IEP Present Levels Ask almost any Special Education Advocate, and they’ll tell you that Present Levels is the most important section of the IEP. Present Levels has several corresponding Special Education Acronyms, depending on what your school or state uses. PL Present Levels PLOP Present Levels of Performance PLP Present Levels of Performance PLAAFP Present…
Evacuation Plan on your IEP When I was in school, we regularly had nuclear drills. We either hid under our desks or ran to a shelter in the school’s basement. We’re fortunate. We laugh about it now. We can laugh about it because first, nuclear war never happened. And second, the idea that being under…
Summer Bucket List Ideas for Kids I’m so glad you clicked! I am so tired of seeing summer bucket lists with things like “take the kids to Singapore” or “Climb Mt. Kilimanjaro.” Hey, good for you if that’s your thing. I don’t think for my kids, that will be on their summer bucket list for…
Bumble Bee Activities I think everyone has a love/hate relationship with bees, right? I mean, they’re essential to the planet, but many are afraid of them. But, we can’t appreciate and save what we don’t know–so it’s important to teach bee appreciation early. And, contrary to popular belief, bumble bees rarely sting people! If you…
ASL Color Signs If you are trying to learn sign language, learning clusters or groups of words is a great way to start. Many people start with numbers in ASL, or fingerspelling. But learning common ASL words and practicing them throughout the day is a great way to build up your ASL vocabulary. The great…
ASL Numbers Learning numbers in ASL is one of the quickest ways to be successful in learning the language. Numbers 0-10 are pretty intuitive. ASL is the 4th most common language in the United States. While originally developed for deaf people and hard of hearing, now many parents teach it to babies before they have…
ASL Fingerspelling Learning the alphabet in sign language is a really fun and useful skill to have. While finger spelling out words can take longer than if you know the ASL words, it enables you to communicate with someone. It should be noted that while learning the ASL alphabet is a beginner skill, the child…
ASL for Thank You Many people don’t know this, but ASL or American Sign Language, is the 4th most common language used here in the USA. It’s also becoming more and more common for parents to use sign language with babies and toddlers before they have verbal words. We used sign language with Kevin as…
Recycling Worksheets All right, so before you download and print these recycling worksheets for your preschool or classroom…let me address the irony. Yes, it seems hypocritical to offer a school activity that has a theme of ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ or recycling, and said activity is on paper. But, hang with me…what better time to present…
Earth Day Color by Number I am a huge fan of multi sensory learning, and surrounding kids with language and content. Numerous studies indicate that it helps kids learn. And, it can be applied to any content. Like Earth Day! Adding in a kids’ activity like color by number activity can also reinforce the concept…
Daily Affirmations for Kids Honestly, the first and only time I really followed anything about daily affirmations was a satire account for Philadelphia. It just listed nuisances we find in daily life around here, it’s a pretty funny Instagram account. Then, I have this friend. He’s contributed to this site before, as he is a…
Fastnacht Day I remember one time I had to go into Center City for something. And, if I am near it and have time, I always go to Reading Terminal Market. If you’ve never been to Beiler’s, you must go if you are in the city. So I went to RTM and got donuts at…
Mardi Gras Coloring Pages I honestly just love Mardi Gras and Fat Tuesday, even though I’ve never even been to New Orleans or Rio. It’s a fun little holiday that usually happens right at a time when you’re really sick of winter and need a lift. Mardi Gras is so colorful and can be a…
Spot The Difference We love spot the difference worksheets. My whole extended family is really into worksheets and puzzles. They’re great when you need to take a screen break but want to work on some skills Visual clutter is something many kids with learning disabilities struggle with. Spot the Difference worksheets can help with that….
Valentine’s Day Word Search Hi there and Happy Valentine’s Day! Sure, it’s a corny holiday. But, a holiday dedicated to celebrating love and friendship? Count me in! This Valentine’s Day Word Search is a free printable in PDF format. Just download it and there you go! If this word search puzzle is either too easy…
ASL Signs for St. Patrick’s Day Depending on which set of statistics you look at, ASL or American Sign Language, is the 3rd or 4th most popular used language in this country. Many people are unaware of this. Pretty amazing, huh? While it is predominantly used by the Deaf community, teaching sign language to babies…
St. Patrick’s Day Lunch Box Jokes Looking for a fun activity for kids for St. Patrick’s Day? Why not print and use these adorable lunch box jokes? Not just for lunch boxes–put them in homework, backpacks, near their phone or device, even a coat pocket!
