89 results for: "speech%20therapy"

Speech therapy: What it is and how it helps with language challenges

Speech therapy is a treatment that can help improve communication skills. It’s sometimes called speech-language therapy. Many people think that speech therapy is only for kids with speech disorders that affect pronunciation. But it can also target problems with:Receptive language (understanding language)Expressive language (using language)Social communication (using language in socially appropriate ways)Reading and spelling (including dyslexia)Here’s more about speech therapy and how it can help kids with language challenges.

What happens after an evaluation for special education

The evaluation report is done. Now what? Learn about eligibility determination meetings and different kinds of supports for struggling students. Adverse impact. Eligibility determination. IEPs. 504 plans. What are these things? And what do they have to do with evaluations? This episode of Understood Explains covers how school evaluation teams decide which kids need which kinds of support.Host Dr. Andy Kahn is a psychologist who has spent nearly 20 years evaluating kids for public and private schools. His first guest on this episode is special education teacher Lauren Jewett. They’ll explain:What happens at an eligibility determination meetingHow schools decide who qualifies for an Individualized Education Program (IEP) What other kinds of support can help struggling studentsAndy’s second guest is parenting expert Amanda Morin. They’ll share tips on what to say to your child after an eligibility meeting — and what not to say.Related resourcesWhat to expect at an IEP eligibility meetingThe 13 disability categories under IDEAThe difference between IEPs and 504 plans10 smart responses when the school cuts or denies servicesParent training centers: A free resource in your stateEpisode transcriptLeslie: Hi, I'm Leslie from Little Rock, Arkansas. In second grade, within the first couple of weeks, it was decided by these evaluations that Sarah needed speech therapy, occupational therapy, and I think physical therapy. She wasn't holding her pencil right, she had her wrist turned the wrong way, she had some speech impediments. And then we would receive the results of that and eventually she reached her milestone and those kind of fell away. But she did always receive accommodations for reading and math, and that was evaluated every semester. And that IEP followed her from second grade until she graduated from Central High School with a 3.5 grade point average that last semester.Andy: From the Understood Podcast Network, this is "Understood Explains." You're listening to Season 1, where we explain evaluations for special education. Over 10 episodes, we cover the ins and outs of the process that school districts use to evaluate children for special education services. My name is Andy Kahn, and I'm a licensed psychologist and an in-house expert and understood.org. I've spent nearly 20 years evaluating kids for both public and private schools, I'll be your host.Today's episode is about what happens after the evaluation. All the testing and data collection is done, the evaluation report is done. The next step is a real mouthful; it's called eligibility determination. This is when the evaluation team meets to decide if the student is eligible for special education. Today's episode is going to cover three key things: how the eligibility determination process works, what kind of supports schools offer to students — including what's available to kids who don't qualify for special education — and what to say to your child after an eligibility meeting, and what not to say. But first, let's hear another parent story.Jennifer: Hi, my name is Jennifer and I live in Atlanta, Georgia. So, in the eligibility report, they enter all of the testing information into this program, and it automatically determines which categories the student could potentially qualify under. And so, one of those categories for my son was like, brain something, I can't remember. I wish I could remember what it was called. But it was something that was like crazy. And I was like, "Wait a minute, what?" It's just that even in the meeting, they'll tell you, you know, "This is automated, and just because it like flags it doesn't mean that we're really considering it, but we do have to talk through it."Andy: What Jennifer was just describing can be a jarring part of the eligibility determination meeting. This is the part of the meeting when the team goes through a dozen or so disability categories to see if the child qualifies for special education under any of them. And folks, just so you know, the name of the category that Jennifer was trying to remember is called traumatic brain injury. We're going to talk more about the disability categories and other key parts of the eligibility determination process.To help me explain all this, I want to bring in my first guest. Lauren Jewett is a special education teacher at an elementary school in New Orleans. She's also a special education case manager, which means she's been a part of a lot of evaluation teams. She's also a national board-certified teacher, and an Understood teacher fellow. Lauren, it's so great to have you here with us today. How're you doing?Lauren: I'm good. Thank you for having me on this show.Andy: So, Lauren, after an evaluation, the school team holds an important meeting called eligibility determination. This is where the team uses the evaluation report to help decide if the student qualifies for special education. So, if the student qualifies, then the next step is to develop an IEP, which stands for Individualized Education Program. So, this part of the process, determining eligibility for special education and then developing an IEP, this is all covered under IDEA. Lauren, can you remind everyone what IDEA stands for?Lauren: IDEA is the federal special education law that stands for the Individuals with Disabilities and Education Act. And it covers all the ways that a student would get into special education for their servicing, and all the different disability categories that they could qualify under. And then after the evaluation period or process, what they could get, you know, in terms of an IEP and what that looks like and all the legal procedures with the student.Andy: Gotcha. So, all states have to follow this federal law, but, you know, different states may handle eligibility determination in slightly different ways. I'm located in the state of Maine. So, in Maine, we determine eligibility, and we actually use a very specific form for eligibility determination, so we use what we call an adverse impact form. The purpose, really, is to see whether someone is eligible or not for services, based on all of the data that we have. We use our adverse impact form and we go through a series of checklists. But in different states, it's done in different ways. How do you guys do that in Louisiana?Lauren: So, our process is covered by a state bulletin; we have a state bulletin called Bulletin 1508, and Bulletin 1508 covers all of the ways that people appraisal and the school psychologists can qualify a student for the different disability categories. So, IDEA, which we talked about, that law has a bunch of different disability categories. And so that bulletin, 1508, outlines all of the different procedures that one would have to look at and use to determine what category or what classification the student would qualify under.Andy: OK, so taking a look at the big picture, you're talking about state regulations that make the evaluation team fill out checklists and answer very specific questions. And you have to do all this to determine if a child meets the IDEA’s two most important requirements to be eligible for special education. Number one, the child has to have a disabling condition, and number two, that disabling condition must adversely impact the child's education. So, when we talk about adverse impact, like an example, let's say we're looking at a specific learning disability, if a child was let's say, half a grade level behind, would that typically be adverse impact, or would that not be enough?Lauren: We usually, you know, if I'm thinking for an example of like, specific learning disability, you know, in our state, in order to qualify for a specific learning disability, there has to be an area of strength, and then an area where the student is, you know, struggling. And then they look at standard deviations below a mean, or above a mean.Andy: OK, so I'm going to decode some of this information. Because again, it's really, really helpful. When we talk about things like standard deviations, what we're talking about is, when you're comparing a child's piece of information to a large group, and how far they fall from that large group, if it's far enough away, that would be something that might be considered adverse impact, meaning adverse impact really refers to is the child able to do what they're needing to do, like other students of their age or grade level? The adverse impact would be "I can't do this because I have dyslexia," or they can't focus and engage and participate in a way that would be manageable for them because of severe ADHD or some other disabling condition. So adverse impact's really about there's a functional thing that isn't happening. You could have a diagnosis, but not necessarily show adverse impacts. And that can be confusing for people. How do you go about explaining adverse impact to your families if you're talking to them about that?Lauren: Yeah, I think when I'm thinking about adverse impact — especially when I look to write IEPs, right? — we think about a disability impact statement, which is kind of similar, you know, like, how is the disability impacting the student in class? So, for example, if the student has dyslexia, how is that affecting what they're doing in class across different subjects all day? So, if the student has a specific learning disability in reading, and they are two to three grade levels behind, thinking about, OK, this is the student's disability, this affects their ability to read on grade level texts that are going to be provided to them and given to them in class. So not just in reading class, but in all those content areas that have a lot of academic domain vocabulary, a lot of reading comprehension needs.And so, when I break that down, I'm trying to give more applicable information to a family, you know, because again, there's so much jargon. So then let's, like I say, let's take a step back and look at how is this going to look like in the classroom? How is this affecting them on a day-to-day basis?Andy: Gotcha. So really, adverse impact is important because you're talking about the how, right? How do we know that this child isn't doing as well as we hoped that they would do because of this disabling condition? OK, and that's really important for families. So, when we talk about the information being considered, who's typically present at the meetings where you're going over the evaluations and making that eligibility determination?Lauren: It usually would be the school psychologist or educational diagnostician — those are the people who maybe conducted the different set of tests and assessments that were given to the student, or the person, you know, who wrote and did the comprehensive report — you're gonna have the parent there, the parent may have another family member there, maybe an advocate. But you could have a special education coordinator there, the teacher, other members who contributed to the report, or additional teachers. You know, if it's a reevaluation for a student that's already been in special education, then it is likely that the special education teacher may be there because that student has already been receiving services.Andy: That was super helpful, Lauren. When we talk about the disability categories, we traditionally talk about the 13 disability categories in IDEA. I understand that in certain states, we can actually see as many as 14, or even 15 categories. The categories that I most commonly see us use in schools are specific learning disabilities, speech and language impairment, other health impairment, and autism. Less commonly, we might see intellectual disabilities, for example, or deaf-blindness.I'd like to shift our conversation a little bit. So, Lauren, when we have a child who's found eligible for special education services, and they meet those two requirements, they've got their identified disability, they meet the adverse impact, adverse effect criteria, what happens next? Let's assume we're at that next meeting.Lauren: Yeah. So, the next step would be for the IEP team to convene and meet, and look at the information that's been provided in the evaluation, and then create an IEP for the student. So oftentimes, you know, these evaluations are very long. And you know, when I receive those evaluations, I have to read them and go through everything and think about what makes sense for the student. But the main thing in that meeting, the IEP development, is really taking that information from the evaluation, and making sure that it's reflected in the spirit of the document.Andy: Yeah. So, let's pause on that for a minute. You're talking about how you can make sure the IEP reflects what's in the evaluation report. How can parents help with this? Like, what role can parents play in developing the IEP?Lauren: I always encourage families to, you know, as we start those meetings, those IEP meetings, I always say, "There's going to be a lot of information. You know, stop if you have questions." And also like, every page that we go through, whoever is leading that part of the meeting, we have the person who's leading that part, like stop and ask the parent like, ''How does that sound? Do you have input? Do you have anything you want to add?'' You know, it just depends. But I always, you know, tell parents ahead of time to, I explain — especially if it's their first meeting ever — I just say, you know, like, ''Bring your ideas of what you would like to see. What do you hope for your child to get out of this? What are your concerns? What's not currently working?''Andy: So, Lauren, what if the child has a disability, but isn't eligible for special education? What are we gonna do in a situation like that? Because if a child's not getting an IEP, how do you explain that to a parent?Lauren: In that conversation, you know, if they're not going to have an IEP, sometimes we do try to provide supports in the classroom through a 504 plan. So, a 504 plan comes from section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. And that's a civil rights law. So, a 504 plan is more like an accommodation plan that a student might have in the general education class. It's not specially designed instruction, it could be the student gets some extra time when they're doing assignments, it might be specified seating; it doesn't have as many accommodations or modifications listed as an IEP because an IEP is going to be more situated and individualized for the student on their goals.And then it is also allowing, like I said, specially designed instruction modifications, you're not going to see that as much with a 504 plan. A student could have a 504 plan for a short period of time as well. Maybe they break their arm, and they need a scribe or need some different assistance in class for that period of time. So, it could range in different situations. But again, it's different because it's not, you know, listing a bunch of different goals and related services like an IEP would.Andy: At the eligibility determination, is a common outcome that the team decides that the student qualifies for a 504? Or does that happen at a different meeting if they don't qualify for services under IDEA?Lauren: It may be a separate meeting; maybe the team comes together, they go over the evaluation — no exceptionality is found. And so, we talk as a team and say, well, you know, sometimes teachers will be indicating that they still have concerns about the student, and how they're going to be able to do everything in class without certain supports that are formalized. So, you know, maybe their recommendation would be a 504 plan. And so, it could be a separate meeting that happens with maybe not all the same people at the table, but definitely the teacher and the parent, and the person who's responsible for, you know, handling the 504 plans, because that's a whole other system, you know, a 504 plan versus the IEP. The team looks at what accommodations would be appropriate for the student. And it could be accommodations like the student gets some extra time on assignments and tests, maybe they get a small group or individual testing because they need to focus.So those are some examples of things that we put, you know, in 504 plans, and we have students that have 504 plans and still get those accommodations when it comes to standardized and state testing, they still get those things. So, it's not like they only get them in the classroom, and then they don't get them in other things. It goes through all the different situations and circumstances that the student could have those supports.Andy: So, you mentioned that for kids who don't qualify for an IEP, sometimes you try to provide a 504 plan. What about kids who have a disability, but don't have an IEP or a 504? What are some of the things a school can do to help support those kids?Lauren: You know, a student that has an IEP, right? They have specific rights that are outlined, but every kid has all different specific learning needs, whether they have that IEP or not. So, establishing a mindset of how do we make the classroom environment, as well as the learning materials more accessible? There's things that students might need from time to time, and we just have to provide them and make sure that there's still supports that are in place there that may not need to be supports that are there long-standing.But we know we don't just like, you know, not give supports as a teacher, if we see a student struggling, we want to help. And so, I think reframing it is like, "OK, well, just because they have an IEP, only those groups of students can get help." No, like all students can get help. So, I think that there's still a way to design supports within a classroom or for students, whether they have that IEP or not.Andy: So, Lauren, I want to circle back to some really good advice you gave about encouraging parents to come to these meetings ready to ask questions and make suggestions. And listeners, one thing that can help you do this is to make sure you get a copy of your child's evaluation report before you go to that meeting. You have a right to see that report in advance. We've got a lot more information in episode three about your evaluation rights.But I want to make sure you know that you have this right in particular, because it can be really helpful to look at the report ahead of time, think about what questions you want to ask and what suggestions you want to make, so you can be an active member of the team during the eligibility meeting. Lauren, thanks so much for being with us today. I've really appreciated your input and it's been so awesome to learn about how you do your work down in Louisiana.Lauren: Yeah, thank you, I really enjoyed this conversation.Michele: My name is Michele and I live in the Bronx, New York. My oldest son was not given a diagnosis because they deemed him not eligible for special education services, because they basically said there's nothing, there's no real issue. He's just very creative, his mind needs to be stimulated, but they couldn't justify providing services. So, he was never given an IEP, he was never in special education.Andy: So, we've been talking about what adults can expect after an evaluation, an IEP, a 504, or informal supports. But what can adults say to kids about these things? And how are kids likely to react? So, to help me unpack all this, I'd like to bring in my next guest, Amanda Morin, she co-hosts Understood's "In It" podcast, about the joys and frustrations of parenting kids who learn and think differently. She's the mom of two kids who learn differently, and she has also worked as a classroom teacher and as an early intervention specialist. Amanda, welcome.Amanda: Thank you so much, Andy. And as you know, I've also attended a number of IEP meetings on my own too, right? As a parent.  Andy: You've been at this table. Yeah. So, let's jump into this a bit. I mean, you know, what kind of things can parents talk to their kids about when we're talking about getting an IEP or a 504, or some of these supports?Amanda: So, I think the first thing is to know that kids have so many reactions to things, right? The same way we as parents have reactions to things, your child's gonna have a whole bunch of reactions to things, and it may not be what you expect, right? For some kids, it may be relief, "OK, phew! We're going to sit down and finally have this conversation. And maybe I'm going to feel better at school, maybe I'm going to feel like I can really do this, there's going to be more help." And a lot of parents don't expect that reaction. And so, as a parent, I think being open to whatever your child's reaction is, really matters.So, to be able to say to them "How do you feel?" instead of saying to them "Do you feel sad? Do you feel angry?" Like, don't put those emotions in their minds until they tell you what's on their minds. And I think that's important, too.Andy: Yeah. So, you're talking about their emotions relative to the reaction to all the things they're learning, which is a ton of information. And I think it's really important — you mentioned — when you ask about how they're feeling, the open-ended question, right? "What are you feeling? What's it feel like?" I mean, and I think for younger kids, they may struggle in expressing that. And yeah, I think you made a great point that you're not always going to know what to expect, because they may say things that just shock you or surprise you, or please you, I don't know.Amanda: Or they may not even care, right? Like sometimes kids don't care the way we do as parents, and we're like, "What? This is such a big deal." And your child's like, ''No, not really. Not that big a deal.'' And so, I think you can follow their lead in that situation and be like, "Oh, OK. Well, this is a big deal for me. And I'm sorry to assume that it was a big deal for you." And I don't mean that in a sarcastic way, I mean like sincerely to be able to say to your child "Oh, it feels like a big deal to me. I didn't mean to assume that it was a big deal for you too." And then sort of move on from there.Andy: For sure. For sure. So, let's say that your child's starting to express some of those, you know, unhappy emotions, that anger, or saying, "Well, this isn't true" or are feeling sort of down about it. Where do you go? How do you really navigate that?Amanda: That one's really hard. I mean, I'm just going to be honest, and say it's really hard. Because what it does is, your child is all of a sudden hearing about themselves in a totally different way, right? They're hearing about themselves, especially because unfortunately, a lot of evaluations are around looking for weaknesses, right? Looking for deficits is the word that comes up a lot. And I think the way to handle that with a child is to say, "Of course you're angry; of course you're sad. Of course this tells you about yourself in a way you hadn't thought about yourself before. But you're still you, you know. You haven't changed; the paperwork says one thing, it's just talking about you. It's a snapshot, it's a picture of you, but you're still the same person you were. And what this does is allow us to talk to the school about whether or not you're eligible for help, for additional support, for ways to make you feel like you are more you than you've ever been before." Because when kids have the support they need at a school, whether it's through an IEP or a 504 plan or informal accommodations and support, they really do feel like they get to be more of their full selves because they get to show what they know, right? In that moment, you can say "You're angry because you're not able yet to show what you know." But I think it's OK to just say, "You feel this, and we can sit with it. It's really hard, right? It's really hard." And they may be angry at you.And I think it's important to know that because you're the person delivering the information. You're the person who may have started this process. You're the person who's talking to them about this. If they're angry at you, that's hard. But I think you need to redirect it. And oftentimes that's about "I hear that you're angry, and I really want to talk to you about this. I'm not able to have this conversation while you're yelling at me." Right? ''So, we're gonna take a moment. When you can talk to me calmly, we can have this conversation.''Andy: Amanda, this is amazing advice. And I'm really glad we could do this today. Thanks so much for being here.Amanda: Yeah, thanks for having me.Andy: So, we've talked about how schools determine who is eligible for special education, and other ways schools support struggling students. We've also talked about how to ask open-ended questions to help your child talk about how they're feeling. If there's one thing you can take away from this discussion, is that you can play an active role in what happens after the evaluation. So don't be afraid to ask lots of questions until you understand what's happening and why. As always, remember that as a parent, you are the first and best expert on your child.In our next episode, we'll focus on the difference between private and school-based evaluations and why some families choose to get one or the other or both. We hope you'll join us.You've been listening to Season 1 of "Understood Explains" from the Understood Podcast Network. If you want to learn more about the topics we covered today, check out the show notes for this episode. We include more resources as well as links to anything we've mentioned in the episode. And now, just as a reminder of who we're doing all this for, I'm going to turn it over to Abraham to read our credits. Take it away, Abraham.Abram: "Understood Explains" is produced by Julie Rawe and Cody Nelson, who also did the sound design for this show. Briana Berry is our production director. Andrew Lee is our editorial lead. Our theme music was written by Justin D. Wright, who also mixes the show. For the Understood Podcast Network, Laura Key is our editorial director. Scott Cocchiere is our creative director. Seth Melnick is our executive producer. A very special thanks to Amanda Morin and all the other parents and experts who helped us make this show. Thanks for listening and see you next time.Andy: Understood is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people who learn and think differently discover their potential and thrive. Learn more at understood.org/mission 

