Paras, Pain Plans & the Truth Nobody Told You | Ask the Advocate

About this episode

Karen Mayer Cunningham answers live questions about special education laws and paraeducators in this Ask the Advocate session.

If someone at your school said it was fine without showing you the law - it probably was not fine. Karen Mayor Cunningham answers your live questions on this Ask the Advocate session of Special Education Boss. She brought the federal statutes, the DSM-5, and zero patience for made-up rules. In this episode: - The brand-new Epic IEP Para book: all 50 states, all federal laws from 1965 to 2015, everything you need to know about what paras can and cannot legally do. - AAC rights: what to do w...

Topics covered

• special education
• advocacy
• federal laws
• IEP
• paraeducators

Keywords

• Epic IEP Para book
• AAC rights
• federal statutes
• DSM-5

Mentioned in this episode

Products: Epic IEP Para book

Books & works: Ask the Advocate

More episodes of Special Education Boss® with Karen Mayer Cunningham

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• Procedural Safeguards, Child Find, Prior Written Notice, and Parent Rights in Special Education · April 16, 2026 · 1h 22m
• Can a Paraprofessional replace a special educatin teacher? · April 9, 2026 · 1h 20m
• The Para Problem: What Every Parent and Advocate Needs to Know Right Now · April 2, 2026 · 1h 2m
• From Struggle to Strength: ADHD, Dyslexia & Real-World Success · March 19, 2026 · 28 min
• Vision Impairment in Special Education, What Parents and IEP Teams Must Know · March 12, 2026 · 1h 4m