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Want to Stop Drinking Wine every day? I did too. Since beginning this series three years ago, I’ve heard

When was IDEA passed? IDEA was first passed in 1975 as Federal legislation. However, its history began much before that. The

Emotional Disturbance Emotional Disturbance Category on an IEP is one of the most misunderstood categories. In my professional opinion, it

Online and Virtual Learning Accommodations This came up today in our Facebook Live chat, as an OT/Sensory question. Some

Communication Plan for Parents I remember I was working with this client one time. We had held an IEP meeting,

How to Write a Letter to School You will definitely want to bookmark or pin this post. I have often

14 Categories of Disabilities in IDEA There are 14 categories of disabilities listed in IDEA. Autism (and yes there is medical vs

IEP or 504 for ADHD? It is estimated that 5-12% of all American kids have some type of ADHD. If you

Special Education Transportation “It’s the bus. It’s always the bus!” My former supervisor used to say that so

Microaggressions Against Black IEP Students Most of you know I’m all in, as far as working harder to educate

An Extra $20 a Week? Sounds good, doesn’t it? Yesterday I laid out a plan to begin stockpiling for the

Stocking Up for a Pandemic My first disclaimer is this: I am not the person taking all the toilet paper.

IEP Cover Page Imagine for a moment that you are a teacher and it’s the first day of class.

Juvenile Arthritis | IEP | 504 According to the Arthritis Foundation, over 300,000 American children have Juvenile Arthritis. The most common type of arthritis

Surgical and EEG Glue Removing EEG glue from your child’s hair-is there anything worse? I cannot believe that we

Ableist Microaggressions Microaggressions have been getting a lot more attention recently, and with good cause. It’s very easy to

Life Skills Classroom | Special Education Resource Room I really hate the term life skills. I mean, after all, we ALL

IEP Data Tracking IEP data tracking and progress monitoring in special education is one of the most important things about

Independent Functioning IEP Goals for Life Skills Before I get started with this list of Life Skills Functional Goals for

ABA Therapy in Schools “I want my child in an ABA program.” ABA therapies are very popular (and controversial). Many

Can an IEP be changed without parental consent? For the purposes of this post, it assumes that you (parent) already

OHI on the IEP IDEA has 14 eligibility categories for an IEP. One of them is OHI. I find that OHI

What does LEA stand for? LEA is one of those special education acronyms that is more complex than it needs

Parent Counseling and Training on an IEP One little-known feature of IDEA is the section on parent training. Parents are

No-Spend Challenge Rules I have this friend. And I’m not judging, just using her as an example. But she

It’s who I am. When I was in high school in the 1980s, during the summers my friends and

Best Things to Grow in an Aerogarden I was an early adopter of the Aerogarden. I got one of the

Basic Sign Language Maybe it’s because my kids are teens and tweens now, but I feel like I don’

IEP in College? No, there are no IEPs in college. That’s a statement of fear that I hear from

Text to Speech This past year has had our kids accessing technology more than ever before. Even those who didn’

Trauma-Informed IEPs It’s amazing how we go through life, just doing what we do, not knowing what we don’

Inference Definition for Kids “Mommy, is that Lady Gaga?” When my youngest was a toddler, he LOVED Lady Gaga. I

CBI on your IEP Since my son has had CBI on his IEP for almost a decade, I can always

Severe Discrepancy Model You can file this under “the knowledge base I wish I didn’t have to have.” But

Will Trunk or Treat Save Halloween? Trunk or Treating is a growing trend that has been popping up around the

Learning Executive Functioning Skills My husband has been in a family Fantasy Football league for several years. In recent years,

504 Plans for Food Allergies On this website, you will find many articles that discuss the overuse of 504 plans. They were

It was too good to be true. Running a blog and all that goes with it takes much more time

Will your distance learning be successful? As we face the reality of having to do long-distance learning with our children

Halloween Looks Different this year! No matter how you like to celebrate Halloween, there is no denying that it is

Should your Child Have Counseling IEP Goals? Student counseling is listed as a Related Service in IDEA. Actually, Parent Counseling

Today I had the pleasure of doing a Facebook Live Chat with Pam Margolis. We talked about race and representation

IDEA: Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Several years ago, I was at a fundraiser. It was for an agency that

Best Noise Cancelling Headphones The world is a noisy place. Heck, sometimes I wish I had noise-cancelling headphones. But if

How to Write IEP Parent Concerns. I’m going to wag my finger at you–from this day forward, you

COVID-19 and Halloween If there is one thing that doesn’t get canceled this Halloween season, I hope it’s

Back to School With an IEP I’m sorry that it took me almost a month to get this video

Educational Board Games Board games are a great way for children to learn skills without even realizing that they’re

8 Ways the Special Education System Really is Stacked Against Parents. The special education system is stacked against parents. It’s

For me, both as a Special Education Advocate and a Parent, I find the hardest part of the IEP process