'Mommy, is that Lady Gaga?' When my youngest was a toddler, he LOVED Lady Gaga. I have no idea why or where it came from, but he did. He would ask me to put videos of her on my computer. So, when we were watching the Super Bowl one year, the year that Madonna did| A Day in our Shoes
IEP goals are the future. IEP Present Levels is where the child is now; goals are where we want them to be. But, learning how to write an IEP goal that is both measurable and effective, is something that both teachers and parents should learn. Teachers and IEP staff need to know this, since they| A Day in our Shoes
Inside: Learn what IDEA says about the required components of an IEP. An Individualized Education Program (IEP) is a written plan that outlines the unique educational needs of a student with a disability. IDEA (the federal statute that governs IEPs) is clear about what an IEP should include. Most school districts use some type of| A Day in our Shoes
Does your child repeat back words to you, often? Are they repeating words and phrases over and over? Or maybe reciting movie and TV lines? Have you heard of echolalia or scripting? It's a common autistic behavior, though not everyone who does it is autistic. While beliefs and perceptions about autism are changing, there is| A Day in our Shoes
How long is a benchmark goal on an IEP? And what is the difference between IEP goal benchmarks and IEP goal objectives?| A Day in our Shoes
'I got a call to pick up my daughter today because she put a child in a choke hold.' And of course this child with an IEP was on her way to a suspension. That's what one of our group members posted recently. Sounds awful, right? I mean, obviously, that child needs a behavior plan.| A Day in our Shoes
I got two inquiries recently that are very similar. Both parents asked for something on their child's IEP and were told, 'We don't do that here. It happens often. Can a school say that? Can they deny a service based on 'we don't offer that here?' You've heard it before, right? Short answer, no. So| A Day in our Shoes
Over the years, I cannot even count how many times I've been asked if I have a FAPE checklist on the site. Now, I can finally answer with a 'Yes!' With input from teachers, advocates, parents and even a few school admins who I had look over this, this free FAPE compliance checklist is a| A Day in our Shoes
When a child has math skills and can apply them to everyday life, it can be something we take for granted. Many of us are familiar with the moaning and groaning while doing math and saying, 'But I'm never going to use this in my everyday life!' But, you might! My teen can now do| 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
'How do I get Wilson Reading Program added to my child's IEP?' That's a question that comes up a lot. If your child is a struggling reader, then they need a reading intervention program. But how do you know which one to use or ask for on an IEP. Below I have listed common reading| A Day in our Shoes
IEP Progress Monitoring and IEP Data Collection are among the most important things about an IEP. And yet tracking IEP goals is one area that| A Day in our Shoes
Inside: If your disabled child is in the 0-3 age range, you may have some questions about IDEA part C and Early Intervention Services. Here's| A Day in our Shoes
As a special education advocate who has attended hundreds of IEP meetings, nothing frustrates me more than dyslexia IEP meetings. Mind you, sensory issues come| 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
One concept or behavior that you may be exposed to as an IEP parent is elopement. Unfortunately, I am not talking about the fun kind| A Day in our Shoes
In my online advocacy training, I do live Q&A sessions on zoom. During a recent session, one of the parents asked, 'Well, isn't that what| A Day in our Shoes
A few weeks ago, Michelle wrote a post about IEP Progress Monitoring. In that post, she references 'collecting IEP data' several times. And, in our| A Day in our Shoes
Today, I had heard this phrase three times before 6 am. Yes, really. See, every morning I get up and grab my coffee. Before the| A Day in our Shoes
Goals are all around us. We make goals all day, every day in our own head. It may be as simple as 'I want to| A Day in our Shoes
Imagine this, parents. Imagine you are envisioning your child's future, and the different pieces of his/her future are trading cards. And you say, 'Ok, I| A Day in our Shoes
So, there's a reason why I am now just doing this post after the blog is more than 13 years old. I am philosophically opposed| A Day in our Shoes
What to Ask for on your IEP 'I don't know what to ask for on my IEP!' That question comes up often in our Facebook| A Day in our Shoes
If your IEP meeting is tomorrow, you don't have much time. Read these sanity-saving tips so that you're ready, but not overwhelmed.| A Day in our Shoes
As a result of having this website, I have come into contact with thousands of IEP parents. And, at least once a month, I answer| A Day in our Shoes
Ah, progress monitoring. I find it to be one of the most difficult areas of the IEP, as it pertains to parents. First, the data| A Day in our Shoes
For a long time, I purposely did not include lists like this on my site--lists of things like math word problem IEP goals. I refrained| A Day in our Shoes
What are IEP Related Services? According to IDEA, these are the related services in Special Education. audiology counseling services early identification family training-counseling and home| A Day in our Shoes
For me, both as a Special Education Advocate and a Parent, I find the hardest part of the IEP process to be the IEP eligibility| A Day in our Shoes
The special education referral process is all about getting your child evaluated for special education services. Once you've been through the steps and your child| A Day in our Shoes
Ok, so here we go. I used to have IEP reevaluation information in my post about IEP evaluations. But, I've since decided that IEP re-evaluations| A Day in our Shoes
Refused IEP Evaluations Let me be blunt. If your child's IEP evaluations suck, the rest of your IEP will be garbage. Without good evaluations, the| A Day in our Shoes
Not only is IEP placement one of the most debated topics among parents, it's also one of the most contentious issues you will have with| A Day in our Shoes
IEP Goals How many goals should an IEP have?Who writes IEP goals?Can parents submit IEP goal ideas?What if my child doesn't meet their IEP goals?| A Day in our Shoes
Different variations of questions come up about IEP evaluations all the time. Parents are unclear about timelines, what tests to ask for and sometimes get| A Day in our Shoes
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| A Day in our Shoes
What to know about getting a 1:1 aide or para on your child's IEP. From what qualifies a child for a 1:1 aide to getting| A Day in our Shoes
Inside: When you hate having an IEP it can be tough to stay positive. Here are tips for staying positive, even when dealing with unprofessional| A Day in our Shoes
Inside: It's best practice, but not required, to have an IEP Meeting Agenda. Here are some samples and templates for IEP Meeting Agendas for you| A Day in our Shoes
I have to open this post with a shout-out to blog reader Mike T. He emailed me a link to this post, and the printable| A Day in our Shoes
Does your child struggle with Working Memory issues, and do you want them added to the IEP? Have you heard parents talk about working memory| A Day in our Shoes
Learn what an Executive Functioning Coach is, what an EF coach does and how to become an executive function coach. Plus, video tips from an| A Day in our Shoes
Sometimes we get so wrapped up in getting our kids' needs met, we forget to address a Student's Strengths. What are your child's strengths? Grabe| A Day in our Shoes
I'm going to wag my finger at you--from this day forward, you do a Parent Concerns Letter for your IEP. Every.single.time. No more 'Well I| 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
I was waiting in the lobby. Mom pulled into the parking lot, made her way towards me. 'I'm so nervous!' she whispered. 'Don't be. We got this.' And we did. My mind drifted to other parents in our group who often express similar sentiments before a meeting. And then walking back towards the room for| A Day in our Shoes