The special education eligibility process can be time consuming. Often, it can take up to 3 months from the time you initially request an evaluation until the eligibility meeting takes place. So much energy is spent preparing for that meeting and making sure that you have all of the information you need to be a productive member of the team. Then the meeting happens and the team finds your child eligible for Special Education. And you realize that you are not quite sure what that means moving forward. You know that your child will be getting services and accommodations that they need. But outside of that? You are not really confident about what the process looks like and what you can expect.

Ready or not! In some parts of the country, the new school year has already begun. And if you are here in New England (like we are), the first day is right around the corner. And as usual, the new school year brings with it excitement and uncertainty (for children and their parents alike).

Hopefully you took some time to rest and recharge this Summer. And chances are, with the new year right around the corner you have started to think about your child’s needs, what worked for them last school year and what did not, and maybe even some changes you want to make (to their IEP or otherwise). Perhaps you left last school year feeling dissatisfied with your child’s progress or maybe you just want to get a jump start on the year!

Have you ever read part of your child’s IEP and thought to yourself: that does not sound like them? Do you ever wonder if your child is actually getting the services they need every week AND for the appropriate amount of time? If the reading intervention they attend is truly the best fit? Or if the classes they are taking in the later grades are really setting them up for success?

Even the most collaborative team can be in disagreement or have differing views about what will best support a student in school. Heck, I’d be hard pressed to find a team of human beings in ANY situation that 100% agrees 100% of the time.

But that doesn’t make a situation or occasion when you are not in agreement with your child’s school team about 1 or more areas any less uncomfortable or challenging. This can happen especially if you typically work well with them, respect them and appreciate them and their work with your child.

For students with reading disabilities, there is support that can be implemented as part of the IEP process and the sooner this instruction begins the better. Unfortunately, we often run into misinformation about reading instruction during our conversations with caregivers and even school staff.

It’s Spooky Season! And trick or Treating is right around the corner. For many parents and kids this is a fun pastime filled with excitement about costumes, candy, and neighborhood fun. For neurodiverse children and their parents, Trick or Treating can be incredibly challenging and stressful. We have put together some tips and strategies that we think might help as you prepare to trick or treat with your child or children this year!

Over my two decades as a special educator, I have had many parents and caregivers ask “how do I get my child one of those plans for extra help?” What they are actually referring to is an Individualized Education Plan or IEP.

For simplicity's sake, it may appear that these are simply documents that provide “extra help” for a student, but they are actually an invaluable tool (and legally binding document!) for providing equity and accessibility to education for students with disabilities.

Are you nervous or stressed about what your child is going to do after high school? Are you worried about how they will respond to not having the consistency of their typical school day? Are you wondering what the options are for your child (college, employment, a day program, or something else)?

Are you a parent or caregiver who struggles to help your child stay organized? Are they often forgetting what tasks they need to complete or constantly looking for something they have lost? Do you notice that their distractibility makes it difficult for them to follow through with daily routines?

The purpose of special education is to provide a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) to all students with disabilities. This is done through specialized instruction, services, and accommodations and modifications to make the classroom content, delivery of instruction and demonstration of mastery accessible to students based on their unique needs related to the identified disability or disabilities.

Let’s get organized!

It’s almost August and for those of us in the Northeast, back to school is right around the corner.

Can’t believe we are already talking about Back to School? Neither can we!

We have compiled a list of 20+ (and growing) fun and accessible activities in the Boston area for you and your family!

Including student voice in IEP meetings is incredibly important. A group of adults sitting around trying to figure out how to support your child without your child there to give their input can feel a little bit counterintuitive. But how can this realistically be done when it feels like we are pressed for time in these meetings and when all the terminology feels so confusing even to adults? What can a child really contribute to or get out of their meeting?

Nervous about going into your child’s IEP meeting? Not sure what to expect? Whether it is your first time, or if you have been doing this for years, IEP meetings can be completely overwhelming! Let’s take some of the guesswork out of it by giving you a roadmap of what to expect!

Do you feel like you should know what the teachers and staff are talking about but it is all moving so quickly?