IRLP Individual Remote Learning Plan Yesterday a blog reader asked if I could further explain IRLP. IRLP stands for Individual Remote Learning Plan. It’s a new concept and document as a result of the pandemic. And, I am going to explain what an IRLP is, however, I do so with great hesitation. And that is…
Online IEP Assessments This issue has been coming up in the Facebook Group often. I guess this pandemic is going on longer than any of us had hoped, and this is an issue that many families are dealing with. Your child is due for IEP assessments and either you or the school want to do…
Online and Virtual Learning Accommodations Some kids really struggle with online distance learning, and need some accommodation ideas. Particularly those with attention, sensory, and other related issues. And, there are a lot of kids out there who loathe Zoom and online classes. Some love it, others not so much. But, even as kids return to…
Skills Lost or Delayed During Lockdown A recent study of over 50,000 preschoolers in England showed that current 4 and 5-year-olds are showing speech and language delays in greater numbers than before. A similar study in Los Angeles confirmed the British study. Because children did not experience the social and cognitive interactions they would have…
Text to Speech This past year has had our kids accessing technology more than ever before. Even those who didn’t previously use Assistive Technology now find themselves with Chromebooks and other devices to do their school work at home. But, a new environment can expose skill gaps. When school information is presented in a different…
Will your distance learning be successful? As we face the reality of having to do long-distance learning with our children long term, parents are worried. After all, this distance learning stuff looks really different. Is it sufficient? Will my child fall behind or regress? What can I do to make sure this doesn’t happen? All…
Back to School With an IEP I’m sorry that it took me almost a month to get this video trimmed, transcribed and uploaded. A lot has happened in the past 3 weeks, including my father going into hospice and passing away. During the first week of August, I did a Facebook Live event with Special…
IEPs during the Pandemic As we head into a new school year that has even more unknowns than the spring, many parents are being told that their child’s IEP must change to reflect what is happening. First, let’s review. At the time of this writing, there has not been any federal guidance since March. At…
A FAPE Test Case and Distance Learning “In light of the foregoing, I recommend the Plaintiffs’ Motion be granted in part. Specifically, I recommend that the DOE be ordered to provide J.V.2 with in-person services as described in the September 2019 PO to the extent such can be done safely in compliance with guidance from…
Your IEP This Fall We are faced with so many tough decisions this fall. I addressed the decision-making process in this post: Should you keep your student at home or send them to school? How to Decide for Fall 2020 If you are still struggling with your decision, I encourage you to visit that post….
Homebound Placement during the Pandemic Normally, I’m against homebound IEP placement for most students. After all, it is one of the most restrictive placement options. And, it often gets used and abused and IEP students are placed in this “no man’s land” and fall off the radar and get greatly reduced services. But, these are…
Getting your Disabled Child to Wear a Mask If I had a nickel for “Well, just have him wear a mask!” I’d be rich. Am I right? Actually, we’ve been working on ‘wearing a mask’ for about two months. And we are now to the point where he will hold it in his hand for…
Nervous about going back to school? We all are! This year’s back to school time is going to be more anxiety-filled than ever before thanks to the virus and the ongoing pandemic. But, there are a few things you can start doing early that will help calm your child’s nerves and help them go into…
Kids and Trauma Our kids have been through a lot lately. From being completely isolated from friends and classmates, to experiencing discrimination with your family, to watching a policeman kill a man on TV and neighborhoods and familiar places destroyed. It’s a lot to take in, and witnessing and experiencing trauma affects our kids. I…
Occupational Therapy at Home I had another great Facebook Live chat again today. Today it was Jaime Bassman, MS OTR/L from nearby Lower Merion. We spent an hour discussing various OT and IEP things. Jaime is a 0-3 OT, so she offered up a zillion tips on how to do this at home, easily! She…
IEP Regression and Distance Learning Regression is one of our biggest fears as parents. Our kids are already behind their peers and we work so hard to help them close the gap. So it’s incredibly disheartening to witness regression. I did a Facebook Live today with Dr. Monica McHale, President of the Learning Disabilities Association…
Distance Learning and IEPs Here is the information from the Attorney/Advocate chat that I hosted about distance learning and IEPs. The chat participants were me, and two attorneys, Laura Heneghan and Nickie Krebsbach. We took parent questions and in 90+ minutes, we covered many topics, including distance learning, related services, PWNs, retention, transitions and much…
Providing FAPE during the crisis This crisis has really exposed flaws in our society. I could dedicate an entire website to the inequities in education, special education and so on. Since parents are seeing these differences, all day, every day it has shed a light on them. I hope that at the end of this,…
Online Learning with a 1:1 Aide This post is only a few months old, but it already needs updating. At the time of the original publication, 1:1 learning just couldn’t be done. Most of us were in strict quarantine or lockdown and it wasn’t considered ‘reasonable’ to ask an aide to come to your home….
Extended School Closings and FAPE Blech. I don’t even know where to begin. All at the same time, things are moving so rapidly, and yet it feels like time is standing still. This is a post full of duplicate information that I’ve had to repackage for several reasons. One being–the information has changed since I…