Fry’s First 100 Words I recently provided you all with some of the Dolch sight words and some activities to go along with the Dolch list. But, actually, there is more than one frequently used list of sight words. Another one is called Fry’s First 100 Words. You may recognize some of this list as…
Teaching Music to Students with Learning Disabilities We all know that music has tremendous health and wellness benefits that extend far beyond just enjoying music. There are countless studies out there that students who study music often perform better than their peers in other areas too. If your child has an IEP or disability of…
Story Map Graphic Organizer Most people have read a book, and then went to see the movie. Or, saw the movie and then went back and read the book, right? Chances are, that is a book that you can recall with more detail that other books you have read. Because it was a multisensory approach…
What is a Frayer Model? A FRAYER MODEL is a graphic organizer that helps students clarify the meaning of vocabulary words they encounter while listening, reading, and viewing texts. They can be used before reading to activate background knowledge, during reading to monitor vocabulary, or after reading to assess vocabulary. The Frayer Model is a…
Symmetry Activities When snow and ice come around, many schools move to an online format. It can be hard to keep kids engaged when all they want to do is go out in the snow! One way to overcome this is to use winter and snow themed activities to teach the skill you’re trying to…
Valentine’s Lunch Box Jokes Hey, here’s a fun little freebie for you–printable valentine’s day lunch box jokes. Print them, clip them….and put them wherever you want to insert a smile in someone’s day. In the lunch box of course, but also on the bathroom mirror, on a car dashboard, in a briefcase or backpack. Enjoy!
Executive Functioning IEP Goals Executive function is an umbrella term for cognitive processes such as planning, working memory, attention, problem solving, verbal reasoning, inhibition, mental flexibility, multi-tasking, initiation, and monitoring of actions. Executive functioning describes a set of mental processes that helps people to connect past experience with present action. Wikipedia If your child or…
Martin Luther King, Jr: I Have a Dream. MLK Day can be fun, serious, educational and thoughtful. Here are activities and projects for kids to make the day memorable, including “I have a dream speech” activities. I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I…
Valentine’s Day Directed Drawing I like Valentine’s Day for a lot of reasons. Sure, I can concede that it’s partly a made-up holiday fueled by the American marketing machine and consumerism. But, I can’t hate on a day dedicated to celebrating love and friendship. Plus, it’s a bright spot in a dreary part of the…
Lunch Box Jokes If you asked my son, he’ll tell you that he’s too old for me to be putting things in his lunch box, like printable lunch box jokes. He’s 12. He rolls his eyes at dad jokes, which are plentiful around here. And, he dutifully packs his own lunch every evening. It’s part…
Snowman Snowflake Coloring Pages Once the holidays are over, it’s time to start thinking about snowflakes and snowmen. I find them just as festive as the holidays and I keep many snow themed decorations up until about Presidents’ Weekend. Since I try to make everything multi sensory for Kevin, it’s only natural that I would…
Groundhog Day Activities I’m born and raised in Pennsylvania, so maybe I have a skewed vision of Groundhog Day. I mean the day, not the movie. Groundhog Day is a big deal here, as the whole world looks to the little town of Punxsutawney PA every February 2. Punxsutawney Phil has been predicting the weather…
Why your IEP needs a Vision Statement It’s called the Black Hole of 21. Once you are comfortably settled into the IEP world and get to know other moms, you’ll hear complaining and worrying about “transition.” Transition means many things, but in our world, it means the time period when the child is completing 12th…
Healthy Marriage Tips My visiting mother-in-law walked away uncomfortably as my husband yelled at me. “WHY are you doing this?” What was I doing? A county coordinator from the 0-3 program had just left our house. She came to take our initial information and explain how the evaluation process worked. She explained the different people…
New Year’s Activities for Kids It can seem like such a drag to suggest that you print and do worksheets with your kids over holiday break. I get it! Sometimes the last thing we want to do is more ‘homework.’ But sometimes these activities can not only break up boredom but have tremendous value too….