Can Preschoolers Get Free Speech Therapy and Other Services?

IEPs: The difference between IEPs and 504 plans

Learn the key differences between two common plans for school support, and which one might be right for your child. The terms IEP and 504 plan may come up a lot when you’re looking into special education for your child. These school supports do some of the same things, but one can provide more services and the other is easier to get. And it’s important to know the differences in order to get your child the support they need. On this episode of Understood Explains, host Juliana Urtubey will break down the differences between IEPs and 504 plans, and which one might be right for your child. Timestamps [00:53] What is a 504 plan?[02:16] What’s the difference between an IEP and a 504 plan?[08:15] Can my child have an IEP and a 504 plan at the same time?[09:36] Should my child switch from an IEP to a 504 plan?[10:45] What do multilingual learners need to know about IEPs and 504 plans? [11:58] Key takeawaysRelated resources504 plans and your child: A guide for familiesThe difference between IEPs and 504 plans (comparison chart)10 smart responses for when the school cuts or denies servicesUnderstood Explains, Season 1: Evaluations for Special EducationEpisode transcriptJuliana: As you look into getting your child more support at school, you're likely to run into the terms IEP and 504 plan. They do some of those same things, but one has a lot more stuff and the other is a lot easier to get. On this episode of "Understood Explains," we explore how these plans are similar and how they're different, and which one might be right for your child. From the Understood Podcast Network, this is "Understood Explains IEPs." Today we're going to learn about the differences between IEPs and 504 plans. My name is Juliana Urtubey, and I'm your host. I'm the 2021 National Teacher of the Year and I'm an expert in special education for multilingual learners. And speaking of languages, I want to make sure everyone knows all the episodes this season are available in English y en español. Let's get started. [00:53] What is a 504 plan?OK. So, what's a 504 plan? Before we get into the difference between an IEP and a 504 plan, I want to quickly explain what a 504 plan is. This is a tailored plan that removes barriers to learning for a student with disabilities. The goal is to give the student equal access to learning. To do this, a 504 plan often includes assistive technology, meaning things like screen readers, noise-canceling headphones, or speech-to-text software. Many 504s also include accommodations, which are changes in the way things get done. A common example is getting extended time on tests or getting to leave the classroom to take short breaks. And the other thing I want to mention is that some 504 plans include services like speech therapy or study skill classes. This doesn't happen all that often, but services can be part of a 504. So, the basic components of a 504: Assistive technology AccommodationsServicesRight about now, you may be thinking that 504s sound a lot like IEPs, Individualized Education Programs. And you're right. These two plans have a lot in common and can provide a lot of the same supports. But there are some key differences. And that's what the whole next section is about. [02:16] What’s the difference between an IEP and a 504 plan?OK, so what's the difference between an IEP and a 504 plan? I'm going to focus on three key differences: First, IEPs provide special education services. Students with IEPs may spend a lot of time in general education classrooms, but the heart of an IEP is the specially designed instruction to help a student catch up with their peers. For example, a student with dyslexia might get specialized reading instruction a few times a week. The IEP also sets annual goals and monitors the student's progress towards reaching those goals. So the key thing here is that IEPs provide special education. 504s on the other hand, do not provide special education. There are no annual reports or progress monitoring with 504s. What 504s do is remove barriers to the general education curriculum. So 504s can be good options for, say, a student with ADHD or written expression disorder, who doesn't need specialized instruction but does need accommodations, like sitting in a less distracting part of the classroom, or showing what you know in a different way, like giving an oral report instead of taking a written test. To give you a more detailed example, I want to talk about a student of mine named Brian. He had a 504 plan to help accommodate his vision impairment. To make the plan, I talked to Brian about what he needed, and I worked with the school's assistive technology department to find some helpful tools. We learned that Brian had an easier time reading and writing when he used a slant board to help raise up the paper. He also benefited from having what's called "augmented worksheets." Rather than having a bunch of math problems on one sheet of paper, Brian would get several sheets, so the problems were spread out and enlarged and he could see them better. With these supports, Brian could do all the work on his own. And to create his 504, a school staff member wrote up the plan and included my suggestions for accommodations and assistive technology. And the only thing we needed to get started was his parents' consent. And this brings me to the second big difference between IEPs and 504s. They're covered by different laws, and IEPs come with a lot more rights and protections than 504s do. So, for example, IEPs are covered by the federal special education law, which is called the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA. This law is very focused on education and one really important detail about IDEA is that it says parents are an equal member of the team that develops the IEP. But that's not true for 504s. 504 plans are covered by an important civil rights law called The Rehabilitation Act of 1973. This law bans discrimination against people with disabilities in several key areas. It has a big section about employment. It has a big section about technology, and it also has a big section about education. This is where the name "Section 504" comes from. So, IEPs and 504 laws are covered by different laws. And one difference between these laws is how much schools are required to involve parents. With a 504 plan, parents don't have to be equal members of the team. Schools don't have to involve parents in creating this kind of plan. They just need a parent's consent before starting to use it. Although I want to mention that many schools encourage families to help create the 504 plan, schools aren't required to involve them. There are also different rules about what schools need to do to make changes to these plans. With 504s, schools have to let parents know if a significant change is being made to the student's 504 plan. But the school doesn't have to send a written notice about this. With an IEP, schools have to send parents a letter and have a meeting with the full IEP team before they can change the IEP. And if parents want to dispute the changes, the school has to keep the current plan in place while the dispute gets resolved. With either of these plans, families can ask to make changes, but families have more rights and protections with IEPs. We'll talk more about IEP rights and dispute resolution later this season. There's a third big difference I want to mention. IEPs are harder to get than 504s. The process for determining who is eligible for an IEP takes more time and it involves more steps. Students need to have a disability to qualify for either plan, but to get an IEP, kids need to go through the school's comprehensive evaluation process. You can learn all about this process in season 1 of "Understood Explains."OK, so kids need to be evaluated by the school to get an IEP. By contrast, kids don't need to get evaluated by the school to get a 504. This kind of plan is easier to get, but it's less likely to include specialized instruction. So for example, let's look at students with ADHD. The main thing they'd need to qualify for a 504 is a diagnosis from their health care provider. But to qualify for an IEP, those same students would still need to go through the full evaluation process through their school. It's the same thing with dyslexia or depression or a hearing impairment or any type of disability. It's pretty quick to start getting accommodations and assistive technology through a 504. It takes longer to see if a child qualifies for an IEP. We're going to talk more about this later this season, but for now, I want to briefly mention the two eligibility requirements to qualify for an IEP. The evaluation team has to determine that you have a disability and that the disability impacts your education enough to need specially designed instruction. OK, that's a lot of info, let's summarize quickly before we move on. 504 plans are meant to remove barriers in general education classrooms. IEPs provide specialized instruction. They take longer to get, but they come with more supports, including legal protections and annual goals. [08:15] Can my child have an IEP and a 504 plan at the same time?Can my child have an IEP and a 504 plan at the same time? Yes, it's technically possible to have both an IEP and a 504 plan, but it's unlikely your child would actually need both. That's because an IEP can include everything that's in a 504 plan and more. For example, if your child has speech impairment and ADHD, the IEP can include speech therapy as well as accommodations related to that ADHD, like reducing distractions in the classroom and helping your child get started on tasks. There are, however, some situations where it might make sense to have both kinds of plans. For example, if a child has an IEP and gets a temporary injury, like a broken hand and needs some writing accommodations until it heals. Rather than going through the hassle of adding and removing those accommodations from an IEP, the school might choose to add them via a 504 plan. Another example of when a school might use both an IEP and a 504 plan, is if the student has a medical condition that doesn't directly impact academics, like a peanut allergy. So, there are some special cases where both plans might be OK, but in general, if your child has an IEP, keep it to that single plan. It's easier for you and for teachers to manage just one plan instead of two. [09:36] Should my child switch from an IEP to a 504 plan?Should my child switch from an IEP to a 504? So, this happens a lot, and it's not necessarily a bad thing. Maybe your child has made a lot of progress and no longer needs specialized instruction. For example, let's say your child has dyslexia and their reading skills have improved, and now all they need are tools or accommodations. This can include extra time on tests and digital textbooks that can highlight the text as it's being read out loud. Both of the supports could be covered in a 504, but if you think your child still needs specialized instruction, you can advocate to keep the IEP. We'll get into more specifics about this later in the season, but for now, I'll just put a link in the show notes to Understood's article on what to do if the school wants to reduce or remove your child's IEP services. The other thing I want to mention is that it's possible to move from a 504 plan to an IEP, but your child will need to be evaluated by the school and it takes longer to qualify for an IEP. We have a whole episode coming up about deciding who qualifies for an IEP. [10:45] What do multilingual learners need to know about IEPs and 504 plans?There are two really important things that multilingual families need to know about IEPs and 504s: First, getting your child an IEP or 504 plan does not put you or your family members at any greater risk of immigration enforcement. It's completely understandable that families with mixed immigration status might have concerns about getting formal supports at school, especially if it involves filling out paperwork with personal information. But all students in the United States have a right to a free, appropriate public education, no matter their immigration status. Plus, schools are considered sensitive locations, which means immigration enforcement cannot take place there. I'm going to talk more about this in a later episode that is all about multilingual learners. But for now, the one thing I want to mention is that formal supports in school, whether they're part of an IEP or a 504, should happen in addition to being taught English as an additional language. It's not an either or situation. You don't have to choose between disability support and language instruction. If your child needs both, your child can and should get both. [11:58] Key takeawaysAll right. That's all for this episode. But before we go, let's wrap up with some key takeaways. 504 plans are covered by a civil rights law that bans discrimination against people with disabilities. 504s remove barriers to general education. IEPs are covered by special education law and provide specially designed instruction and services for kids with a qualifying disability. Both plans can provide accommodations and assistive technology. And last but not least, specialized instruction is a core feature of IEPs, but it's not very common in 504 plans. That's it for this episode of "Understood Explains," tune in for the next episode on IEP myths. You've been listening to "Understood Explains IEPs." This season was developed in partnership with UnidosUS, which is the nation's largest Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization. Gracias, Unidos! If you want to learn more about the topics we covered today, check out the show notes for this episode. We include more resources as well as links to anything we've mentioned in the episode. Understood is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people who learn and think differently discover their potential and thrive. Learn more at understood.org/mission.  Credits Understood Explains IEPs was produced by Julie Rawe and Cody Nelson, with editing support by Daniella Tello-Garzon. Video was produced by Calvin Knie and Christoph Manuel, with support from Denver Milord.Mixing and music by Justin D. Wright.Ilana Millner was our production director. Margie DeSantis provided editorial support, and Whitney Reynolds was our web producer. For the Understood Podcast Network, Laura Key is our editorial director, Scott Cocchiere is our creative director, and Seth Melnick is our executive producer.Special thanks to the team of expert advisors who helped shape this season: Shivohn Garcia, Claudia Rinaldi, and Julian Saavedra.

