Parents, Own Your Role at the IEP Table

I can’t even begin to count the number of times someone has said to me “I’m just mom, I don’t know my rights at the IEP meetings.” It’s time for that to change! I want you to own your seat at the IEP table as a parent. YOU are the only team member who is never going to change, you are the expert on your child, you are just as important as everyone else in that meeting. Let’s own your role as being a P.A.R.E.N.T: P- Head into every meeting…

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The Other Side of the Table

Five years ago I became a teacher; five years ago I also became the mother to a son in heaven. August 12th, 2016 I came home from my first new teacher work day. It was exhilarating, and exciting, and for the first time in a long time, I knew I was exactly where I should be. I had no idea that a few short hours later I’d find myself in the hospital in preterm labor with our first child. That same day, we lost our son, Jaxon, at only 21…

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I Never Knew that IEPs Would be so Hard

Autism is a journey. It is a journey in a foreign land. When you arrive there is no map, no travel guide, and no book of language translation. You start to wander aimlessly looking for anything or anyone that looks familiar. Someone or something that can point you in the right direction. You stumble and fall. You cry, kick the ground, and sit there determined that you can’t do this. You are overwhelmed, disappointed, and discouraged. You don’t want to be here you want to go home. Home is a…

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My Son Doesn’t Have A Special Talent

We had our son Cody’s transitional IEP meeting today. We talked about the program Cody will be attending after High School and if it will be a good fit for him. As we went around the table everyone introducing themselves, I found myself torn with emotion. Here I sit with the teachers, coordinators, OT, speech pathologist, and caseworkers who all were instrumental in helping Cody get where he is today. And it seems with every IEP meeting I always ask myself the same questions. ‘Am I doing the right thing?’…

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