Special Needs

Articles

...was required to evaluate you, develop an Individualized Education Program (IEP), and provide services to help you succeed. Teachers, counselors, and case...initiated meetings and monitored your progress. Your parents attended every IEP meeting and signed off on your accommodations. The entire process was driven...

You've heard the term dozens of times. It's in your child's IEP. It's on the therapy center's website. Your pediatrician mentions it when...recommendation, choosing between treatment options, or reviewing your child's IEP, understanding what kind of evidence you're looking at changes the questions...

When you're three hours into an IEP meeting arguing over whether your child needs a full-time...Negotiations. Finland, Sweden, and Norway don't have IEP equivalents in the way U.S. parents recognize them....real-time support. What U.S. parents fight for at IEP meetings (smaller class sizes, co-teaching models,...

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

You learn "person-first language" at your first IEP meeting. A child with autism. A person with Down syndrome. A student with a learning disability. The logic is clear: the person comes first, the disability...

The acronyms arrive 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 arise. They sound bureaucratic, but they're the foundation of your child's...

...lower-stakes settings. Parents often ask when to start teaching self-advocacy. The answer is earlier than you think. A seven-year-old can't lead their IEP meeting, but they can tell their teacher they need a sensory break. A ten-year-old can't negotiate workplace accommodations, but they can explain to...

...experts in IDEA, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. They can cite IEP timelines, know what FAPE means, and understand procedural safeguards. But...restaurants, stores, hospitals, recreational facilities. Parents who can recite IEP timelines often don't know which ADA title applies to the pediatrician's office...

...cerebral palsy at age two" tells the committee nothing about you. It's a fact 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 you as someone who navigated systems, not someone things happened to. Start...

You're looking at charter schools and you have a child with an IEP. Maybe you've heard mixed things about how charters handle special education....education. Charter schools can't legally reject your child because they have an IEP. But the law and the practice don't always line up. Some charter schools have...

...child with ADHD who struggles with focus but maintains grade-level work might qualify for a 504 plan (accommodations like extended time) but not an IEP (specialized instruction). A child with the same diagnosis whose reading comprehension has fallen two years behind because of attention difficulties...

...begin no later than the first IEP after a student turns 16. Many...creates better outcomes. The IEP team can determine that transition...separate document. It's part of the IEP. Starting at age 16 (or earlier),...at age 16 (or earlier), the IEP must include measurable post-secondary...preferences, and interests. The IEP also includes the transition...