Teacher to teacher: How I help students see support staff as teachers

“I don’t want to go to speech therapy,” says one student. “You’re not my teacher. I don’t have to listen to what you say!” cries another student to a paraprofessional. Speech therapists, ESL teachers, paraprofessionals, and school counselors are just some of the adults who support my students each day. I see them as my support team, and they help me create a classroom filled with respect, empathy, learning, and fun. But my students don’t always see the importance of these other teachers. As a special education teacher, one of my goals is to support my students in developing genuine relationships with all the adults who support their learning. Here are four ways I help my students see support staff as their teachers, too: 1. I refer to them as teachers. When introducing students to someone from my support team, I refer to them as a teacher. “What did you learn with your speech teacher today?” sounds very different from, “What did you do in speech therapy today?” It changes students’ perspectives on their relationships with support staff. I recognize that these adults need to build their own relationships with my students. But this small shift in language can be a start. 2. I help students’ families understand the role of my support team. I want my students’ families to see my support team as teachers, too. This helps create a cohesive experience between home and school. I also want families to feel comfortable asking them any questions they have. Families may not always understand why their child needs services and who provides them. So at the beginning of the school year, I communicate with families, sharing bios (translated into various home languages) and photos of my support team. I reinforce that this staff person is a teacher and encourage an open line of communication with all their child’s teachers, not just me. 3. I regularly consult with my support team about our curriculum. When my students work with paraprofessionals, specialists, or other staff members, I don’t want it to feel like a separate lesson. Rather, it should be an extension of what we’re learning in the classroom. I do this by making sure my support team understands the curriculum and students’ progress with it. Before each new unit, I meet with my support team. I explain the curriculum, ways to support students, and how a specific specialist’s goals might align with what we’re working on. I do this outside of teaching time like at preps, lunches, or before or after school. I know it can be challenging to find this extra time to meet, but it has been a worthwhile investment for me. Here’s an example of how I make working with support staff an extension of our classroom. My student had a session with the occupational therapist. I said to the student, “In class, we’re working on publishing our writing. You’re going to work with Ms. A. on making sure that this published piece is clear so your friends and family can read it.” Before the session, I talked with Ms. A., the occupational therapist. We discussed how the student’s fine motor skills prevented publishing legible work, which was one of their IEP goals. Because of our discussion, the student was able to publish the essay while working on pencil grip and legible writing. 4. I make sure all work matters in our classroom.My students know that their work is an important step toward completing a goal. When they know that all their work matters — no matter who supports it — they’re more likely to engage. They also know that we’ll share and reflect on completed work, regardless of the support received to produce it. It changes how kids feel about a session with a specialist or small group time with a paraprofessional. It may have felt like a chore before, but now it’s something they’re more eager to do.For example, when my students were working on verbal responses, one had prepared hers with a speech teacher. She knew that the next day the class would be practicing their responses with peers. Because the student prepared and practiced during her speech session, she felt ready for the next day. The same applies to my support team. They know I appreciate what they do and that I support their work. They know they can count on me to reinforce the skills and strategies they teach. Even though I’ve worked hard to develop strong relationships with my students, those relationships don’t automatically transfer to the other adults my students interact with. These strategies help me foster relationships between my students and my support team. They help students see that each teacher — including paraprofessionals, specialists, and other support staff — guides them in their learning journey. Any opinions, views, information, and other content contained in blogs on Understood.org are the sole responsibility of the writer of the blog, and do not necessarily reflect the views, values, opinions, or beliefs of, and are not endorsed by, Understood.

What to expect during a special education evaluation

What happens during the evaluation? And what role do families play? Learn how to help shape the evaluation plan and help your child get ready. What happens during an evaluation for special education? Who plans the assessment activities? And what role do families play? This episode of Understood Explains covers all of this and more.Host Dr. Andy Kahn is a psychologist who has spent nearly 20 years evaluating kids for public and private schools. His first guest on this episode is Brittney Newcomer. She is a nationally certified school psychologist. Andy and Brittney will explain:What to expect during an evaluationWho plans the assessment activities How you can help shape the evaluation plan for your childAndy’s second guest is parenting expert Amanda Morin. They’ll share tips on how you can help your child get ready for the evaluation. (Hint: The answer does not involve any studying.) Related resourcesPreparing for an evaluationThe school evaluation process: What to expectWho’s on the evaluation team at your child’s schoolShould your child study for a special education evaluation?Download: Sample letters for things like accepting or rejecting an evaluation planVideo: Inside a dyslexia evaluationEpisode transcriptJaime: I am Jaime. I am living in Huntington Valley, Pennsylvania, which is right outside of Philadelphia. My son is Jonah; he has ADHD. He has a visual impairment, and he has just a general learning disability in basically every subject. So, the whole process of getting Jonah evaluated and acquiring all the necessary materials that the school needed was a complete mess. Every time I thought I was done, and we were good to go, they called me up and said, "Oh, we need another document" or "Oh, we need another record." It just felt like it was never-ending.Andy: From the Understood Podcast Network, this is "Understood Explains." You're listening to Season 1, where we explain evaluations for special education. Over 10 episodes, we cover the ins and outs of the process that school districts use to evaluate children for special education services. My name is Andy Kahn, and I'm a licensed psychologist and an in-house expert and understood.org. I've spent nearly 20 years evaluating kids for both public and private schools. I'll be your host. Today's episode is about what to expect during the evaluation itself. We're going to explain how you can help the school get ready to evaluate your child and how you can help your child get ready. No, I promise this won't involve any studying. First, let's hear more of Jaime's story.Jaime: So, the only way at all in which I was involved in his evaluation and planning process is they sent home basically like a questionnaire that the parent has to fill out in terms of behaviors that happen in the home with our child — I guess that was tight tied more towards the ADHD diagnosis, you know, asking all sorts of questions about impulsivity and social interactions with other people. I actually did remind them several times, "By the way, Jonah is different than most children in that he does have a visual impairment, and please test him to see if he qualifies for vision therapy because I know that you can get vision therapy at public schools." And also, I had said to them, you know, "At his previous school, he had speech therapy." I did remind them of that and pushed hard that I wanted to make sure that he got tested for all of those things and got those supports if they found that they were necessary.Andy: It's very common for families to wonder about or worry about what happens during an evaluation. There shouldn't be any surprises for you or for your child. As a member of the evaluation team, you have a right to know about and help shape the evaluation plan for your child. My first guest is going to help me unpack all of this. Brittney Newcomer is a nationally certified school psychologist based out of Houston, Texas. Like me, she’s been in schools quite a long time. She's also a mom of two and an Understood expert, who has a master's degree in special education. Brittney, welcome.Brittney: Thank you, Andy.Andy: So, let's start with the big picture. Different kids need different evaluation plans, right? So, for example, some kids need to be evaluated for speech therapy, and some kids don't. But many evaluations tend to have one thing in common. And that's an educational evaluation, or sometimes you hear it called psycho-educational evaluation. This is where psychologists like you and me, Britt, we do some cognitive testing in areas like reasoning, memory and processing speed. We also look at like academic skills, reading, writing, math, and we look at social, emotional, and behavioral functioning. So, with these key areas in mind, academic, social-emotional, behavioral, how do you go about personalizing an evaluation plan for your kids?Brittney: Yeah. So, when I approach planning and evaluation, you start with the referral reason. So why are we requesting this evaluation? And once we have that really clear picture of what the referral reason is, that's where I start to plan my evaluation. So, I gather as much data as I can first, you know, school records, information from the teacher, I typically talk to the parent. But then I sit down, and I plan the evaluation, which is essentially looking at some broad measures first, so to really give us a big picture of how the student is performing. So, when I say broad measures, I'm talking about things like behavioral scales that look at a broad spectrum of behavior.Andy: So, like questionnaire kind of scales?Brittney: Yeah, exactly.Andy: All right, so let me try to sort of break some of this down. So, when we talk about like referral reasons, what are some of the questions that you're trying to answer?Brittney: So, the first referral question that I usually ask is, in what ways is the student struggling? And then I also ask, on the flip side, in what ways is the student being successful? Where are they not struggling? I also look at factors that could be contributing to the student struggling. So, this could include things that are going on at home, this could include global pandemic, so just really looking at those factors that could be influencing the student's performance at that time.Andy: So, I think you know when we use the word like comprehensive, you know, the idea that we're looking at a lot of bits and pieces of what this child's whole life is about. And for some families, that's a little bit anxiety-provoking, right? If they're having challenges, let's say in school, but you come in with a big broad question like this, how do you navigate that with your families when you're looking at the big picture? And they might be thinking, "Oh, I thought you were looking at my kid's reading" or some other specific challenge.Brittney: I try to approach evaluations and working with families and how I sometimes explain it to them, is that you know, if we're using an analogy, like a jigsaw puzzle, so when we know what that problem is, at the end of the evaluation, we really want kind of a comprehensive, full picture of what's going on in the child. And the only way for us to get there is to have different pieces to put together to be able to see that full picture of what's going on with the child. So again, emphasizing we're not just talking about areas of need, and disability, we're also talking about strengths as well. And so, I do emphasize that with families right off the bat. But in order for us to get that comprehensive picture, we have to have their side as well, and what could be impacting the child. Because that's, in my opinion, one of the most important pieces is the input from the family.Andy: Yeah, I think that makes a lot of sense. When you talk about your evaluation team, do you also have other members like teachers in the team? Or who else is at the table outside of those, you know, multidisciplinary, other evaluators, perhaps?Brittney: Yeah, ideally, teachers would be at the table. Speaking in reality, and teacher schedules, it's often difficult to get them at that initial meeting. But their input is always provided; teachers can provide their input via writing, or we can call them into a meeting via Zoom and allow them to share their input with the classroom teachers are seeing on a day-to-day basis. It's a huge piece of that puzzle that we need to just consider during that initial referral meeting.Andy: Absolutely. And depending upon your state, there may be requirements for the people who are around the table. So, for example, in the state of Maine, we are required to have a regular education teacher, a special education teacher, and an administrator around the table. Brittney, what are some of the timelines that you guys are honoring in Texas? You know, in Maine, we have a 45-day timeline from the day the referral is signed to having a completed evaluation. And I think the federal law, maybe 60 days, what do you folks use for your timelines in Texas?Brittney: We have 45 days to complete the evaluation and have the report written, we then have an additional 30 calendar days, so not 30, school days, 30 calendar days to have that first meeting, IEP meeting, to review the results and determine eligibility.Andy: So, for folks who are concerned about this for your individual states, you know, take a look at our page for this podcast and you'll see we've got some state-specific information there for you folks. As we can see, there's a little bit of variation across states. And it can be a little bit confusing, but you can certainly get some of that information from your own school staff. So, let's move on to some of the, you know, we had some, some brief conversation about the kinds of tests that you've been using. And maybe we can talk about how the process might look somewhat differently for different kids. You know, they don't all take the same tests. And because we're looking for different things, maybe we can talk a little bit about some of those specific kinds of tests.Brittney: As a school psychologist, I have given many different types of cognitive intellectual tests. So basically, you know, one-on-one evaluations that look at how students learn. And I have, I know the differences and the different types of tests, like I do know that some are more hands-on, I know some that are heavily weighted in verbal input. And so, for a younger student, I really do, most of the time, like a very hands-on interactive type of testing, then sitting down one on one looking at an easel is very difficult for them. So, an easel would be just like, you know, cardstock with a card that a student would respond to, but there are certain tests that are very hands-on, and I know that's much better for my younger students. So, I'd say that's my first difference that may occur is what testing could look like for a younger student than what it would look like for an older student.Andy: Sure. And I think when you talked about intellectual or cognitive, you know, for some people, we're looking at things like getting IQ scores, and I think it's very important to keep in mind as a parent, that these scores are really just designed to look at how your child is solving problems engaging in some of these very specific learning tasks. And as Brittney was saying, some of them might lean to more hands-on activities at times, some might be more language-like question and answer that are verbal tests. And again, for most of our, especially for our young kids, we're trying to establish something that we call a baseline. A baseline is getting like that first score. Okay, where is this child starting right now on the scale? And we look at it over time, because so much of our testing is a moment in time, it's a snapshot. Brittney, talk to me a little bit about the educational part. We've sort of talked a little bit about the IQ testing, or the cognitive testing, fairly similar words. But what else tweaks that sort of educational piece? Because you've described a lot of big-picture stuff. What about some of those specific pieces?Brittney: Yes, so we also look at how the student is performing academically and with their achievement. So, when we look specifically at achievement, there are standardized tests that you can give that gives a snapshot of how the student is performing in reading, writing, and math. It's not the only piece though when you're looking at how a student's performing academically, and that's something I stress to parents. We're also looking at grades, we're looking at the student's response to the interventions that have been put in place by the school. So, for example, if a student is struggling in reading, and they've had a very specific reading intervention put in place, how have they responded to that intervention? Observations is actually a big part of this as well — seeing the student in the class where they are struggling, is a big piece of this.Andy: So, we've been talking about the cognitive and educational parts of the psycho-educational testing, how do you approach the behavioral or social-emotional parts of psycho-educational testing?Brittney: Specifically, when I approach the psychological component, this involves a lot less of one-on-one testing of the student, it involves a lot of observation, so seeing the student in different parts of their day. So how are they in the cafeteria? How are they in their classroom during a reading lesson? How are they during a more, or a time when it's less structured like music class? So really seeing a comprehensive view of their day in different settings. Observations are a huge piece of a psychological evaluation. It also includes interviews, so talking with the parent, talking with the student, and then also talking with the teachers.Andy: So, what do you think families can do to help plan and get the right testing for their child?Brittney: So, when we obtain consent, so consent saying we can move forward with testing, we typically talk about the major categories and some proposed testing measures that we'll use. This is where I really, really advocate to families to ask questions, find out exactly what type of what we mean, when we say cognitive testing. I really try to encourage families to ask questions throughout the process. So, making kind of checkpoints with the family. Okay, here's where we're at, here's what I'm thinking about in terms of next steps, what do you think? And just get, making sure, that their input is a part of that process.Andy: Britt, let's talk a little bit about ADHD. Now, many families want to know if a school evaluation can diagnose their child with ADHD. But typically, school psychologists can't make a clinical diagnosis. So, you need a specific type of licensing like the one I have to make a diagnosis.Brittney: When the referral question is around attention, impulsivity, when I am thinking that ADHD needs to be considered, I do have the ability to give scales rating scales, observations specific to ADHD. However, when I write in my report, I write about the characteristics that I'm seeing of ADHD versus the child has ADHD. In Texas, ADHD falls under Other health impairment and an Other health impairment has to be endorsed by a clinical doctor. If the child has an outside diagnosis already, it's a fairly simple process to where we send this form to the doctor, the doctor signs that yes, the student has ADHD, and that becomes part of their eligibility in special education. Now, when the child does not have an outside diagnosis already, that's where it becomes a little bit more complicated. So, I will describe what I'm seeing, I will describe the characteristics that I'm seeing, and then it is up to the family at that point if they do want to pursue the actual diagnosis of ADHD. So, they would then take the step to talk to a doctor about getting that official diagnosis.Andy: Yeah. So, Brittney, you mentioned that schools need to get parents' consent; parents need to agree to the evaluation plan before the school can move forward. So, let's talk for a minute about parental rights. This season of "Understood Explains" has a whole episode about evaluation rights. But for now, I want us to touch on parents' rights during the planning part of the evaluation process. You know, when we think about English language learners, or homeschooled or private school students, are there any things you can share about their rights? Or how this part of the process might be different for them?Brittney: Yes. So going back to that informed consent. For our English language learners, their families have the legal right to have that information presented in their native language. So super important and pretty obvious that we would want, you know, them to be informed in the language that they understand. But it is something that not all families know is a legal right. So, the other piece for our English language learners, is that there has to be a specialist that knows about English language acquisition. So, second language acquisition as part of the evaluation team. So, this was actually recent, I believe it was November 2021, federal guidance that they asked for a member of the evaluation team to have expertise in second language acquisition because we shouldn't be making a determination about why a student is behind academically if we aren't considering where they are acquiring English as their second language.Andy: Yeah, that's absolutely huge. The idea that being able to evaluate somebody's reading or writing skills, for example, when they're not a primary English speaker is an unfair set of criteria. The reality is that not all standardized tests are fair for people who don't speak English as a primary language or people who are from a different culture, other than the dominant culture that created that evaluation tool. And we'll talk about the idea of culture-fair evaluations in other episodes, but this is what we're referring to here. You should not be at a disadvantage because you are not a predominant English speaker, or you're in the process of learning English as your second or third language for that matter. So huge. Thank you for that, Brittney. One other population group that I've dealt with in terms of the evaluation process was homeschooled and private school students within my public schools. Those students maintain the same legal right to free evaluations. And yet we within the public schools typically provided that assessment. What's that process been like for you? Have you had to do those within your school systems?Brittney: So yes, it is the same process where the public school is responsible for providing that evaluation. We provide the evaluation for the family and the school, but the school isn't necessarily legally obligated to provide all the services that we recommend, based on what the student’s needs are. So that is a nuanced thing that I've experienced with private school evaluations.Andy: Brittney, thanks so much for being here today. I can't thank you enough for all your expertise in time.Brittney: Thank you so much for having me.Jaime: So in order to prepare Jonah for the evaluation process, and the fact that there might be people sitting in and observing him, I basically just said to him, "Listen, you're starting a new school, you know, they're looking to see if you need vision therapy, they're looking to see if you need speech therapy, there's probably going to be some people coming in to either do some testing or just kind of watch you as you're learning. And I just want you to just be yourself and do what you normally do and let them do what they have to do, and they will find the best possible plan for you to make sure you get the best education possible." So, I just kind of laid it all out for him just so he knew what was happening, but he was a champ through the whole process and didn't even basically mention it at all, because he's so resilient.Andy: We've been talking about how a team of adults does a lot of planning before the evaluation. What can adults do to help kids be ready for the evaluation or assessment process? My next guest is Amanda Morin. She co-hosts Understood's "In It" podcast about the joys and frustrations of parenting kids who learn and think differently. So, in talking about what to expect during this process, how do you help your child know what to expect? What kind of things do you suggest that we do to help them through that process?Amanda: I think it's really important to really dial down anxiety for kids because they feel like they have to perform. I mean, regardless of how old a child is, they always feel like they're on display, and they have to perform. And especially when to get into middle school kids always feel like that anyway, right? But, when they're singled out in a way, they feel like they, they have to do a certain thing. And so, I think it's important to be able to say to your child, "There's really no expectation of you here; the expectation is that you're here, and you're going to participate." And it's really great to be able to say, "You know what? You don't have to study, these are not the kinds of things you have to study for; we're not expecting you to know all the capitals of all the states, there's no expectation that you have to know certain things."Andy: Yeah, I'd say that, you know, when I talk to kids about the testing process, I'll always say to them, these activities are designed for kids through this entire age range. So, if I have an eight-year-old in the room, I'll say — so when we get to things that maybe a 10,12,14-year-old is supposed to know — "We're pretty sure that they're going to be hard for you, you might not even know what to do. So, keep in mind that as we go, sometimes things are going to get harder, sometimes things are going to be frustrating. And when you find that's happening, we know that it's working, and none of those things last forever. I will tell you, you're only going to be frustrated for so long until we move on to something else. We're going to do that for maybe three or four minutes, and then we'll move on."Amanda: I think that's really good information for parents to have too, to be able to say to your child, there's going to be times where you're frustrated, there gonna be times when the person you're talking to can't tell you whether it's right or wrong, no matter how many times you ask them, they're not going to be able to tell you. And that's because that's their job. And I think sometimes, it's really important for parents to make sure that they are proactively saying to kids, "This is not about how smart you are, this is about what you're really good at, and what you have some trouble with. And we want to really know that so you can feel better about yourself, right?" And that's part of this. It's not just about what can we do to support kids in classrooms? It's also about what can we do to make sure kids feel better about themselves? And so, I think proactively addressing that is really important, too.Andy: Yeah. You know, I think one of the pieces on the anxiety front — I want to dial back here for a sec — routinely, I will ask a parent, how does your child need preparation to know in advance that I might come in, grab them on such and such a day? Or is your child the kind of kid who would prefer to go with the flow and not have to anticipate this? Because some kids might ruminate about it and think and think and think, and not be able to focus on anything else. So, I think that's always an important thing for me when I talk to parents in advance of bringing their child in.Amanda: So, really good point, I think the other component of that, too, is if you have a child who's going to think about that over and over again and be like, wondering about it, and then your schedule changes. So, you know, working in schools, schedules change periodically, and things change up. And if you're not able to go into the classroom and talk to that kid that day, that's a child who might worry, what happened? Why did that not happen today? So, I think that's a really good point, is to make sure that you understand whether or not your child's the kid who needs that advanced warning. When it comes to anxiety, too, it's also important to separate your own anxiety from your child's anxiety, right? It's really easy as a parent to say, "I'm anxious, so my kid is anxious." But that's not always the case. And so, tuning in to whether or not your kid is actually pretty laid back and is not going to worry about this, you can just say, by the way, remember, we may have talked about evaluation, you may have already told them this is coming you may not have, so this may be the first conversation you're having. But to be able to say to them, "Oh, just wanted to give you a heads up," instead of like, "This is a thing that's happening today and I'm very anxious about it and I'm going to impart that anxiety to you."Andy: So, I think Amanda, you've really covered a lot of this. Is there anything specific though, that you think maybe we haven't covered about things you would avoid saying to your kids about what to expect in this process?Amanda: I would avoid saying to your child, "This really matters. This is really important." Right? That's a lot of pressure. That's a lot of pressure on a kid. And I think that kids who have been in school for a while, are used to taking tests or doing homework assignments. And knowing within a couple of days how well they did on that. And so, I think it's really important to let your kid know, your child know, that we're not going to know right away, right? The evaluator may have or the person you sat down with into those activities with may have an idea of what this means, but we're not going to have that information right away. Don't worry about it. You know, don't worry about it, you did the best you could do, and we'll see what comes out of it.Andy: So, we've talked about what happens during an evaluation, how you're part of the team that plans it, and how you can help your child get ready. If there's one thing you take away from this discussion, is that you can play a very active role in helping your child and the school, get ready for the evaluation. Don't be afraid to ask questions about what will or won't be part of your child's evaluation, and why. As always, remember that as a parent, you're the first and best expert on your child. In our next episode, we'll dive into what the evaluation results may look like and explain key terms to help you understand what the results mean for your child. We hope you'll join us.You've been listening to Season 1 of "Understood Explains" from the Understood Podcast Network. If you want to learn more about the topics we covered today, check out the show notes for this episode. We include more resources as well as links to anything we've mentioned in the episode. And now, just a reminder of who we're doing all this for; I'm going to turn it over to Lee to read our credits. Take it away, Lee.Lee: "Understood Explains" is produced by Julie Rawe and Cody Nelson, who also did the sound design for this show. Briana Berry is our production director. Andrew Lee is our editorial lead. Our theme music was written by Justin D. Wright, who also mixes the show. For the Understood Podcast Network, Laura Key is our editorial director. Scott Cocchiere is our creative director. Seth Melnick is our executive producer. A very special thanks to Amanda Morin and all the other parents and experts who helped us make this show.Andy: Understood is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people who learn and think differently discover their potential and thrive. Learn more at understood.org/mission.

