The Hearing Impairment Including Deafness eligibility category -- using Colorado's state checklist as an example 2) Specialized instruction 3) Who is typically involved o...

Have you heard of a behavioral pediatrician? Did you know they can play an important role in determining what outpatient services could benefit your child?    Today I am joined by behavioral pediatrician, Dr. Nerissa Bauer. She is sharing all about what a behavioral pediatrician is, how they can help your child get the services that they need, effective ways to communicate outpatient information w...

There are SO many ways schools fail parents with children who fall into the intellectual disability eligibility category.  One reason is it's uncomfortable. So things get missed. The other thing is that the elementary and high schools are disconnected.  In this episode we cover: -Checklist of eligibility, using Colorado's checklist as an example.  -Common implications of this category -Examples of...

Have you ever wondered what Assistive Technology is, what you can do to see if your child would benefit from it, and how to request it from the school? This week we are talking about assistive technology evaluations! **Warning** how every DISTRICT does this is different! This episode is more to let you know AT Evals are a "thing" and the way some districts go about completing them depending on the...

If your child has a neurological, muscular, or skeletal disorder, then this episode is for you! From cerebral palsy, muscular distrophy, spina bifita, this is a common category to get children with these diagnoses what they need in school.  We go over the eligibility crieteria from Colorado as an example, and also talk about specially designed instruction vs a 504 that comes up frequently with chi...

There's no roadmap on what to do after you get an ADHD diagnosis for your child. It can be confusing and challenging to get the support your child needs to be successful at school. The Childhood Collective joins us today to talk about specialized instruction for children with ADHD.    In this episode, we are looking at what specialized instruction is, challenges you may face when advocating for se...

If you have a child that is hard to understand (either speech - like articulation or language - grammar, vouce, or order of words, etc) then this podcast goes throught the eligibility category of Speech and Language Impairment to qualify for an IEP!    We look at the Colorado State Eligbility Checklist as an example, and talk about frequently missed opportunities for parent advocacy throughout thi...

Have you ever wondered if the goals in your child's IEP are good goals or if they are the right goals for your child? We are joined by Matt Clovin of Peacewolf Advocacy who is sharing some great insight into what an IEP goal should include.    In this episode we are talking about parents' roles in determining goals for their child, the 3 things IEP goals should include, and examples of "good" and...

Serious emotional disability is a tough category! It's a little vague, and a lot of opinion (in my opinion!)  In this podcast we cover: -Serious Emotional Disability Deffinition -Go through an Eligibility checklist (using Colorado's as an example) -Additional resources for parents regarding this category! Shownotes: www.theieplab.com/episode57 Facebook Group: https://urlgeni.us/facebook/IEPlab   C...

What is Least Restrictive Environment? Should your child be in the general education classroom 100% of the day? What is the best LRE percentage for students?    In this episode we are diving into what LRE is, why there is no "right" LRE percentage, why LRE needs to be personalized for every individual student, the four categories of LRE, and what to consider when advocating for your child's LRE. ...

Other Health Impairment, otherwise known as OHI, is a difficult category to explain, especially because it tends to be a "catch all" category for any student experiencing lack of endurance (aka fatigue) or attention concerns (aka ADHD like symptoms).   Our host Beth Liesenfeld, MOT, OTR/L goes through each area of the Colorado State Eligibility checklist as an example to give you a general idea of...

Our emotions play such a huge role in our everyday lives, relationships, and even the effectiveness of our advocacy for our children. Licensed mental health therapist Kyira Wackett of Adversity Rising is joining us today to share some insight into feelings of guilt and shame and how it affects our communication, how to move forward from feelings of lack of trust, anger, and pain, and how processin...