In this Ask the Advocate episode, Karen Mayer Cunningham—The Special Education Boss®—answers your most pressing special education questions with clarity, humor, and straight-to-the-point strategies you can take to the IEP or 504 table.
From dyslexia progress monitoring to behavior plans and field trip access, Karen reminds us: parents don’t have to settle for “we don’t do that here.” The law, the data, and your child’s needs drive the process—not convenience.
✨ What you’ll learn in this episode:
- How to measure meaningful progress for dyslexia and dysgraphia.
- When music therapy can be included as a related service.
- What IDEA says about services delivered by a special education teacher (34 CFR 300.156).
- Why ADHD doesn’t always stop at a 504 plan—when to push for testing.
- The truth about meeting notes vs. IEP documentation.
- What happens if a district denies testing or delays evaluations.
- Why grades and IQ do not determine eligibility.
- ESY vs. compensatory services—why they’re not the same.
- Placement, LRE, and how to challenge cookie-cutter programs.
- Transportation as a related service under FAPE.
- Behavior Intervention Plans, discipline, and protecting your child’s rights.
- How to become an advocate in California (including Spanish-speaking families).
📢 Next steps:
- Join The Academy: Special Education Academy
- Register for the EPIC IEP Intensive – Sept 27–28, 2025 (https://specialeducationacademy.com/training)
“When we get it right for the child, we get it right for everybody.” — Karen Mayer Cunningham
✨ When we get it right for the child, we get it right for everybody. ✨
👩⚖️ Hosted by Karen Mayer Cunningham, Advocate & Special Education Boss®
Each week, Karen shares real stories, legal insights, and no-nonsense strategies to help you navigate special education with clarity and confidence.
👉 Subscribe & never miss an episode — new episodes drop every week!
🎓 Join The Academy: Weekly live trainings + 250+ hours of advocacy tools & expert resources
🔗 Learn more at The Academy
📬 Have a question? Email us at advocate@specialeducationacademy.com
📱 Follow Karen on:
- TikTok & Instagram: @specialeducationboss
- YouTube: Special Education Academy
🧠 Want to level up your advocacy game?
Check out the Advocate's Bookshelf — a curated collection of must-have tools, guides, and legal references every special education advocate should own. From federal code to diagnostic manuals, these are the essentials that help you advocate with clarity and confidence.
📚 Browse now: https://amzn.to/3RiQPLl
(As an Amazon Associate, Karen may earn a small commission if you make a purchase — at no extra cost to you.)
...
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Cardiac Cowboys
The heart was always off-limits to surgeons. Cutting into it spelled instant death for the patient. That is, until a ragtag group of doctors scattered across the Midwest and Texas decided to throw out the rule book. Working in makeshift laboratories and home garages, using medical devices made from scavenged machine parts and beer tubes, these men and women invented the field of open heart surgery. Odds are, someone you know is alive because of them. So why has history left them behind? Presented by Chris Pine, CARDIAC COWBOYS tells the gripping true story behind the birth of heart surgery, and the young, Greatest Generation doctors who made it happen. For years, they competed and feuded, racing to be the first, the best, and the most prolific. Some appeared on the cover of Time Magazine, operated on kings and advised presidents. Others ended up disgraced, penniless, and convicted of felonies. Together, they ignited a revolution in medicine, and changed the world.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.