Unilateral placement: Moving from public to private school

Maybe public school isn’t working for your child. The evaluations, the IEP, the small classes, speech therapy, and accommodations are all in place. And yet, your child is still falling behind. You feel you’ve got to make a change — and you’ve found a special private school with a great track record of working with children like yours. You want to move your child to a private school. But will the public school district pay for the hefty tuition? The answer is maybe. Federal law guarantees a free appropriate public education to children with learning and thinking differences. So if your child isn’t making progress in public school, the question is, Is the education “appropriate” — in other words, is it working for your child? When a parent moves a child to a private school to get better special education, that’s called “unilateral placement.” But if you don’t get the public school’s approval ahead of time, the school district doesn’t have to pay for private school. It’s important to do your homework before you make a change. A little extra research could give you the best chance of having the public school district pay for private school. Getting adviceYou might want to talk to an advisor at your state’s Parent Training and Information Center. Or get in touch with a parent advocate or lawyer before you make any move. They can explain your rights and share information about other cases like yours. Notification requirementBefore you enroll your child in private school, tell the public school about your plans. The best way is to send them a written letter 10 business days before you make the switch. This is required by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act if you want the public school to pay for the private school. A school can legally deny funding if you don’t share concerns in advance. So it also makes sense to tell the school at an IEP meeting or a progress meeting that your child isn’t making progress and you plan to switch to private school. It’s always a good idea to document your concerns in writing, too. There’s still no guarantee the district will agree to pay, but at least you’re following the law. Emergency placementIf you can prove that you needed to make an emergency move to private school, the school district might consider your request to pay for it even if you haven’t given the 10-business-day notice in writing. Such cases, however, are rare. Private school, public funds A due process hearing will be held by a hearing officer or a court to decide whether the school district should pay for your child’s private school education. You’ll be asked to prove your child was not learning in public school and wasn’t getting FAPE — a free appropriate public education. You will want to hand over school records, such as progress reports, report cards, emails to teachers and anything else that supports your claim. Another idea is to wait until you can prove your child is doing well in private school before you ask the public school to pay. Often, school districts fight requests to pay. But if the hearing officer or court sides with you, the district will have to pay.

