The Collaborative IEP

Advocating for your child can feel overwhelming—even when you know a lot. In this episode, I come back to the roots of The Collaborative IEP and refocus on the advocacy side of special education.I revisit the three skills I believe are essential to advocating successfully for your child: understanding special education law, understanding special education practice, and having strong advocacy and negotiation skills. While we’ve spent a lot of time on practice, this episode zeroes in on the third skill—negotiation.I walk through a mediation strategy I use to avoid piecemeal decision-making and protect flexibility during negotiations. Using a real-world example, I explain why resolving issues one at a time can limit outcomes and how a more strategic, visual approach can lead to better results at the IEP table.In this episode, I cover:The three core skills every parent advocate needsWhy negotiation strategy matters in special educationHow mediation works in special education disputesA practical strategy for keeping all issues on the table during negotiationIf you’re feeling stuck, frustrated, or like you’re missing something in your advocacy, this episode will help you refocus on the skills that actually move the needle.

If you’ve ever looked around at your life and thought, “Why does everything feel so hard and why am I handling it better than I expected?” — this conversation is going to feel like a long exhale.Today, I’m joined by my friend Kara Riska, host of The Special Needs Mom Podcast and a seasoned coach who helps mothers navigate the emotional load of raising children with disabilities. What started as a totally different recording plan (long story) turned into a deeply honest conversation about stress, shifting seasons, burnout, identity, and what it actually looks like to feel grounded when life is objectively… a lot.In this episode, we walk through:The kind of stress that builds slowly — across medical uncertainty, school challenges, family transitions, and the invisible emotional loadWhy you can feel the most overwhelmed and the most grounded at the exact same timeHow chronic stress shows up physically (hello, hot flashes, migraines, fatigue, and adrenal burnout)Kara’s perspective on what coping actually looks like when your nervous system is constantly asked to stretch beyond its limitsThe difference between “fixing your life” and changing the way you relate to itThe role of control — why some of us grip everything tightly, and how loosening that grip changes everythingThe turning point: giving yourself permission to slow down, let go, and build a life that doesn’t run on adrenaline and achievementHow community, connection, and coaching provide the scaffolding most of us don’t realize we needThis episode is messy, real, heartfelt, and full of those “oh wow… me too” moments that make you feel less alone in motherhood, advocacy, and the unpredictable seasons of life.If you’re navigating stress you can’t simply “opt out” of — but you want to feel more grounded, more whole, and more like yourself again — this conversation may  be a welcome companion.Connect With KaraWebsiteInstagram

If you’ve ever sat in an IEP meeting thinking, “How on earth are multilingual families supposed to navigate this?” — this episode is going to feel like a deep breath and a flashlight.I’m joined by Colleen, a speech-language pathologist turned advocate who spends her days doing two things most people only talk about: supporting bilingual learners in early intervention and showing up at the IEP table alongside families who need a knowledgeable partner in their corner. She’s the real deal — part SLP, part advocate, and fully committed to helping parents participate meaningfully in a process that wasn’t designed with them in mind.We dig into what actually gets in the way for multilingual families, why translation and interpretation aren’t “nice to have” but legally required, and how school teams can stop relying on Google Translate as a strategy (spoiler: it’s not a strategy).In this episode, we discuss: • The rights to translated documents and qualified interpreters — and why timelines are so murky • How incomplete or software-generated translations derail meaningful participation • The difference between a true language disorder and a language difference • Why proper bilingual assessment matters (and what happens when it doesn’t) • Classroom supports that help multilingual learners and everyone else • Where families can start when they can’t find a bilingual advocate in their areaIf you’ve been feeling frustrated, overwhelmed, or unsure how to help families who don’t speak English navigate the IEP process, take a breath — this conversation will leave you informed, encouraged, and better equipped to create a truly accessible path forward for every child.Where To Find ColleenWebsiteInstagram

