504 Plans certainly have their place in our education system. After all, they guarantee access to a student's education, even when a disability may be prohibiting access. What's unfortunate is that I see too many 504 Plans being handed out to pacify parents and avoid IEP evaluations. Or, when a 504 plan is warranted, it's| A Day in our Shoes
How do I know if the IEP is working? Your child getting an IEP is not the final step in your IEP journey. It is only the start. It is essential for parents to stay engaged all year round. Now that the supports and services have been put in place, how can you keep your| A Day in our Shoes
Personal hygiene skills is something that many of us take for granted. If you do not pick up on social cues, and your interoception is different because of your neurodivergence, you may not notice these things. But, others will! That's for sure. And some things, like managing your medication, can be complete barriers to independent| A Day in our Shoes
'Dysgraphia? What's is dysgraphia? I've never heard of it!' This is a scenario that has come up many times to parents in our online chat group. As parents become more informed, we are better able to advocate for our kids. If you go back even 10-20 years, not many parents had even heard of specific| A Day in our Shoes
We all know 'rules inside the classroom' is a cute little phrase until it meets Monday morning energy and a backpack full of snacks. If you’ve ever explained “raise your hand before speaking” for the 47th time before 10 a.m., this one’s for you. This free card sorting activity helps kids see, discuss, and practice| A Day in our Shoes
Much as I dislike it, our education system is centered around a child's ability to take tests. And, when you work with as many learning-disabled children as I do (or as some teachers do), we usually focus on the academic content and the student being able to demonstrate that they know the content. Non-academic test| A Day in our Shoes
A sensory diet may help a child improve their self-regulation skills. Read how, why, and getting a sensory diet added to your child's IEP.| A Day in our Shoes
Nothing frustrates a parent more than to tell a child to 'go clean your room!' only to return two hours later to see the same mess. But just like I tell schools, I sometimes have to remind parents, 'Is this can't do the skill, or won't do the skill?' Some kids truly do not have| A Day in our Shoes
IEP in College? No, there are no IEPs in college. That's a statement of fear that I hear from a lot of parents. And, it's true. There are no IEPs in college. The following is a guest post from my friend Lynn. You may recognize her from the Facebook group. Her son, who has autism,| A Day in our Shoes
Much like the other posts I have on this site about anxiety, I want to start with the same warning. IEPs are not diagnosis-driven document. They are needs-driven. Your child's needs, determined through their IEP evaluations, will drive the IEP goals that the team creates. Not a diagnosis of anxiety. Still, there are some commonalities| A Day in our Shoes
Remember when we were little, and we thought nickels were worth more than dimes, just because they were bigger? Ah, those were the days. As part of adulting, we need to teach our kids practical money skills or functional math skills which are a subset of functional math IEP goals. Few kids even see dimes| A Day in our Shoes
You met, you documented, you collected data and have an IEP that you feel hopeful about. Then, it's not being followed. It's a common parent complaint. Your school, teacher or IEP team is not following the IEP. In non-compliance. Whatever the reason, your IEP is not being followed. Here are some steps that you can take| A Day in our Shoes
Student counseling is listed as a Related Service in IDEA. Actually, Parent Counseling and Training is too. But that's another post for another day. I| A Day in our Shoes
Inside: Take a deep dive into learning about AT Assistive Technology, and how it differs from AAC. And 15 IEP goals for assistive technology.| A Day in our Shoes
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| A Day in our Shoes
For almost 10 years, readers have been asking me questions about an IEP and autism. It's quite common in our message boards to have a| A Day in our Shoes
If your child has negative behaviors at school, they should receive an FBA and a Behavior Plan. Here are behavior goal ideas for your IEP.| A Day in our Shoes
What are we doing to our kids that so many of them are either a) having breakdowns and mom has to be called to come| A Day in our Shoes
Many parents and caregivers struggle to manage aggressive behavior in children. These are the situations that can deteriorate a situation quickly--because many schools have zero| A Day in our Shoes
Before I get started with this list of Life Skills Goals for an IEP, I want to make one thing clear. That is, remember, IEPs| A Day in our Shoes
Can a student refuse an IEP or can a parent refuse special education? It's weird to me, because as an advocate, I've spent over a| A Day in our Shoes
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,| A Day in our Shoes
There are two reasons a person makes an All About Me Worksheet. It's either a parent like myself introducing their child to a new team| A Day in our Shoes
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| A Day in our Shoes
We do so much for our kids, and we mean well. But time marches on, whether we want it to or not. We have to| A Day in our Shoes
What does IDEA say about required members of an IEP team? And what are their roles and responsibilities? All explained by an Special Education Advocate.| A Day in our Shoes
Inside: Learn the child's role at an IEP meeting, and why they should work toward full participation and even running their IEP meeting. Should my| A Day in our Shoes
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| A Day in our Shoes
Emotional self-regulation is a necessary executive functioning skill that all kids need to develop. Some will require direct instruction.| A Day in our Shoes
Inside: Learn how to STOP STRESSING out over IEP meetings, and be your child's best advocate. A Special Education Advocate who has attended hundreds of| A Day in our Shoes