IEPs: The 13 disability categories

Your child will need to fit into at least one disability category to qualify for an IEP. In this episode, we’ll explain how it all works.  There are 13 disability categories listed in a federal law called the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA. And to get an IEP, or Individualized Education Program, your child will need to fit into at least one of them.These categories can have some hard-to-understand names, like “specific learning disabilities” or “other health impairments.” But on this episode of Understood Explains, host Juliana Urtubey will share what these categories mean and why they relate to IEPs. She’ll also share what to do if your child doesn’t qualify for any disability category, or if they qualify for more than one.  For more resources, including a transcript formatted for easy skimming, visit the episode page on Understood.org.Timestamps[00:43] Why do IEPs have disability categories?[02:42] What are the 13 disability categories in IDEA?[07:21] Are disability categories the same in every state?[09:28] Can my child’s IEP include more than one disability?[10:32] What if my child doesn’t qualify for any disability category?[11:43] Key takeawaysRelated resources13 disability categories (explainer article with infographic)Parent training centers: A free resource in your stateTemplate to request an independent educational evaluation at public expense6 options for resolving an IEP dispute Episode transcriptJuliana: To get an IEP, kids need to meet the criteria for at least one disability category. But what if your child fits into more than one or doesn't fit into any? From the Understood Podcast Network, this is "Understood Explains IEPs." In this episode, we're going over the disability categories that schools use when deciding if a child qualifies for special education. My name is Juliana Urtubey and I'm the 2021 National Teacher of the Year. I'm also an expert in special education for multilingual learners, and I'm your host for this season of "Understood Explains," which is available in English y en español. OK, let's get started. [00:43] Why do IEPs have disability categories?Why do IEPs have disability categories? So, before we look at the specific categories, I want to explain why schools use them. The key word here is eligibility. Your child can't get an IEP, an Individualized Education Program, unless they meet the criteria for at least one disability category. This requirement comes from the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act or IDEA. This law has 13 disability categories, and as a parent, you'll encounter these categories when you go to your child's eligibility determination meeting. The team will run through the categories and say if your child qualifies for any of them. You may hear the term Disability Classification. And for many families, this is a very emotional part of the meeting. It can be hard to hear that your child has a disability, but you can always ask for a short break to collect your thoughts. We're going to go over each of the categories in a minute, but before we do that, there are a few big-picture things I want you to know about them. First, IDEA has 13 disability categories, but that doesn't mean it only covers 13 disabilities. The categories cover such a broad range that even the rarest condition could fit in somewhere. Second, having these categories helps weed out kids who are struggling for reasons other than a disability, like missing a lot of school or having trouble learning English as an additional language. There are other ways to support these students but to get an IEP, kids need to have a disability. The next big thing I want to mention is that some disability categories may come with more funding than other categories, but your child's disability category cannot be used to limit your child's services. Disability categories are gateways to special education, and your child just needs to fit through one of these gates to get access to whatever kind of specially designed instruction or services that they need. [02:42] What are the 13 disability categories in IDEA?So, what are the 13 disability categories in IDEA? I'm going to start with the four most common categories. And to help you understand how common they are, I want you to picture a pie that represents the millions of school-age kids with IEPs. And by far, the biggest slice of this pie is kids who have specific learning disabilities or SLDs. About a third of kids with IEPs qualify for special education because they have a learning disability. And some common examples include dyslexia, which some schools may call a reading disorder or a specific learning disability in reading. Dyscalculia is a math disability or math disorder. There's also dysgraphia and written expression disorder, where kids may have a lot of trouble getting their ideas down on paper. OK, so kids with learning disabilities make up about one-third of the special education pie. The second biggest slice is for speech or language impairments. Nearly one-fifth of kids with IEPs are in this category. This group includes a lot of kids who need speech therapy. This group also covers language disorders, which can make it hard to do things like learn new words or grammar rules or understand what people say. But I want to mention that language disorders can also fall under the learning disabilities category. So, if your child has a language disorder, choosing the category can be a bit of a toss-up. OK, so the special education pie that we're slicing up, it's already half full. And that's just with kids in two of the 13 categories, specific learning disabilities and speech or language impairments. Now, the third biggest slice is called other health impairments or OHI. And it covers about 1 in 6 kids with IEPs. And this is a really important category for neurodivergent families because it includes a lot of kids who struggle with attention. IDEA lists a bunch of examples that fit in the OHI category, including ADD and ADHD. It also mentions asthma, diabetes, epilepsy, lead poisoning, and sickle cell anemia. And these are just some of the examples that are mentioned in the law. So OHI is a really broad category. OK, moving on to the fourth biggest slice of the pie, and it's autism, which covers about 12% of kids with IEPs. This means about one in 8 or 9 kids with IEPs qualify for special education because they're autistic. Now, I want to pause here for a moment and point out that these four disability categories — learning disabilities, speech or language impairments, OHI, and autism — they make up about 80% of the pie. So what about the rest of the 13 categories? Well, there's intellectual disabilities, which is a pretty small slice, at 6% of the pie. So that's about 1 in 16 kids with IEPs. And some examples that might fit in this category are Down syndrome and fetal alcohol syndrome. Then, there's emotional disturbance, which is a bit smaller of a slice at 5% of the pie — or 1 in 20 kids with IEPs — and it covers things like anxiety and depression. And then there are seven other categories that are all tiny little slivers of the pie. There's orthopedic impairment. There's visual impairment, which includes blindness. There's hearing impairment, which includes deafness. And then there's deafblindness, which gets its own category. There's also traumatic brain injury. And there's multiple disabilities, which by the way isn't a category you'd use if you have, say, ADHD and dyslexia. Multiple disabilities is more likely to be used for something like intellectual disability and blindness, or any other combination that's likely to require a highly specialized approach. And last but not least, is developmental delays, which is the only category in IDEA that comes with an age limit. And I'm going to say more about this in a minute. But for now, I want to remind you that not everyone with a disability qualifies for an IEP. The disability needs to impact your education enough to require specially designed instruction. So here's an example. Let's say you have ADHD. Do you need specially designed instruction on things like how to get organized and stay on task? Or do you just need some classroom accommodations, like sitting near the teacher and away from distracting windows or hallways? If you don't need specialized instruction, the school will say you don't qualify for an IEP, but you can get a 504 plan. If you want to learn more about how kids qualify for IEPs. Check out the previous episode. And if you want to learn about the difference between IEPs and 504s, go back and listen to episode 2. [07:21] Are disability categories the same in every state?Are disability categories the same in every state? The short answer is no. Disability classification can happen a bit differently from state to state. Some of these differences are pretty minor.For example, some states use the phrase "disability category" and other states use the term "exceptionality." And some states have more than 13 categories because they do things like split speech or language impairment into two categories. Another difference is in how states handle developmental delays. States are not allowed to use this category after age nine, but some states have earlier cutoff dates. So, for example, I used to live in Nevada, where kids could be classified as having a developmental delay up through age five. And after they turned six, it was my team's job to determine if any other disability categories would fit their needs. Most often, these students would switch to specific learning disabilities. But in Arizona, which is where I live now, kids can keep receiving services under the category of developmental delay up until their 10th birthday.There's another big difference I want to mention, and it involves the way states classify kids with specific learning disabilities. Some states still evaluate kids for learning disabilities using what's called a discrepancy model. This is where you compare a child's IQ, or intellectual ability, to their academic achievement. So an example of a discrepancy would be a fifth grader whose IQ falls in the average range but is only reading at a second-grade level. But some states don't let schools use a discrepancy model. And that's because there can be cultural biases and other problems with IQ testing, including testing kids who speak a language other than English at home. So these are some of the ways eligibility criteria can differ from state to state. If you want to find out what your state's eligibility requirements are, ask your school's parent liaison or you can contact a Parent Training and Information center. These centers are free resources for families, and every state has at least one of them. I'll put a link in the show notes to help you find one that's closest to you. [09:28] Can my child’s IEP include more than one disability?Can my child's IEP include more than one disability? Yes. If your child has more than one disability, it's a good idea to list each one of them in the IEP. This can make it easier for the IEP to include all of the services and supports your child needs. The IEP team may need to rank the disabilities in terms of which one affects your child's education the most. But labels like "primary" and "secondary" cannot be used to limit what services your child gets. It's mainly a data collection tool, so states can get a broad idea of who's getting services for what. And if you're not sure which disability category should be listed as a primary one, think about what would be the most helpful reminder for teachers about your child's needs. The other thing I want to mention is that your child's primary disability category can change as they get older. One example is young kids who get an IEP for speech or language impairment, and then they shift to a specific learning disability, as are challenges with reading and spelling become clear over time. [10:32] What if my child doesn’t qualify for any disability category?What if my child doesn't qualify for any disability category? So, you might hear this after your child's initial evaluation. Or if your child already has an IEP, there needs to be a reevaluation at least once every three years. And part of the reason is to see if your child doesn't need specialized instruction anymore. If the school says your child doesn't meet the criteria for any of the disability categories, there are few things you can do. The first thing is you can go back and look at the evaluation report. Was the school looking at the right trouble spots? Maybe the team needs to do more testing in more areas. You can also request something called an Independent Educational Evaluation or IEE. This is done by someone who doesn't work for the school. You'll most likely have to pay for it, but in some cases the school may be required to cover the cost. Understood has a good template to help you write this kind of request. I'll include a link in the show notes. The other thing you can do is learn about dispute resolution options. We have a whole episode on this later this season, but we'll link to an article here to help you get started. [11:43] Key takeawaysOk, so we've covered a lot of territory in this episode. So before we go, let's sum up what we've learned with a few key takeaways. IDEA has 13 disability categories, but that doesn't mean it only covers 13 disabilities. Your child's disability category is a gateway to special education. It doesn't limit what kind of services your child can receive. Your child's IEP can include more than one disability and the primary category can change over time. All right, that's it for this episode of "Understood Explains." Next time, we're talking about key terms in legal rights that every parent should know if their child qualifies for an IEP. You've been listening to "Understood Explains IEPs." This season was developed in partnership with UnidosUS, which is the nation's largest Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization. Gracias, Unidos! If you want to learn more about the topics we covered today, check out the show notes for this episode. We include more resources as well as links to anything we've mentioned in the episode. Understood is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people who learn and think differently discover their potential and thrive. Learn more at understood.org/mission.CreditsUnderstood Explains IEPs was produced by Julie Rawe and Cody Nelson, with editing support by Daniella Tello-Garzon. Video was produced by Calvin Knie and Christoph Manuel, with support from Denver Milord.Mixing and music by Justin D. Wright.Ilana Millner was our production director. Margie DeSantis provided editorial support, and Whitney Reynolds was our web producer. For the Understood Podcast Network, Laura Key is our editorial director, Scott Cocchiere is our creative director, and Seth Melnick is our executive producer.Special thanks to the team of expert advisors who helped shape this season: Shivohn Garcia, Claudia Rinaldi, and Julian Saavedra.

IEPs: Special education terms and your legal rights

Cut through the confusion and learn about the many legal terms and rights that come along with IEPs. If your child qualifies for an IEP, it will come with many legal rights and protections. But with names like “FAPE” and “prior written notice,” things can get confusing quickly. Still, it’s really important for parents to understand these terms — and that's where this podcast comes in to help. In this episode of Understood Explains, host Juliana Urtubey breaks down some key terms and explains the legal rights that come with an IEP, or Individualized Education Program. Timestamps[00:46] FAPE: Free Appropriate Public Education[03:07] Least restrictive environment[07:32] Informed consent[08:23] Prior written notice and “stay put” rights[10:48] Other key rights[11:56] Key takeawaysUnderstood.org is a nonprofit resource dedicated to shaping the world so the millions of people with learning and thinking differences can thrive. Learn more about Understood Explains and all our podcasts at u.org/podcasts.Copyright © 2024 Understood for All, Inc. All rights reserved. Related resourcesDownload: Endrew R. advocacy toolkitHow to consent to some parts of an IEP and not othersGuidance letter from the Department of Education for schools to translate IEPsEpisode transcriptJuliana: If your child qualifies for an IEP, one of the first things the school is going to give you is a packet that explains your rights during the special education process. It's really important and it's really long. And we're going to give you a cheat sheet. From the Understood Podcast Network, this is "Understood Explains IEPs." In this episode we're talking key terms and legal rights you'll want to know if your child qualifies for an IEP. My name is Juliana Urtubey and I'm the 2021 National Teacher of the Year. I'm also an expert in special education for multilingual learners. I'm your host for this season of "Understood Explains," which is available in English y en español. OK, let's get started. [00:46] FAPE: Free Appropriate Public EducationSo, let's start with FAPE. FAPE stands for Free Appropriate Public Education, and it's probably the most important right for kids with disabilities. It means public schools have to meet the needs of each child who qualifies for special education, without their families having to pay for it. The right to FAPE is a really big deal. It's the reason why schools create IEPs, and it also drives the decisions about what to include in each IEP. The rights of FAPE means schools need to provide specially designed instruction to meet your child's unique needs. FAPE is also what makes schools provide services — like speech and language therapy or mental health counseling — and accommodations like read-aloud tools or extra time on tests. FAPE is the reason IEPs provide these kinds of things to help kids make progress in school, and the right to FAPE covers more than just academics. In fact, we have a whole episode coming up about how IEPs can help with behavior. So, where does FAPE come from? It's part of a federal law called the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA. And the Right to FAPE applies to all kids in the US who qualify for an IEP. This includes public school students who are undocumented. It also includes kids who are homeschooled, and there are even some public resources available to help kids with disabilities who go to private school. OK, so we've talked about how FAPE makes schools do some very important things. But I want to be clear about something FAPE does not require schools to do. FAPE doesn't mean schools have to provide the best services possible. For example, if your child has dyslexia, you may want the school to provide a certain kind of reading instruction, and as a member of the IEP team, you can make that suggestion. But FAPE doesn't require schools to provide a specific program. The team may decide to go with a different one if it meets your child's needs. Now, I don't want you to assume that good enough means mediocre, but I know a lot of families worry about this. So later this season, we'll talk about how to help set the annual goals in your child's IEP and what to do if you think your child isn't making enough progress. For now, I'll put a link in the show notes to a good resource on Understood. It's a toolkit that shows you how to use FAPE to help develop or improve your child's IEP. [03:07] Least restrictive environmentLeast Restrictive Environment is another key term I want you to note if your child qualifies for special education. As you work with the school to develop your child's IEP, you'll talk about which services your child needs. And a big part of this discussion is deciding where your child will receive the services. This is what the school's referring to when it talks about your child's placement. A lot of people think that getting an IEP means your child will have to spend all day in a special classroom, but that's a very outdated idea about special education. In fact, federal data shows that most kids with IEPs spend most of the day in regular classrooms. And that's because special education law says that kids with IEPs have the right to be educated in the least restrictive environment. They should be taught alongside their peers in general education "to the maximum extent that is appropriate." Your child's right to be educated in the least restrictive environment means that teachers like me need to think about the most inclusive setting that will help your child make progress in school. And here are some of the different placement options. Your child can be in a regular classroom where the general education teacher consults with a special education teacher. This is the lightest touch support a child can get with an IEP.Another option is to be in a regular classroom, where a specialist comes in for part of the day to work with a small group of kids. This is called push-in services. Or your child can come out of the regular classroom for part of the day to work with a specialist in a quieter space, which is sometimes called a resource room. This is called pull-out services. And some common examples here are kids getting pulled out for things like a half hour of physical therapy or specialized writing instruction. Another option is to spend part of the day in what's called a self-contained classroom, meaning all the kids in the class have IEPs. Kids in self-contained classes often take art or music or have lunch with general education kids. This kind of placement is often used to help kids build social skills, with a long-term goal of transitioning to a more inclusive setting. Depending on your child's needs, you and the school may decide your child would benefit from spending a whole day in a self-contained classroom. And this might be at your neighborhood school or a specialized school, like, for example, a school for the blind. Special education services can also be provided at home, or in a hospital or in a juvenile detention center. So like I said, there are a lot of different learning environments, and schools have to use the least restrictive setting that's appropriate for each child with an IEP. As a parent or guardian, it's good to ask questions about your child's placement. Let's say the IEP team is thinking about push-in or pull-out services, or a combination of the two. You may want to ask if your child will have enough support to be successful during the rest of the day in a regular classroom. Or, let's say the team is thinking about a self-contained classroom. What are the other kids in the classroom like? Does your child have similar strengths and needs? Sometimes, safety is a big concern when deciding on a child's placement. What is it about your child's behavior challenges, or academic challenges, that make the team think a self-contained classroom would be a better fit than a regular classroom? Now, I know some parents are reluctant to ask questions, in particular, I know a lot of Latino families may feel like it's not their place or their role to question the school's decisions. But I want you to remember that you are an equal member of the IEP team. You have a right to be involved and to advocate for what you think is the least restrictive environment that's appropriate for your child. OK, so we've been talking about how understanding the terms FAPE and Least Restrictive Environment can help you take an active role in developing your child's IEP, but the school can't start providing services in the IEP until it has your informed consent. This means that you understand what the school wants to do and you agree to it. The school also has to get your consent before you can evaluate your child. And, there are a few other key moments where the school cannot move forward until you agree, in writing, that it's OK to move forward. You also have the right to revoke your consent, and if you do this, your child will go back to being a regular general education student. There are three other really important things I want you to know about informed consent. [07:32] Informed consentFirst, you have the right to ask the school to explain anything you don't understand. You also have the right to have things explained and to give your consent in your native language, like Spanish or in sign language or Braille. Second, after the team drafts your child's IEP, you can consent to some parts of the IEP but not others. Understood has a good article on how to give partial consent. I'll put a link in the show notes. Third, once you consent in writing to your child's IEP, the school doesn't need to keep asking for your permission every time it wants to change the IEP. But if the school does want to make a change, it has to give you something called a Prior Written Notice, which we're going to talk about in the next section. [08:23] Prior written notice and “stay put” rights By law, the school needs to tell you in writing if it's planning to change your child's IEP. This is called prior written notice. So here's an example. Let's say you give your consent to start the IEP. A few months go by and the school wants to change your child's services or placement. Even if the school tells you in person at an IEP meeting, they still need to send you a written notice before the change kicks in. The letter needs to include why the school wants to make this change, what other options were considered, and why those options were rejected. The letter also needs to describe each test or record that the school used to make this decision. And all of this needs to be written in your native language. If you aren't fluent in English. As a teacher, I know these letters can be intimidating. They often contain a lot of information that can be hard to process. That's why I always tried to call families when I was sending home a formal letter, so I could explain it. So, I encourage you to ask for help understanding these kinds of letters. Remember that you have a right to understand what's happening with your child's IEP. Ok, so let's dive a little deeper. When do schools have to give you prior written notice? Schools need to notify parents about things like changing your child's services. Like if the school wants to have fewer sessions because your child is making a lot of progress. Changing your child's placement, like moving from a general education classroom to a self-contained classroom, or denying your request for things like an evaluation or more services. Prior written notice is very important because it keeps you up-to-date on decisions about your child's education. It can also help clear up any misunderstandings about what's changing or why it's changing. And maybe most importantly, it gives you an opportunity to respond before any changes are made. This is where you can use something called Stay Put rights. If you don't agree with a change the school is planning, you can keep your child's current IEP in place while you dispute the change. By law, your child has the right to stay put as you and the school work out your differences. But you need to act fast. Typically, you need to invoke these rights before the change occurs. We'll get into more detail about this when we talk about dispute resolution options later this season. [10:48] Other key rightsI want to quickly mention a few other key rights if your child qualifies for special education. You have the right to participate in IEP meetings. You also have the right to ask for an IEP meeting at any time, and you can join by phone if you can't be there in person. And if you're not fluent in English, you have the right to ask for an interpreter to help you understand what's happening at IEP meetings. Some schools will also go ahead and translate the IEP for you. But if your school doesn't automatically do this, you can give them a guidance letter from the Department of Education that says schools need to translate IEPs. I'll include a link in the show notes. I also want to mention that families have a lot of rights during the evaluation process. For example, you have the right to review the evaluation report before the eligibility determination meeting. Throughout the special education process, you have the right to disagree with the school. I'll put links in the show notes if you want to dig into these other kinds of special education rights. And we have an episode coming up on how to exercise those rights. [11:56] Key takeawaysSo we've covered a lot of territory today, and I want to wrap up with four key takeaways. First, FAPE is an important right that can help you advocate for services and supports to meet your child's unique needs. Second, special education law says kids with IEPs must be educated in the least restrictive environment. Third, the school has to give you prior written notice before it changes your child's IEP and you can use Stay Put rights to keep your child's services in place while you dispute a change. And lastly, you have the right to participate in IEP meetings and to ask for another meeting if there's something that you want to discuss with the team. All right, that's it for this episode of "Understood Explains." I hope you'll join me for the next episode on how to get ready for IEP meetings. You've been listening to "Understood Explains IEPs." This season was developed in partnership with UnidosUS, which is the nation's largest Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization. Gracias, Unidos! If you want to learn more about the topics we covered today, check out the show notes for this episode. We include more resources as well as links to anything we've mentioned in the episode. Understood is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people who learn and think differently discover their potential and thrive. Learn more at understood.org/mission. Credits Understood Explains IEPs was produced by Julie Rawe and Cody Nelson, with editing support by Daniella Tello-Garzon.Video was produced by Calvin Knie and Christoph Manuel with support from Denver Milord.Mixing and music by Justin D. Wright.Ilana Millner was our production director. Margie DeSantis provided editorial support, and Whitney Reynolds was our web producer. For the Understood Podcast Network, Laura Key is our editorial director, Scott Cocchiere is our creative director, and Seth Melnick is our executive producer.Special thanks to the team of expert advisors who helped shape this season: Shivohn García, Claudia Rinaldi, and Julian Saavedra.

