A Brief Overview Full Article If you are a student with an Individualized Education Program (IEP), read this article to find out how you can be a leader on your IEP team. Your future is counting on you! By the time you are 16 years old, the school is required to invite you to your IEP meetings. Read More
Students of all abilities have the right to a solid education to get ready for adult life. Students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) have a right to participate in IEP meetings to make sure the program is a good set-up for higher education, vocational training, work—whatever comes next after graduation. Schools are required to invite Read More
Brief Overview The National Education Association (NEA) recognizes that childhood experiences related to domestic abuse, trauma or divorce affect education. This article includes recommendations for teachers, family members or other adults who might advocate for a student who needs more help due to challenging life circumstances. Researchers agree that a trauma-sensitive approach to special education Read More
Brief overview Students struggle in school for different reasons. RTI is an acceptable way of identifying students with learning disabilities. RTI isn’t a specific program or type of teaching. RTI works on a tier system with three levels of intervention. Full Article Students struggle in school for different reasons. Response to Intervention (RTI) can help Read More
A Brief Overview Not every meeting with the school ends in agreement. This article provides information about what parents can do when they disagree with decisions made by the school. When parents disagree with a school’s recommendation, they may need more information and time to organize ideas and priorities to prepare for a meeting. Read Read More
Parents and students who go to meetings prepared and organized are more likely to come away feeling heard and with a good action plan. This article can help you and your student prepare a one-page handout to share with the school or another service provider. Most important is to highlight the student as the most Read More
The Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) ends when a child turns 3. A transition to a preschool plan with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) requires a new evaluation and is a team-led process: Planning begins 6-9 months before the third birthday. The Family Resource Coordinator (FRC) schedules a transition conference to design a written Transition Read More
A Brief Overview Full Article When a child is born with a disability or the family realizes early that an impairment might impact a young child’s ability to learn and develop at a typical rate, the family can get help from the state. Early Support for Infants and Toddlers (ESIT) is managed by Washington’s Department Read More
Holiday break is a good time to check on your student’s progress in school. You can take another look at the Individualized Education Program (IEP) and compare the goals to current progress. If you don’t have a current progress reports on IEP goals, mid-year is a good time to ask school staff to provide them. Read More
In general, goals: Are required as part of the Individualized Education Program (IEP) Are designed to help a student make meaningful progress in light of the circumstances Encourage a student’s progress toward grade-level standards and participation with peers May focus on academics, Social Emotional Learning or skills for everyday living, called Functional Skills Present Levels Read More
A Brief Overview Each student has abilities and skills. A thoughtful Individualized Education Program (IEP) can highlight abilities and provides the supports needed for the student to learn. This article will help parents understand how to participate in the IEP process. Every part of the IEP is measured against this question: How does this help Read More
Programs of PAVE Parent Training and Information (PTI) helps with your questions about disability-related services for babies, children, and young people, ages 0-26. PTI provides information, training, and resources to help family caregivers, youth, and professionals. For example, we can help you refer a student for an educational evaluation or get ready for a meeting with Read More
What is Developmental Screening? Developmental screening is the practice of systematically looking for and monitoring signs that a young child may be delayed in one or more areas of development. Screening is not meant to establish a diagnosis for the child, but rather to help professionals and families determine whether more in-depth assessment is the Read More
“The perception of stress varies from child to child; serious threats may not disturb one child, while minor ones may be traumatic to another” (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2015). Parents can’t know how stress will affect their child. Just like adults experiencing something new, the effect of stress is different for each toddler or infant. Read More
Great Information About Accommodations There’s an unfortunate misunderstanding among some educators and disability professionals about accommodations and advanced classes (such as Magnet, Gifted, Advanced Placement, and/or Honors). Schools have tried to tell students that accommodations can’t be used in advanced classes. Some educators still labor under the impression that accommodations in some way “make it Read More