Have you ever wanted to talk to me on the phone while I'm driving? Didn't think so... but this week you get the opportunity anyway!!! Sit in traffic and talk inclusion with me! I've had several friends, clients, and educators raise this question over the last couple of weeks: How much modification is appropriate for a student? Is there a limit, a tipping point, that would determine that a child's placement shouldn't be in the general education classroom? And if a child is accessing GenEd with a lot of modifications, what does assessment look like? I've been asked that enough recently that I honestly started to question what I knew, so I've gone back and read - oh, I don't know - about 4 books on special education that EdD students read, 4 books on inclusive ed, and a couple on behavior - and I came up with the same answers. (And no, while this episode gives a great example of my rambly head, I'm not crazy!)Please enjoy my diatribe on inclusion and modification!

What happens when the people who protect our students’ rights are suddenly… gone?In this episode, I’m breaking down what’s happening inside the U.S. Department of Education—why hundreds of staff in special education and civil rights offices were laid off, what the courts are saying about it, and how it all connects to the larger story of a government shutdown that’s using our most vulnerable students as leverage.I know—heavy stuff. But stay with me. This isn’t about panic; it’s about empowerment. My goal is to help you understand the facts so you can advocate confidently for your child, your students, or your community.In this episode, I share:What triggered the mass layoffs at the Department of Education—and which offices were hit hardestHow the American Federation of Government Employees v. Trump lawsuit led to a temporary restraining order (and what that really means)Why IDEA and students’ rights still stand—but why enforcement could become dangerously thinWhat this could mean for states, schools, and families in the coming monthsPractical steps you can take right now to make sure your child’s education plan is protectedThis moment in education feels unsettling—but knowledge is power. We can’t control the headlines, but we can make sure our ducks are in a row, our documentation is tight, and our advocacy is strong.If you’re ready to understand what’s happening—and how to prepare without spiraling into overwhelm—this episode will help you do just that.

"School choice" sounds empowering — but for kids with IEPs and 504s, it often means fewer protections, fewer services, and fewer options.This week on the podcast, I’m breaking down what school choice really is, how it’s being pushed at the federal and state levels, and what it means for children with disabilities.🎧 Listen now and learn how these policies could impact your child — and what you can do before making a move.

We're wrapping up our look at the University of Florida Literacy Institute (ULFI)'s reading interventions by checking out some of the tools they have in their online toolbox. These include a Blending Board, A Word Work Mat, the Decodable Readers, and their training videos. I will pull them all up and give you a Behind the Scenes look into what UFLI instruction may look like. Then, we'll wrap ups til a list of questions that you can ask your child's team to ensure if it is porposing UFLI (or any other reading program that has or has not been giving the official Orton Gillingham (OG) stamp of approval.  Resources Mentioned: Lesson Planning and Implementation: https://ufli.education.ufl.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/UFLIFoundations_Implementation_Support.pdf Fidelity Checklist: https://ufli.education.ufl.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/UFLI-Foundations-Implementation-Fidelity-Checklist.pdf Word Work Mat: I used one of these with Jack before I got IMSE trained, and it was magic! https://ufli.education.ufl.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/UFLI-Printable-Word-Work-Mat-Updated-July-2024.pdf Decodables: https://ufli.education.ufl.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/UFLI-Supplemental-Decodable-Passages.pdfDaily Lesson Plans: https://ufli.education.ufl.edu/foundations/toolbox/

“My child is in a reading intervention… but is it really OG?” If you’ve ever asked this question, you’re not alone — and this week’s episode will help you find the answer. I've had so many schools say they're doing OG when they're really doing anything BUT ... buuuttttt it's hard for the lay advocate/parent to know how to understand what they are doing, and what they SHOULD be doing! That's why I've decided to dive into a popular curriculum, UFLI, to give you nitty gritty examples, lists of questions you can ask, and additional insights that will help ensure that whey they say, "We're doing OG, they're actually doing OG." I’m sharing:🔑 What makes a program truly OG📚 How UFLI + IMSE model those principles📝 The daily lesson structure you should be seeingGrab your headphones — this one’s packed with insight you can use right away.