Your rights during the special education evaluation process

What rights do families have in a school evaluation? Learn how special education law protects your rights during the evaluation process. rights families school evaluation? episode Understood Explains highlights five key ways special education law protects rights evaluation process. Host Dr. Andy Kahn psychologist spent nearly 20 years evaluating kids public private schools. Andy’s first guest episode lawyer Andrew M.I. Lee. They’ll cover key areas:What rights evaluation processWhy helps polite assertive partnering child’s schoolWhat think school isn’t following rulesAndy’s second guest parenting expert Amanda Morin. She’ll give tips avoid saying child disputes school.Related resourcesEvaluation rights: need knowYou disagree school’s evaluation results. what?Independent educational evaluations: need know10 smart responses school cuts denies servicesDownloadable letter templates talking pointsSample letters requesting evaluations reportsSample letters dispute resolutionSample scripts dispute resolutionEpisode transcriptLisa: Hi! name Lisa, son first public school evaluation sixth grade. looking back, wish, one, known rights push school demand tested, despite fact shouldn't demanding shouldn't aggressive school get need. wish known right that.Andy: Understood Podcast Network, "Understood Explains." You're listening Season 1, explain evaluations special education. 10 episodes, cover ins outs process school districts use evaluate children special education services. name Andy Kahn, I'm licensed psychologist in-house expert Understood.org. I've spent nearly 20 years evaluating kids public private schools. I'll host.Today's episode focuses legal rights. We're going cover three key things: rights evaluation process, advocate think school isn't following rules, say say child disputes school. first, let's hear another parent.Jennifer: I'm Jennifer, Atlanta. son Nathan 11, dyslexia, dysgraphia, ADHD. requested evaluation, knew time could request evaluation report five days prior. that, thankfully. knew ask that. know time could ask draft eligibility report beforehand, game-changer.Andy: evaluation process feel complicated overwhelming students families. lot rights protect families along way. starters, school can't evaluate child unless give permission. disagree evaluation results, right ask independent evaluator another evaluation public expense, means cost you. help explain evaluation rights, want bring first guest today. Andrew Lee editor Understood. He's also lawyer expertise disability law, including federal state special education laws. Andrew also key player Understood's Podcast Network, including helping launch first season "Understood Explains." Andrew, welcome show.Andrew: Thanks me. Super excited here.Andy: Andrew, let's start talking hugely important federal law families need know about. Give us quick overview IDEA.Andrew: Yeah, IDEA Individuals Disabilities Education Act. That's quite mouthful. IDEA nation's special education law. law grants students disabilities one important rights, that's right free appropriate public education. includes basically supports services student might need make progress school. Along special education, determine who's entitled rights. covers evaluations, you're going ask here. that's IDEA important law child disability, including learning thinking difference school.Andy: talking evaluation rights, know, one things that's awesome that, Andrew, wrote really great article Understood called "Evaluation Rights: Need Know." folks, access show notes. Now, article includes 11 evaluation rights — specific rights. know, we're going cover today, hoping maybe could pick top five, maybe talk top five important rights want share audience today.Andrew: Yeah, pick five evaluation rights think impactful, I'd start right number one: right ask evaluation. think parents lot times think wait school start process off. that's correct. right ask evaluation time.Right number two top five evaluation rights would right comprehensive multidisciplinary evaluation. That's lot words, basically means evaluation can't use one test measure determine child qualifies special education. involve variety tests data. goal really get full picture what's going on.Right number three right involved. Again, think schools sort always come us parents anything happens. within context special education evaluations, right parent attend meetings, see evaluation reports. right things explained you, part process. that's important.Right number four, would say, right prompt evaluation. means evaluation doesn't go forever. federal law, IDEA, mentioned, timeline 60 calendar days. Now, states specific rules sometimes change number days account vacations, etc., important thing date. know end, can't go limitless amount time.And right number five, would say, that's among top five evaluation rights, right disagree challenge evaluation process itself. Even you're involved evaluation meetings, right say, "Hey, know what? don't think best way things." Or, "I think testing reading also focus. think looking this." That's really important right know about. formal processes involved that, like independent educational evaluation, ask someone outside school evaluation school's expense. due process, involved — it's kind like mini trial school really get kind loggerheads happen. top five evaluation rights. many more, think ones want remember.Andy: Perfect. let circle back second. used term talked comprehensive multidisciplinary evaluation. think talked "comprehensive" terms of, know, variety different kinds tests, use words "tests" "measures," talking specific activities child would evaluated. When talk "multidisciplinary," think it's important parents know might mean someone's academic evaluation, look specific skills. psychological, we're looking mental health behavioral questions. speech language, occupational therapy. considered discipline, speak. idea get best image child across useful areas school. So, Andrew, think steps learning rights, families think school district isn't following rules? suggestions point even start conversation?Andrew: rules schools sometimes don't follow, though think schools always try best, teams best. I've seen number ways parents react, two ways want highlight aren't helpful really important know. first one parents kind go flow don't like conflict. I'll see sometimes parent part evaluation process. They'll — may think themselves, know, "This doesn't seem right, but, uh, I'm gonna, seem like know they're doing. know, this, I'm really comfortable this, don't want raise it, don't want make waves." And think issue type reaction that's best way advocate child. doesn't help team either. doesn't help evaluation process you're — need to, think there's something wrong, think know something important child what's happening, expert shouldn't go flow. raise voice say, "Hey, know, don't think right." And, that's really important

How speech-language pathologists work with kids

When you hear the term speech-language pathologist (SLP), you might think of professionals who help kids with speech difficulties. And that’s not wrong. SLPs work on challenges like stuttering or trouble pronouncing word sounds.But SLPs also work on challenges that are related to language. That includes problems with communication and reading.These specialists are trained to work on many types of learning differences, including:DyslexiaAuditory processing disorderLanguage disordersSocial communication disorderSLPs (also known as speech-language therapists or speech therapists) often work with kids at school, where therapy is free. But some SLPs work in private practices. Speech therapy is tailored to meet a child’s needs. So, SLPs address specific skills. For example, they might help a child who has trouble with social skills make appropriate conversation. Or help a struggling reader connect letters to sounds.SLPs don’t only help kids. Speech-language therapists who work privately may also treat adults with some language challenges. But it’s less common.

Evaluations for special education: Introducing our new podcast

How do schools evaluate kids for special education? Season 1 of our new Understood Explains podcast answers these questions and more. How do schools evaluate kids for special education? What’s the process like? How do families get started? Season 1 of our new podcast, Understood Explains, answers these questions and more.  In this bonus episode, Amanda Morin and Gretchen Vierstra talk with Dr. Andy Kahn, a psychologist who spent nearly 20 years evaluating kids for schools. Andy shares why he’s excited to host Season 1 of Understood Explains, which breaks down the special education evaluation process for families. Tune it to learn more about the podcast, evaluations, and misconceptions families often have about special education.Related resources Listen: Understood Explains podcast Learning about evaluations FAQs about school evaluations Episode transcriptAmanda: Hi. I'm Amanda Morin. Gretchen: And I'm Gretchen Vierstra. Amanda: And we are the hosts of "In It," from the Understood Podcast Network. Gretchen: Officially, we're between seasons right now, but you're hearing from us because we want to share a sneak preview of a new Understood podcast we're very excited about. Amanda: It's called "Understood Explains." It's hosted by Dr. Andy Kahn, and we have Andy sitting right here next to me to tell us all about it. Andy, welcome to "In It." Andy: Thanks. Gretchen: Yay Andy! Amanda: So, Andy, before we get into the podcast, maybe you can just briefly tell us a little bit about yourself. Andy: Sure. So, I'm a licensed psychologist and I've been in practice for over 20 years. I spent the better part of that 20 years working within the school systems. So, doing evaluations, consultation, and supporting families within our communities. So, came to Understood to become a subject matter expert in learning and psychology. Gretchen: So, then can you tell us a little bit about this new podcast you're hosting? Andy: So, there's a lot to say about this podcast. The purpose of the podcast is really two major points. We're breaking down the special education evaluation process primarily for parents to give them information about, you know, what does it look like? How does that referral process work? How do we make those decisions? Should we do an evaluation? Should we not? Helping parents learn about their rights. And the second, really most important part is, helping them communicate with their kids about that process. That's where we fold in Amanda, who joins us and talks about all of those things. What can you say to your kids? How do you make them a part of the process? Amanda: Andy, I also know that you've really wanted to do something like this for a long time. Tell me why. Andy: Yeah. So, you know, having done evaluations for years, I've done thousands of evaluations. And it was no easy decision to walk away from schools to do this kind of work. But in a word, I was really focused on impact. The idea that the process that I did with my families over the years was something that was highly cooperative and collaborative. So much of it was about giving them information so that they could be involved and they could be calm in the process and feel relaxed enough to know, What are we doing this for? How are we going to make this really work for my child? So, for me, so much of this is about taking what I felt that I was really proud of doing for so many years in my evaluations and putting together a podcast that could help parents, you know, learn things about the process to really maximize the impact and to absolutely reduce the anxiety. So, we have psychologists, school psychologists, special ed teachers, administrators, who come in and give us input about the process and then we bounce out with you, Amanda. You know, the parent perspective, plus how to talk to your kids. Gretchen: Yeah. Can you give us a sneak peek into some of the topics of the different episodes? Andy: We've got 10 episodes, and the episodes start with things like understanding, making the decision about do I want to do an evaluation process? And understanding that an evaluation process can start from a parent requesting it or from the school saying, "Hey, we're seeing something. We'd like to request this process." We talk about parents' rights and you know, what is it that you are allowed to do? What is it that you have a right to receive? And what are the schools supposed to do in this process with you so that you can protect your rights? You know, no one's going to assume that a school is looking to do anything but the best for their kids. But sometimes things go wrong and parents, if they have that knowledge, can really keep the process honest and on track. Amanda: So speaking of knowledge, we keep using the word evaluation. Can you tell us what that means? Because I just realized we haven't even covered that yet. Andy: Yeah, yeah. And I think evaluation is one of the words that we use. We use evaluation or assessment. People might say testing and you know, all these words that become really highly charged. And evaluation is really where we're looking at what the child's skills are in certain areas, which could be anywhere from academic skills, social-emotional skills, overall behavioral functioning, and for other professionals, things like speech and language evaluations or occupational therapy or even physical therapy. So, there's a lot of bits and pieces that go into understanding how a child can be successful and the things that could be factors in their daily functioning. Gretchen: Certainly not just one little test a child takes and it's done. It's a process, right? Andy: Absolutely. And it's a process that has a lot of moving parts and lots of people. So, I think that, you know, for a parent who might not be in the room because their kid's doing the assessment, the more they can know, the more comfortable they can feel and the more input they can have. So, it's yeah, that we have to unpack that and that's a great question. Amanda: Can you talk a little bit about what sorts of misconceptions parents and caregivers might bring to this process before they understand it? Andy: Yeah, sure. You know, everyone who enters this process, and from the parent perspective, something I learned that really came home from doing so many assessments, was that parents were once students. So, their experience of having been students — or maybe if they had challenges with learning and thinking differences — things have changed a lot over the years. The experience for people of my age going through school could have been very different from what their kids are going through right now. Amanda: It's such a good point, right? Because I think a lot of parents, especially in a certain age bracket, they think special education means you're in a separate room, you're in a separate place of the building, that you don't get to be with the other kids at the same age, that it's a different kind of instruction. And that's not the case anymore. Andy: And it once was, you know, as a kid going to New York City schools when I was young, you know, it was if a kid got identified for services, you really might not have seen them again, except maybe after school or on the way to school. So, for parents who might or might not have had, you know, a positive experience in their own education, it really becomes a loaded process. And you have to take that into account. You know the primary thing that I think that always echoed with me is how are the parents responding to this process? What does it lead them to feel emotionally? And then in turn, you know, having a child is like having your heart on the outside of your chest. Amanda: Oh, yes. Andy: So, you know, if your child is now being asked to go through a process, maybe you've went through or things that you have, you know, beliefs that are based on when you went to school that can be really, really unsettling. And to give parents the right information so they can know that they're in charge of making decisions is incredibly powerful. Gretchen: What do parents most often struggle with around this process? What tends to be the bumpiest parts along the way?Andy: For parents of much younger children — the one thing I'll say that I noticed my entire career — little kids don't mind leaving a classroom. They don't mind getting the extra support.Amanda: They love it. As a kindergarten teacher, I can tell you that they loved being the one walking out with the person, they loved it.Andy: You know, for so many parents, it's often the idea about "I don't want my kid to be labeled. I don't want my kid to look different. I don't want my kid to be picked on because we find that they have something that they need that's different than other kids." And I think that people perceive the process and the outcomes as being public, that somehow because you're doing it, everybody knows. Amanda: It's that permanent record thing that people think about, right? There's a permanent and I will just be the first one to admit that as a parent, I know that fear. And I was a teacher, I was an educator, I was in special education. And when I first did this with my first child, I went through evaluation, I had this like, "Nope, nope, don't want to do that. Don't want that label, don't." But, you know, people like you Andy make it easier for us to understand like it's not a permanent record situation. Andy: And I think some of us would say that, you know, we're building in the idea of expectation that's realistic and putting people in the position to ask questions that builds comfort. And I think that in and of itself, if you're comfortable enough to say, "I don't understand this" or "This scares me," or "Heck no, I don't want my kid to get that," then it gives us the opportunity to make... the process can be therapeutic, right? It can be, If we're going through this process together and we're learning about your child together, can you come to a conclusion about "Wow, you know, my kid wasn't just refusing work because they're naughty or because they're a pain or because of some momentary frustration we all experience as parents." But it's more about "Well, I didn't know my kid wasn't able to process that information or struggles with reading or can't focus without support." So, I think that a well-done evaluation is a therapeutic process, and I think that we can't underestimate the impact of that. Amanda: I'm going to turn the tables and ask Gretchen a question if you don't mind. Did you participate in these processes as a teacher? Gretchen: Yes. Amanda: What was it like for you on that side? Gretchen: Yeah. Sometimes families were really invested and interested in getting the evaluation done. And so, they were super involved from the beginning and talking to me about it and gathering the information. But then there were other families who were scared. This was the first time that anyone was bringing up that perhaps their child struggled with something. And for some families hearing that, it was hard to take, right? Because lots of families envision their child as, quote unquote, perfect, right? And then you're told, well, wait a minute, we actually want to find ways to better support your child. And for some of these families, it was like, "What? What do you mean? They're not excelling at every single thing without any kind of support? Because that's what I expected." Andy: Right. Absolutely. Gretchen: You know? And so, it could be tough sometimes to just be part of that process with them because it was scary. Amanda: So, Andy, for teachers like Gretchen or me, because I did this as a teacher too, and I'm going to admit that when I first started, I didn't understand what my role as a teacher was. What is their role in this process, and do you have advice or practices to share with them? Andy: You know, I think the first thing that I would share with teachers across the board is, any time you're going to involve yourself in the process, take a moment to imagine it's your child who's being evaluated first. That empathic approach says, okay, this is sensitive. This is something where you're describing something that could feel critical, like you're giving some sort of negative description of someone's child and really sharing from the very, very beginning that we are focused on making your child's success our goal. And I think really saying "We are working together. This is not a tug of war. We're not on opposite sides of the rope. You and I are both pulling the rope in the same direction. But if you're not sure or you're uncomfortable with part of this, let's talk that through." And teachers can often say, you know, kids who have had this kind of testing, who have found that they have differences, they really can benefit. There's a lot of stuff we can do in reassuring them about what it's going to lead to. Yeah. So, there's, you know, there's a little bit of benefit in just understanding, "You know what? Your kid is going to manage this fine if we support them the right way. It's much harder to break your kids than you think," you know. Gretchen: Right. Yeah. Andy: Yeah. And I think that one of the keys in terms of being successful as a teacher, as a psychologist, as a parent, is always being focused first on what you like about the child. And I'll be completely forthright, I've worked with some extremely challenging kids, and I can say that with very high certainty, I really, really learned to love all of these kids because they all have something about them that's cool and interesting. And for us to be successful, focusing on those things is important. And let me tell you about what we can do that might be helpful to your child or something. And let me tell you about something we may need to do to help your child. So for teachers, we've got a lot to offer them. And just to reset, right? It's just a little reset for your brain, because this is benevolent people looking to help kids. Gretchen: For the teachers listening, I do want to say that it's okay to not know, right? And I remember starting off and being handed a form like, "Okay, we're going to be evaluating this kid. I need to fill out this test, check out these things." And like what? What is this? If you haven't been trained and you're not familiar with what you're supposed to do, then talk to someone and find out because you don't want to go at it alone and you want to do a great job for the family. So, finding an ally who can help you is great. Andy: And think about it, just let's zoom out here for a second. You know, think about what that looks like for kids with learning and thinking differences. They don't know something, so they get anxious and they don't want to step out and make a mistake. But what we're saying across the board here is "If you don't know, that's okay." Amanda: That was part of the fun of being able to come on and have those conversations with Andy, is we unpacked some of that. We looked at how as a parent, do you look at what you need to learn, and then how do you pass that on to your child? Andy: And the best part about that is when you have multiple perspectives talking about something like that. Amanda, you come up with things that I wasn't thinking of in that moment. So, when we bring in the experts at the beginning of each session, then we have Amanda and I chatting, I think for me, the greatest surprise about it was I kept learning things about perspectives that I wasn't taking. You know, as much as I've done this my whole career, I kept stumbling across bits and pieces like, "Okay, that's cool. I never thought about it that way," You know? And I think that's really what's powerful about this, is getting people who know a lot of stuff to talk together because none of us by ourselves knew enough to tell you everything. Gretchen: So last but not least, Andy, how can people get your podcast? Andy: Our podcast it's on Apple, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts. Amanda: Part of the Understood Podcast Network. Gretchen: Yay, it's everywhere, people!Gretchen: Andy, thank you so much for joining us on "In It" to talk about your podcast "Understood Explains." We're so excited for people to listen to it. Andy: Thanks so much for having me. Amanda: Thanks for listening to "In It," part of the Understood Podcast Network. And remember, there's lots more where this came from. You can find all our past episodes by subscribing to "In It" wherever you get your podcasts or on our website, go to Understood.org/podcast/in-it. Gretchen: We'll be back very soon with Season 4 of the show. A reminder, it's not too late to let us know what topics you'd like us to cover. Is there something you've been struggling with or wanting to celebrate that you think would be of interest to other folks who are in it? Send us an email at init, that's one word, i-n-i-t @understood.org with your suggestions. Amanda: In It is produced by Julie Subrin. Briana Berry is our production director. Justin D. Wright mixes the show. Mike Errico wrote our theme music. For the Understood Podcast Network, Laura Key is our editorial director. Scott Cocchiere is our creative director, and Seth Melnick is our executive producer.Gretchen: Thanks for listening, everyone. And thanks for always being in it with us.

