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Maximum Length of School Bus Ride Did you know that some school students, particularly those in rural areas such as

Manifestation Determination Speaking to you as a parent, I hope that you never have to know what a Manifestation Determination

Books About Siblings of Special Needs Children Yesterday was not a great day. It wasn’t terrible, just not great.

Christmas Tree Farms in Delaware There is just something about the smell of a fresh real tree in your home

Christmas Tree Farms in PA If you are planning a traditional holiday season, then you’ll want to know more

Christmas Tree Farm NJ New Jersey may be a small state, but it packs a ton of great Christmas tree

Special Needs Adaptive Clothing Accessible and Adaptive Clothing for kids and adults with Special Needs is really having a moment,

When does an IEP end? When does an IEP end? How do you end an IEP? What is the IEP

What are Related Services? According to IDEA, these are the related services in Special Education. audiology counseling services early identification

We don’t do that here. I got two inquiries recently that are very similar. Both parents asked for something

What IEP Parents Want You to Know A few weeks ago, a newish teacher tweeted at me. She asked what

Parent Request for IEP Meeting Timeline IDEA does not define this. Some state special education regulations have set a time

IEP Timelines How long does a school have to: respond to IEP email? schedule an IEP meeting? evaluate my child?

How to Request an IEP Meeting This one should be filed under “blog posts I never thought I’d have

I don’t want that IEP goal. I know I’ve told the story several times. The story of my

Citizen and Parent Advocacy I think we’re in this for the long haul. I wrote this right after the 2016

What happens if your child does not meet their IEP goals? Ah, progress monitoring. I find it to be one

IEP for Autism For almost 10 years, readers have been asking me questions about an IEP and autism. It’s quite

Educational Autism I’m sure if this has happened to you, it sure felt like a gaslighting moment. You have

Confusing Legal IEP Terms There are some words in the IEP process that seem to create more chaos than cooperation.

FAPE Special Education? “My district wants me to sign away FAPE! Why would I do that?!?!” I often get emails

Functional Communication Goals One of the biggest obstacles that some IEP students have is lack of appropriate, functional communication. A

School Truancy I looked at the mom/client sitting next to me in at truancy court, and gave her hand

Should I bring donuts to the IEP meeting? I understand you want to be nice. You want to be the “

Gaslighting at School I remember the first time I was gaslighted at an IEP meeting. It probably wasn’t the

Does it matter what you wear to an IEP meeting? Yes. “I have an IEP meeting tomorrow, should I dress

Organization/Study Skills IEP Goals I’m a good learner, but I’m terrible at studying. Always have been. Other

When We Last Spoke Review One of the things we’ve been able to do MORE of since all this

Virtual/Remote IEP Assessments This issue has been coming up in the Facebook Group often. I guess this pandemic is

Special Needs Mom Burnout On Tuesday, when my son came home from school, his newly revised IEP was in his

Best Sensory Toys for Autism This list of autism toys and gifts is great for: Developmentally Delayed Toddlers Developmentally Delayed

Special Education Classroom Observation “Can I observe my child’s classroom?” I’ve been hearing this one a lot lately.

Dolls with Disabilities Kids need dolls and toys that resemble them. Sure, it’s great to have toys that you

Managing After School Meltdowns Sometimes I marvel at the existence of my two boys. I look at them, and both

Gift for Disabled Teenager and Adults Teens and adults with autism and disabilities can be so hard to buy for!

Free Letters from Santa Claus by Mail Would your child enjoy a free mailed letter from Santa? Who wouldn’t?

Santa Letter Template When your child has a learning disability, they don’t only have the disability from 8-3 on

Toilet Training an Older Child I am wildly passionate about kids being toilet trained if it is a possibility. I

Dr. Seuss was Racist. Dr. Seuss is a prolific children’s book author and global icon. And Dr. Seuss has

Cost of IEP Advocates/Attorneys Your child is struggling. As a mom, you’re stressed and you’re frustrated. You

IEP Special Education Advocate “$2000?!?!” my husband exclaimed. “Do we really need this for him?” “Become an IEP/Special Education Advocate!”

IRLP Individual Remote Learning Plan Yesterday a blog reader asked if I could further explain IRLP. IRLP stands for Individual

Cutting the Cable Cord Options Are you fed up with your cable TV bills? We were! And with technology, it

Ableist Movie Tropes and Characters I think most of us would agree that if a movie calls for a Black

Work for People with Disabilities We vote with our dollars. When you buy something, you aren’t just saying that

Early Intervention IDEA Part C Kevin is my first born. Like many new moms with internet access, I was um,

Bullying at School Bullying at school. I hate it. It’s gross and happens everywhere-on the bus, at school. My

Parent-Teacher Conference Like other areas of our life, Parent-Teacher conferences can look different for a child with an IEP. A

Want to Stop Drinking Wine every day? I did too. Since beginning this series 5 years ago, I’ve heard from

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