Cortical Visual Impairment I recently attended a conference so I could educate myself on Cortical Visual Impairment, one of the diagnoses my son has. It was so enlightening and revolutionary, and add in a big heap of mom guilt. When you have a child with multiple disabilities, it can be tough to decide which one…
IEP Binder Organization for Parents Most of us have various stacks of papers and folders around our house, but when we need it, it is still hard to find what you want. Am I right? I am so excited about this. This is an idea that I have had in my head for quite some…
Elkonin Boxes for Phonemic Awareness Just the other day, an advocate friend of mine was in an IEP meeting with a young-ish School Psychologist. And, this person said during the meeting that “you can’t test for dyslexia until the child is in 3rd grade.” It amazes me that myths and misconceptions like this are still…
Modified School Days and IEPs If your child has an IEP or 504, can they get a shortened school day or modified school schedule as an accommodation? The short answer is yes. But, it’s not a simple yes/no question. There are many considerations for the IEP team to discuss to ensure that your child still…
ASL Christmas Activities How super cute is this ASL Christmas Tree Worksheet?! This is the best free Christmas printable worksheet you are going to find. Ok, worksheets. Not worksheet. Because it is multiple pages. But what a great way to infuse holiday spirit and teach letter recognition and ASL. You can teach so many skills…
Free Letters from Santa Claus by Mail Would your child enjoy a free mailed letter from Santa? Who wouldn’t? A letter from Santa can be so fun to receive. And, here’s a secret. It can be a great way to set expectations for your child as far as what is going to be under the…
Football Bingo Are you planning a Super Bowl party or another football-themed event? Looking for some free football bingo cards to print? Well, welcome! This football bingo game is a great way to involve all ages and abilities on the day of the big game. Five months out of the year, football talk is everywhere….
Sample Letter to Request IEP Evaluations You will definitely want to bookmark or pin this post. I have often said that one of the biggest IEP mistakes that parents make is not doing everything in writing. The worst case scenario is that you end up in a Due Process Hearing. And then, what will matter…
Holidays with a Disabled Child “My heart just hurt for him last year when you wouldn’t meet us at Red Lobster for his big 75th birthday.” That was from my stepmother. A few weeks ago, my dad turned 76. We did the very Pennsylvania thing and went to Shady Maple for his birthday. But, of…
Christmas Social Story This list of Christmas Social Stories was compiled by popular request. Every year, I dig up this post and go over a couple of them with my autistic son. Social stories about Christmas are so important. There are many free social stories here on this site. Think about some holiday traditions from…
Last Minute Elf Ideas My recent last minute elf on the shelf idea was also one of my best-ever elf on the shelf ideas. The other morning, when I walked out into our kitchen, my 7-year-old exclaimed, “Mom! Elf is playing Xbox! I bet they’re playing NBA2K.” It was one of the simplest yet most…
Social Skills IEP Goals It’s no secret that many kids with disabilities struggle socially and struggle to build and maintain friendships. When Brian tells me stories of kids at school who sound like they have a disability of some kind, I always encourage (read: nag!) him to go the extra step. I encourage him to…
Specially Designed Instruction Specially Designed Instruction, or SDIs, is actually one of my favorite things to talk about when it comes to IEPs. The name itself turns people off, I mean, it’s a weird phrase. But it’s so super important. And, I can’t even tell you how many IEPs that I encounter that have NO…
IEP Goal Bank A well written IEP goal is essential to the IEP and special education. How can you monitor progress if you don’t know what you are aiming at? I often am asked, “Can you put together an IEP goal bank?” The number of possible IEP goals is infinite. The list could go on…
Social Stories for Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is almost here! For most of the world, families anticipate and look forward to this time with happiness. Some of us with special needs, maybe not. It can be challenging, to say the least. Sometimes I think that I could use printable social stories for Thanksgiving to help me prepare….
