The Collaborative IEP

Do you ever leave an IEP meeting thinking, “That one test score does not tell the whole story”?

In this episode of The Collaborative IEP Podcast, we tackle what happens when schools rely on a single data point — a MAP score, an iReady number, one behavior report, or one teacher comment — to justify denying services or changing placement.

This installment in the “Seven Simple Solutions to Solve Your Sticky IEP Situations” series focus...

A Simple Special Education Advocacy Strategy for Parents

Do you ever leave an IEP meeting feeling frustrated, unheard, or completely misunderstood?

If you’re a parent navigating special education, you are not alone. In this episode of The Collaborative IEP Podcast, we break down a simple, practical advocacy strategy you can use when school staff don’t seem to understand your concerns, your child’s needs, or your “why.”

This episode is...

Have you ever walked into an IEP meeting and immediately felt it? The tension. The forced smiles. The “we’re fine” energy that is very much not fine.

In this episode, we talk about what to do when the room feels hostile before the first agenda item is even mentioned — when people look uncomfortable, defensive, or already annoyed… and you’re trying to advocate without getting pulled into the emotional undertow.

When the vibe gets tens...

Advocating for your child can feel isolating, exhausting, and deeply personal. Even when you understand the system, there are moments when the stress, emotion, and stakes make it nearly impossible to do it alone.

In this episode, I share a candid look at what it really feels like to hit that point — including my own recent experience navigating an IEP challenge for my family. We talk about the signs that it may be time to bring in p...

We’ve all hit that moment in an IEP meeting where the conversation just… stops. No agreement. No movement. Just two sides locked in place. That’s impasse — and when it happens at school, walking away isn’t really an option.

In this episode, I go back to the foundations of advocacy and negotiation to talk about what to do when discussions stall and you’re stuck in that uncomfortable space between what your child needs and what the sc...

Okay, "bullying" may be a strong term, but we've all been there. Advocating for your child can feel overwhelming—especially when you’re being told “this is just how it is.” In this episode, in which I again take us back to the roots of The Collaborative IEP, we refocus on the advocacy and negotiation skills parents need when school teams hold the power and control the narrative.

While we often focus on practice and interventions,...

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 spen...

Advocating for your child can feel overwhelming—even when you know a lot. In this episode, I go back to the roots of The Collaborative IEP to break down the three essential skills every parent advocate needs to navigate special education with more confidence and less burnout.

Along the way, I share a very real “life lately” check-in, including the challenges of an unstructured holiday break, the emotional weight of comparison, and w...

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 (l...

If you’ve ever looked at your child and thought, “How can someone so smart fall apart over a planner, a backpack, or one tiny assignment?” — this episode is going to feel like a deep breath.

Today I’m talking about something I’m seeing everywhere right now: executive functioning struggles that masquerade as motivation or behavior issues. Between advocacy work, school visits, and conversations with families, I’m hearing the same them...

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 kno...

If you’ve ever wondered whether your child’s struggles with reading are actually connected to ADHD, learning differences, confidence, or all of the above, this episode is going to feel like a giant exhale.

I’m joined by Megan Penrod, founder of Developing Readers Academy, who brings a fresh, whole-child approach to literacy. Yes, she teaches phonics. Yes, she uses Orton-Gillingham. But she also teaches kids what neurons are, how the...

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 g...

If you’ve ever found yourself juggling all the things—family, advocacy, work, and maybe a touch of “why am I like this?”—this episode is for you.

I’m joined by Dr. Angelyn Franks, a speech-language pathologist turned mindfulness researcher, to talk about what burnout really looks like and how we can actually start managing stress in ways that work for us. We go deep into the difference between real, values-aligned self-care and the ...

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....

What if something as simple as a nickname could change everything about how someone feels included?

In this episode, I'm getting personal about belonging—what it means, how we create it, and why it matters so deeply for our kids (especially those with disabilities navigating school and community spaces).

Drawing from my experiences as a mom, teacher, coaching, student, athlete, and human, I explore the surprising power of nicknames a...

What really works when a child has ADHD and/or ODD? In this insightful (and delightfully real) conversation, I sit down with Dr. Rachel Schwartz—a special educator, Board Certified Behavior Analyst, and PhD in cognitive and physical disabilities—to unpack practical, research-backed strategies for kids who need more than “preferential seating and extra time.”

 Together, Dr. Rachel and I explore:

• Top-down vs. bottom-up strateg...

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 ...