Special Needs

Articles

...you're three hours into an IEP meeting arguing over whether...three hours into an IEP meeting arguing over whether your...and Norway don't have IEP equivalents in the way...U.S. parents fight for at IEP meetings (smaller class...parents fight for at IEP meetings (smaller class sizes,...result: fewer adversarial meetings. When the system assumes...

Your child's IEP says "general education classroom with co-teaching support." You agreed to..."general education classroom with co-teaching support." You agreed to it at the meeting. Now you're wondering what that means in practice: what it looks like when...

...early in your special education journey: FAPE and LRE. You'll see them in IEP documents, hear them in meetings, watch attorneys reference them when disputes...education journey: FAPE and LRE. You'll see them in IEP documents, hear them in meetings, watch attorneys reference them when disputes arise. They sound bureaucratic,...

...from a medical chart. Compare that to: "I learned to advocate for myself at IEP meetings before I learned algebra." That sentence shows agency. It positions...medical chart. Compare that to: "I learned to advocate for myself at IEP meetings before I learned algebra." That sentence shows agency. It positions you...

...kitchen table with an IEP document that doesn't...promised in the meeting. Or you've been...of Help. Not all IEP help is the same....often trained in the IEP process, who volunteers...They can attend meetings with you, help you...education law and IEP processes but isn't...records, attend IEP meetings, help you...records, attend IEP meetings, help you request...

...doesn't qualify for an IEP, makes the difference...a transition planning meeting. If you're at 27 months...Evaluations take time. IEP meetings have to be scheduled....Evaluations take time. IEP meetings have to be scheduled....the Transition Planning Meeting. This meeting includes...Planning meeting. This meeting includes your early intervention...

You sit in the IEP meeting and the school says... You sit in the IEP meeting and the school says no. The...explain their reasoning, and the meeting ends with you signing a document...with school decisions, request meetings, and pursue formal dispute...about your child's evaluation, IEP, or placement, they're required...

...teacher asks if they need help. Your teenager has an IEP packed with accommodations they never use because...shows that students who participate in their own IEP meetings have better post-school outcomes. They're...that students who participate in their own IEP meetings have better post-school outcomes. They're more likely...

...have no roadmap for addressing it. Sibling support is rarely discussed at IEP meetings, not covered in discharge planning, and largely absent from the...no roadmap for addressing it. Sibling support is rarely discussed at IEP meetings, not covered in discharge planning, and largely absent from the clinical...

...requested changes to your child's IEP. The school said no. Now what? This...evaluations, progress reports, and meeting notes. These documents become evidence...services: mediation, a resolution meeting, an impartial due process hearing,...Possible. Mediation is a voluntary meeting with a trained neutral facilitator....

You walk into an IEP meeting prepared...walk into an IEP meeting prepared to advocate...their footing. IEP advocacy isn't...Legal Rights at IEP Meetings. IDEA,...Rights at IEP Meetings. IDEA, the Individuals...members of the IEP team. That means...to: Request an IEP meeting at any...Request an IEP meeting at any time, not...reports before the meeting Request an independent...

The decision often doesn't happen all at once. It builds over months of IEP meetings that feel circular, of watching a child shut down at drop-off,...decision often doesn't happen all at once. It builds over months of IEP meetings that feel circular, of watching a child shut down at drop-off, of school...