Year by year: Early intervention, early screening, and special education evaluation

Sometimes, kids fall behind in areas like physical skills, language skills, and performance at school. Your state or your local public school may be able to help.Depending on your child’s age, here’s where to get help if your child is behind.Birth through age 2Where to get help: Early intervention from your stateDoes your baby or toddler seem to be behind other kids in development?You might see your child…Not rolling overNot making soundsNot looking at adultsNot being curious about the worldYour child may qualify for free early intervention services from your state. This could include physical therapy and speech therapy.Ask your doctor or health clinic to find out how to qualify for early intervention.Age 3 until starting schoolWhere to get help: Special education from the local public schoolDoes your young child not seem ready to start school?You might see your child…Not speaking many wordsNot counting or naming colorsStruggling to hold a fork, spoon, or crayonNot getting along with other kidsYour child may qualify for free special education services from the local public school. This could include free preschool or therapy to get your child ready to start school.Contact your local public school to find out how to qualify. Your doctor or health clinic may have information, too.Listen to a mom telling how early intervention services helped her son.Ages 5 through 8 (kids in early grade school)Where to get help: Early screening from the public schoolIs your child at risk of falling behind in school?You might see your child…Struggling to keep upFalling behind in one or two areasHaving trouble with behaviorNot liking schoolYour child may qualify for extra help from the school. This could be small group teaching or learning strategies.Many, but not all, schools automatically screen kids. Contact the school and ask about early screening.Kindergarten through high schoolWhere to get help: Special education from the public schoolIs your child having difficulty and not making progress in school?You might see your child…Not reading or doing math at grade levelDisrupting class or not behavingNot holding a pencil correctlyStruggling to follow directionsYour child may qualify for an IEP with free special education services. This could include instruction tailored to your child’s unique needs. Another option is a 504 plan with accommodations, like technology or extra time, to help your child work around barriers to learning.Write a letter to your public school to ask for your child to be evaluated.If your child is falling behind in school, find out what to do next. And read about developmental milestones for kids to understand how your child is doing.