Evidence Based Games for Social Skills If you go out to bars frequently, or you’re in a phase of your life where you’re attending a lot of weddings, you get to practice those social skills. When you don’t, you struggle. “What do I wear to a wedding? Ack!” is a sentiment I know that I…
Bayberry Candle Legend Have you ever heard the bayberry candle poem or tradition? Legend has it that a bayberry candle can bring you luck. I love bayberry candles and have always loved the scent. When I learned about the holiday tradition of sharing the prayer or poem with a friend, it became an annual thing…
Sequencing Pictures Sequencing is an important executive function. It is a foundation skill that children must develop before they can move on to more complex functions. More on that in a bit. Sequencing is how we put our thoughts and our world in order. We have to sequence not only the tasks we do every…
504 Plan Accommodations List You want ideas to submit to the IEP team, but you just don’t know where to start. Well, here you go! You asked for it, you got it! I’ve received many reader requests for a list of SDIs or strategies. I hope this list of SDIs, strategies, and accommodations for an…
Printable Chore Chart for Kids Parents from all regions and cultures of the world remain divided whether they should or should not hand out chores to their children. Some parents believe that kids must rather do schoolwork or extracurricular activities than sweeping the floor. However, child psychologists urge you to think otherwise because delegating household…
30 Book Challenge My son hates to read. Nope, no dyslexia or ADHD. He’s actually several years ahead in all of his reading skills. My niece, who is the same age, she always has her nose in a book. I did too, as a kid. I want my son to enjoy reading. I have purchased…
Special Needs Travel “You should go!” I was on the phone with a friend, because there was no texting or Facebook. She was saying how some of our friends were spending a long weekend out in the wine country of Sonoma. “Go!” she said. So we did. In a matter of a few weeks’ time,…
Parent Communication Log One common method of parent-teacher communication is the use of a daily home to school communication log. My son has used one pretty much since day one, but they are not just for children who are non-verbal. Home to school communication logs are great for any child because it prevents any miscommunication…
Receptive vs Expressive Language If your child is being evaluated for Early Intervention or Special Education Services, you may be introduced to the terms ‘receptive language skills’ or ‘expressive language skills.’ As humans, we all have communication skills. Those skills are either expressive or receptive. If you do not struggle to understand incoming communication or…
IEP Tips for Parents Raise your hand if you just LOVE going to IEP meetings. (waits) No one? Raise your hand if you drink a bottle of wine the evening of an IEP meeting? A-ha! There, now I see some hands. I often say, “You don’t know what you don’t know” and the IEP meeting…
Should you take your IEP issues to the school board? I was recently approached by a school board member. The school board wanted advice on how to improve the special education climate in their school. “We’re really in the dark as far as special ed,” they told me. “We see the director when he brings…
Making Sensory Bottles Sensory Bottles or Calm Down Bottles are a huge trend right now. And why not? They are great for all ages and abilities, and you can make sensory bottles that match any kid’s interests. A sensory bottle is an umbrella term for any clear bottle that is filled with stuff that is…
Comcast Internet For Disabled People Many of our households can possibly benefit from this. Plus, I know I have a lot of teachers in my audience. Hopefully, you have families, guidance counselors, and school social workers who will benefit from the Comcast Internet Essentials Program. With Internet Essentials laptops and internet access are available to…
Basic Sign Language Maybe it’s because my kids are teens and tweens now, but I feel like I don’t hear as many parents talking about sign language anymore. When they were babies and toddlers, it was a trend to teach basic sign language to all babies, not just those with hearing or other impairments. We…
How to Say Happy Valentine’s Day in Sign Language What a cute idea! Valentine’s Day cards in ASL. Did you know that ASL is the 4th most used language in the United States? It is! When I heard that statistic, I was amazed. All the more reason to make the extra effort to include kids…
Valentine’s Day Social Stories I have mixed emotions about Valentine’s Day. Sure, I see the whole “fabricated holiday” thing to generate sales on candy, flowers on cards. On the other hand, a day to celebrate love and friendship isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It certainly brightens up a dreary winter! Here are some printable social…