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.

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.