One-Page IEPs, Help From the Labor Department, and Other News You Can Use in September

Start the new school year with some great new resources. We scoured the internet for helpful tools, articles, videos, and podcasts. Here’s what the Understood team loved that was published in August. 

One-page IEPs

The Mighty shared editable templates that families can use to create one-page student profiles. These “kid résumés” highlight strengths as well as key details from IEPs. The goal? To help busy teachers quickly get to know their students.

“These profiles can easily become two or three pages, but it is important to focus on just one page,” the article advises. “You want it to be as easily ‘digestible’ as possible, with bullet points and short sentences.”

We agree brevity is key. Check out Understood’s one-page back-to-school introduction letters to help teachers get to know your child.

Help From the Labor Department

The Labor Department says IEP meetings may warrant time off from work. In a new opinion letter, the agency said an employee could qualify for this under the Family and Medical Leave Act. Disability Scoop and Inc. have good explainers about the opinion letter. 

What if you have a scheduling conflict with the school? Get tips from Understood on what to do if you can’t go to your child’s IEP meeting.

Other News You Can Use

• Listen to a special back-to-school episode from TiLT Parenting, which includes advice from Understood’s Amanda Morin.
• Watch a nine-minute news story, “Cracking the Code of Dyslexia,” on CBS Sunday Morning.
• Learn from a teacher on Chalkbeat how talking about differences in the classroom changed her and her students.
• Get insights from the “ADHD Alien” comics on BoredPanda. Sometimes funny, sometimes heartbreaking, the artist’s ups and downs with ADHD have resonated with many readers. Said one: “Boy oh boy…my daughter has ADHD and as I read these comics to my husband, we both said you hit the nail on the head.”

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