All about language disorders

Understanding what a language disorder means for your child can be overwhelming. Here’s help from an expert. Language disorders can lead to many questions, both in the classroom and elsewhere. How will the school handle it? What can you do to help at home? And what if you’re not even sure if a language disorder is what your child is struggling with?In this episode of In It, hosts Gretchen Vierstra and Rachel Bozek talk with Kelli Johnson, a Minneapolis-based educational speech-language pathologist who is also a writer and expert reviewer at Understood. Kelli explains what her job is all about, and what it means to have a language disorder. She also talks about making her work with students fun while helping them navigate this learning and thinking difference.Related resourcesLanguage disorder fact sheet What are language disorders How speech-language pathologists work with kidsEpisode transcriptGretchen: From the Understood Podcast Network, this is "In It," a podcast about the ins and outs... Rachel: ...the ups and downs... Gretchen: ...of supporting kids who learn and think differently. I'm Gretchen Vierstra, a former classroom teacher and an editor here at Understood.Rachel: And I'm Rachel Bozek, a writer and editor with a family that's definitely in it. Today we're getting into language disorder.Gretchen: A term which includes receptive language disorder and expressive language disorder. Rachel: Joining us to break it all down is Kelli Johnson, an educational speech-language pathologist based in Minneapolis. Gretchen: Kelli holds a master in communication disorders and is also a writer and expert reviewer here at Understood. Rachel: We're so glad to have her helping us out today. So, Hello Kelli. Kelli: Hello. Rachel: Welcome to "In It." We're so glad to have you here. To get us started, would you mind telling us what it means to be an educational speech-language pathologist? Kelli: Well, an educational speech-language pathologist is somebody who serves disabilities in the school setting as they relate to a child's ability to participate in the school curriculum. And so, the disability areas we deal with are things like stuttering, speech sound disorders, or articulation, where kids have difficulty saying specific speech sounds.And what we're going to talk about today, which is language disorder, where kids' language development is really significantly... they have significant challenges compared to their same-age peers. Gretchen: Let's go into a little more depth. What is a language disorder, exactly? Kelli: Broadly speaking, language disorder is a disorder or an impairment that involves the ability to understand the language that's all around you. The meanings of language, the language that we get in writing or verbally, and also expression. So, how we use language to convey the messages that we want to put out there. Gretchen: How common are language disorders? Kelli: So, you know, the studies that we have available on five-year-olds — which is kind of when, language disorder tends to be discovered — is that it occurs for 1 in 14 kids. And that is the rate at which it's identified in kindergarten. But those language difficulties generally persist in some way or other, in some severity or other through adulthood. Rachel: Wow. You've touched on this already, but I wonder if you could say more about the difference between receptive and expressive language disorder. Kelli: Sure. So, receptive language is all about what you're taking in. It's language understanding or language comprehension. And so, these are kiddos that are going to have difficulty taking in, longer directions like 3-step directions. These are kiddos that, may not understand the question you just asked them. They will certainly have difficulty understanding verbal instruction. You know, when teachers are teaching a longer lesson. Expressive language is how kids or how people use language to say their own ideas express themselves. And so, these are kiddos that are going to have trouble putting sentences together in a way that is meaningful to the people around them. And so, that can look like, difficulty with grammar. It can look like difficulty with what we call syntax, which is sort of how we put all these words together, telling stories, or difficulty organizing sentences. But broadly speaking, expressive language disorder is difficulty putting the message out there in the way that you want to say it. Rachel: So, what are some of the signs? We talked a little bit about kindergarten being kind of the beginning of when this might get spotted. What are some of the signs that might indicate that a younger child has a language disorder? Kelli: Right. And I do want to just kind of clarify a little bit. We've got good studies in kindergarten that tell us that often those distinctions will get spotted really early because, you know, little children aren't meeting those really well-explained developmental milestones, you know, with their checkups with their pediatrician. So, they're not starting to put two words together at the age that you would expect them to put two words together. As they're getting a little bit older, you know, as teachers are sort of interacting with them in class, they might notice, "Wow, this kiddo is using just single words or pointing at a lot of things." They might notice that when that child is trying to say something that happened to them — you know, they have a conflict with another kiddo — they can't tell the story of what happened to them. They might have a more limited vocabulary. They tend to be not the kids that are raising their hands to participate. If it's a receptive or receptive-expressive difficulty, those are the children that are going to struggle to follow directions in the classroom setting. They're going to be the children that answer questions in an off-topic way. So, you're saying you know, "Who did you see?" And they might start telling you a story that is, you know, completely unrelated. And some of that is just a thing that children do. But as you're comparing it, you know, you're comparing it to the other kids in class you're going to find that that's much more of a trend with children who struggle with receptive language. Rachel: And how does that differ as they get older, like, is what you see different with older kids? Kelli: It is. I mean, I should say, for children with language disorder, we generally see those concerns much earlier. It's not usual to identify, say, a fifth-grade child with language disorder. However, the things that stick out are going to be different because the academic demands have been increased. So, you know, in classroom discussions, you might find that they're just not as able to show what they know. Maybe they do understand what's going on. And you can kind of tease that out if you ask questions that don't require longer responses, but they're not going to be the child that can kind of explain things in a complex way. You're going to start seeing it in their writing. If it's an expressive language disorder, those are going to be kids that really struggle with those composition assignments. In part because, you know, these are often children who also have reading and writing difficulties. You know, they're getting support in those areas, too. If it's a child who's experiencing receptive language problems, reading comprehension is going to continue to be difficult. And you may see this mismatch between decoding and comprehension. Many of these children are fluent readers. They can decode words but when you ask them, you know, just to check up on comprehension questions, they will typically have a lot of difficulty. And these are often kids that will sort of like use what they know about the subject to answer the question instead of what's really on the page. There are children who are not going to do as well under, you know, answering questions on tests. And those are also children who may start to have some social difficulties because they are not, you know, they're not able to pick up on all of the language that's coming at them from their peers. And so they're not responding in a way that their peers would expect. Gretchen: So, who would be the one at a school or anywhere to typically diagnose a language disorder? Kelli: That's me. Yeah. It goes to the speech-language pathologist and it you know, there's a process, right? The teacher or parent will identify an area of difficulty. And schools do have a process for getting everybody together and saying, "I'm concerned about this child." And there's an early phase where you sort of try to tease out what, what needs another look. But I'm the person on the team that does all of the testing to identify language disorder. Rachel: So, a quick question before my next question. When we're talking about all of this is the kind of like common terminology to say, "Kids who have a language disorder" or "Kids who have language disorder," like, that's the name of it? I just want to make sure we're kind of like, asking it the right way. Kelli: I think you're asking it the right way. Children who have language disorder. Yeah. Rachel: OKKelli: Yeah, yeah. Or a language disorder. That's really fine. Rachel: OK. So, can you tell us a little bit about what your work with kids who have language disorder looks like, and maybe walk us through, like, the kinds of exercises that you might do with younger kids first, and then we can talk about older kids. Kelli: Yeah. So, we always start with what the evaluation tells us about that specific child. And language disorder breaks down into all these little subsets of skills. Right. So, some children might have a really difficult time with using what we call morphemes. Right. How we create the past tense, how we show that something is going to happen versus did happen. So, that child, you know, obviously would have a goal in that area. Some children might have difficulties with prepositions — in, on, whatever — and then there's some variability in how every speech pathologist works. I embed those skills in play for little kids. And that can also be books. You know, we sort of want to get them interested in books pretty early because that's where we're going in the academic setting. But we might do play-based things. So, for a child that is struggling with place, right? I might read a book about — there's really, there's a book I use a lot — called "Rosie's Walk," where a chicken's being followed by a fox, and the fox keeps changing position. And so we can talk about "On top of" "Behind" "Between." And then, you know, because this play-based, I get a little toy fox at the end and we play a little game where we put the fox at different places around us. If it's a child who's working on using longer sentences, I might get a bunch of toys that that child likes. And, you know, they can practice asking me. I'll give them a little frame for, "I want the... red one. I want the... black one." And so little by little, we add these words in and we start to expand. We can also just do things where they give me an answer, and I reframe it to add a couple more words and then say, "You tell me that." But for little children, trying to tap into what they are already interested in, is where we really want to go with that, because we want language to have a payoff. It should stay fun. Rachel: Yeah, yeah. Kelli: So, older kids, we start thinking a lot more about the direct connection of language to academic expectations. I try very hard to use texts or adapted versions of those texts in the context of our language sessions, and we might work on how do we summarize that. You know, some of the kids I see because you know, they have reading challenges as well. We might do this in a verbal way. You know, stories have these parts. They have a character, they have a setting, have kickoff where the story starts. So, they'll learn all those parts, and then they learn how to tell a cohesive — what we call a narrative or a summary — about that story. And the great thing is, it kind of applies to when we're telling stories about our lives and trying to give details about, you know, what happened when I got in a conflict with this other student? We might use writing more. I do a lot with what are called graphic organizers, where, you know, they may have an assignment in their class to write a report. And so, I kind of consult with a teacher about what those expectations are. And we put that in the context of a graphic organizer. And I might supplement it with, you know, kind of the step-by-step instructions from the classroom that I can add visuals to. And then that, you know, the other piece of that is, I would collaborate with the classroom teacher a lot to see how can we sync up what we're doing. How can you use these sorts of visuals, these sorts of verbal cues or written cues to help this child be more successful when they're actually in the classroom? And how can I pick up on my end to help them understand the expectations and meet the expectations with a little bit of language support. Gretchen: That relates to this question I have, which is what are some common classroom accommodations that kids might get in their IEP if they have language disorder? Kelli: Right. So, when I'm thinking of receptive language difficulties in particular, you might see an accommodation that says "The teacher should check for understanding after delivering a direction. Direction should be given in small pieces. Check with the child within five minutes of starting the assignment to give feedback or redirection." Expressive language accommodations might look like having graphic organizers available, having extra time to complete assignments, having a visual of what the expectations are, you know, because that puts it — without getting too deep in the weeds — kids who are trying to complete something that's really, really difficult might not have the working memory, right?The ability to kind of keep one thing in their head while they're doing another thing. They might not have the working memory to remember what the expectation is, and also use their little, graphic organizer to complete the assignment. I like to do buddies — you know, so to help kids access a peer who can maybe work with them to do, like, if it's a written assignment that will be a presentation — how can we work with a buddy, and how can the teacher help divvy up the responsibilities of each part of the buddy system? And then also, there's usually an accommodation that the speech-language pathologist will connect with the teacher on the specific accommodations that are needed by that kiddo, right?Because language disorder looks different for different children. And so, what they're working on at any given time will be different. You know, they're so just sort of staying in touch with the classroom teacher and saying, "This is the specific thing we're working on right now. Here are some ways that you can practice this in class." Rachel: So, can language disorder be cured? Or is there a point at which some children are not struggling with it anymore? And those might not be the same thing, but... Kelli: Well, it might. Yeah, exactly. When children are identified really young with language disorder, sometimes it is a need for more exposure. Right? Every household is different. What every kid is exposed to is different. And so, sometimes those little people, when they end up in, say, an early childhood program, which is all language, all the time, super engaging. I have seen kids just blossom. And so, you know that in those cases, we've just come across a child that just needed some really intense stimulation, maybe a little bit of extra time and maybe the, you know, the speech therapist is no longer involved after age 5 or 6. Typically, language disorder is something that is going to persist into adulthood. People can acquire skills. You know, therapy is helpful. It can make a difference, but it doesn't really go away. It is generally the case that while folks who are adults who had language disorder as a child are very functional, it is likely going to be the case that their verbal skills are not going to be their best skill. And, you know, the best-case scenario is that they have learned ways to self-advocate. They have learned specific skills that help them be better at communicating their ideas. But it might be still an area where they feel like, "Yeah, communication is not my strong suit."Gretchen: Yeah. And it seems like you said, too. All the strategies, hopefully right, that they've learned over the years just come into play. And so, it's less of a challenge because they're used to using strategies to work with that challenge. Kelli: Right. And you know, I think too, you know, the best outcome for people who've had therapy for language disorder is that they sort of just come to appreciate the totality of who they are. Right. That there's just this "Yes, this is a thing. Nobody's perfect. This is just something that I've had to work on in my life. And, you know, I'm proud of the things I've done to work on it." Gretchen: What are some things that you encourage parents and caregivers to do at home to help a child with a language disorder? Kelli: I would say the first thing is, you know, talk to your child's speech pathologist because they are going to know specifically what's being worked on at that time. One really fun one that we tell parents to do with the littles is engage them in everyday household stuff. "Let's do this together." Usually at that age, they love it, right? As kids get older, they may not be as interested in making dinner with their mom, but at that young age they are often very excited about it. It gives an opportunity to talk things through, use vocabulary they maybe haven't heard before, and it keeps it really fun. I really feel like kids need it to have a payoff. It shouldn't feel like homework. For parents who are, you know, trying to help their older child who, has a language disorder, making them aware of maybe what supports are needed. You know, at the end of the day, when you want to talk to your child about their day, maybe we can have like a specific set of questions we go through. Maybe when the child gives a short answer, you can sort of recast that and confirm with a slightly longer answer and not necessarily have the expectation that the child's going to copy you, but keeping it natural, you know, just talking through what you're seeing with them. Keeping as much verbal communication as possible open as a model, as an opportunity, without having this huge expectation that feels like homework for the child. And there may be some specific little things, like when a child uses the present tense to express all things that happen. They might need some really specific practice, and I might send home, "Hey, you know, we're working on adding -ed to make the past tense. Maybe you can, you know, go through these flashcards during the day." But mostly just like, use it or find opportunities to say, "Oh, wait, I didn't understand that. You know? did that happen? Is that happening right now or did that happen before?" There are lots of different ways, and the best jumping-off point for the parent is to connect with the speech pathologist and say, "You know, what are you working on? How can I include that in our everyday communication?" Rachel: So, we hear a lot about how some learning differences, like ADHD also have upsides, where, you know, we hear a lot of the word lately, "Superpowers." Like they have the ability to kind of hyperfocus on things that they're really good at or that they're interested in, like we've talked about here. Is there any kind of equivalent or parallel that you've seen with kids with language disorder? Kelli: Well, I'll tell you. One thing I see — and I can't really say their causal right, that the absence of strong language skills leads to this other skill — but what I can say is that every single child I see has something they're just superstars at. Maybe they have strong math skills. Maybe they are just that kid that's got really great social skills in spite of not being really conversational. You know, I have those children that are just beloved because they are so kind and they're so interested and they want to help. I have children who are phenomenal at art, and I have among my receptive language kids with receptive language difficulties, kids who get really good at observing what's going on around them. Because when you don't understand the directions, you are looking around to see what the expectation is. So, I don't know that we can say, you know, there's a causal relationship between those things, but all of my kids have areas that are huge strengths for them. I have kids that are better than I am at lots of things, and I point this out to them all the time that, "Wow, you just taught me something today." That is not an infrequent occurrence. Rachel: That's great. That's great. Gretchen: Yeah, yeah, I think it's a good note to end on. Right. Strengths, that everyone's got their strengths. Kelli: Absolutely. It keeps me coming to work every day. Gretchen: Well, thank you so much for talking with us today. Kelli: Thank you for having me. It was a wonderful conversation. Gretchen: You've been listening to "In It" from the Understood Podcast Network.Rachel: This show is for you. So we want to make sure you're getting what you need. Email us at init@understood.org to share your thoughts. We love hearing from you.  Gretchen: If you want to learn more about the topics we've covered today, check out our show notes. We include more resources as well as links to anything we mentioned in the episode. Rachel: Understood.org is a resource dedicated to helping people who learn and think differently discover their potential and thrive. Learn more at understood.org/mission.  Gretchen: "In It" is produced by Julie Subrin. Ilana Millner is our production director. Justin D. Wright mixes the show. Mike Ericco wrote our theme music.  Rachel: For the Understood Podcast Network, Laura Key is our editorial director, Scott Cocchiere is our creative director, and Seth Melnick is our executive producer. Thanks for listening. Gretchen: And thanks for always being "in it" with us. 

My child was just diagnosed with dyscalculia. Now what?

If you recently found out that your child has dyscalculia, it may be the first time you’ve even heard of this math challenge. It’s important to know that there are ways to help kids with dyscalculia succeed.Find out all you can about dyscalculia.Learn about number sense and visual-spatial processing. Dyscalculia can also impact your child’s social life. Debunk common myths about dyscalculia. You can also explore expert answers to common questions parents have about math challenges and find out how signs of dyscalculia may look over time.Investigate dyscalculia treatments and therapies.Talk to your child’s doctor about treatment options. These may include speech therapy, which can help kids who struggle with the language of math. It may also include educational therapy or occupational therapy, depending on your child’s specific needs. Ask any questions you have about other therapy options. And become familiar with the terms you might hear from teachers, doctors, and specialists.Discuss dyscalculia supports and services with the school.Schedule a meeting with the school and provide a copy of any reports from specialists or pediatricians. Even if the school has done its own evaluation, having an outside evaluation and recommendations can help with the IEP or 504 plan process. Discuss which informal supports or classroom accommodations might be appropriate. You can also ask about assistive technology and tutors.Teach your child to self-advocate.Talk with your child about their learning differences. Discuss ways to ask for help for dyscalculia in grade school or middle school. Learning to self-advocate is a skill that can offer lifelong benefits.Understand the possible emotional impact.Kids with learning and thinking differences can have a higher risk for mental health challenges. Learn about the signs of anxiety and depression. Talk to your child’s doctor if you have any concerns.Learn what you can do at home.There are lots of fun ways to build in stress-free math practice after school and on weekends. Tap into your child’s interests and strengths. Explore ways to build self-esteem and help your child stay motivated.Master homework help.Create a homework space that works for your child. Learn about why your child may get tripped up on math assignments and discover ways to help with tricky math homework. If your child is in grade school, explore tips for learning multiplication.Find support.Contact your local Parent Training and Information Center (PTI) to learn about services near you. And connect with other parents of children with dyscalculia on our Wunder app.Keep in touch with the school.Ask questions about the school’s math instruction and about how your child is doing in class. Staying in contact with your child’s teachers will also help you know whether the supports and services are working.

ADHD Aha! Listener letters roundup (YOUR stories)

Host Laura Key and the team share ADHD stories from listeners who have written in. Host Laura Key and the ADHD Aha! team have been blown away by all of the thoughtful and candid emails we get from our listeners about their own ADHD “aha” moments. So with their permission, we’re sharing a few of them on this episode. Find out which ADHD symptoms some of our listeners have struggled with — and what their path to ADHD diagnosis was like.Related resourcesADHD symptoms at different agesFind more ADHD personal stories in our Medium publication, for/by.Share your story, too! Email us at ADHDAha@understood.org.Episode transcriptLaura: From the Understood Podcast Network, this is "ADHD Aha!," a podcast where people share the moment when it finally clicked that they or someone they know has ADHD. My name is Laura Key. I'm the editorial director here at Understood. And as someone who's had my own ADHD "aha" moment, I'll be your host.Hi, everyone. We have a very special episode for you this week. In fact, I'm thrilled to say that it's an episode about you. Since we started "ADHD Aha!," we've gotten so much wonderful feedback from our listeners. Hearing how much you relate to or learn from the stories we're sharing is truly my favorite part of hosting this podcast. It reminds me why we created the show, and it motivates the team to keep going. So for this episode, I'd like to share excerpts from some of the letters. And by letters, I mean emails that we've received. You're going to hear some new voices. These are all Understood team members speaking, and they're going to be reading the excerpts with the author's permission.Our first letter is from Melissa. Melissa wrote to us saying she grew up a quote, goody two shoes who was unknowingly struggling with perfectionism and anxiety. Hey, that sounds like me. But like many of us, the pandemic heightened her mental health struggles to the point that she sought out therapy. And even though she felt like her anxiety and depression were improving, something else was bothering her."Melissa": One day, while scrolling through Instagram, I stumbled upon a post from a woman who had just gotten diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 26 and was sharing her experiences and struggles. My first thought was, "How come it took people so long to notice? How did she find out now at 26?" I myself am a 24-year-old and have been a preschool teacher for five years. It bothered me that nobody had raised any concerns. Little did I know I was on the same boat. Through further investigation, I realized I could relate to about 90% of the ADHD symptoms found in women. I was dumbfounded. I'm supposed to be one of the professionals who can recognize what this looks like in others and yet couldn't see it in myself. After being evaluated by my therapist and psychiatrist, it was confirmed: It was and still is a crazy "aha" moment. I am still trying to understand myself, and I'm not sure what to do half the time. But your stories inspired me and I hope mine can inspire others too.Laura: Melissa basically just summed up why we call the show "ADHD Aha!" It's so easy to overlook or brush aside ADHD symptoms, no matter how much knowledge you have about ADHD. It often takes hearing about someone else's story, someone you relate to, to spark your own "aha" moment, which is essentially what we're trying to do with this podcast. Thanks so much for writing in Melissa.Before we get to the next listener letter, I have a request. By the way, don't you just love it when podcast hosts chime in to ask you to do something? This episode is all about what we've been hearing from you. And the more that we hear, the better we can make the show. That's why we put together a survey that's really easy and quick to fill out. You'll find it at u.org/podcastsurvey. That's the letter U, dot org, slash podcast survey. Check it out if you can. And thanks again. Now back to the listener letters.This one comes from Terry, who got her ADHD diagnosis the summer before starting graduate studies to become a pediatric speech-language pathologist. Terry told us that she started and stopped college many times and finally managed to finish by, quote, white-knuckling my way through sheer force of will. Right on, Terry. But while waiting to hear if she'd gotten into her grad program, she decided it was time to get evaluated for ADHD."Terry": I remember thinking, so there is something wrong with me. That may sound completely politically incorrect, especially coming from someone who specializes in working with children with disabilities. So let me explain. I grew up in a home with a self-taught engineer dad and a fourth-grade teacher mother, who both told us we were all smart and could accomplish anything we set our minds to. And for the most part, we, I believed them. They were my parents, after all. But all the struggles I had with homework, math, writing, they felt extremely real too. I couldn't figure out how to reconcile these seemingly true but contradicting facts about myself. I felt like an unsolvable math equation. I was two plus four equals eight. My diagnosis justified that and said yes, two plus four never equals eight. But here's the other two parts. Now you equal eight. You're whole. Well, I was never really great with analogies, but hopefully you were able to follow me with that one. My diagnosis made both sides of the equation make sense, reconciling these two irreconcilable pieces of myself — that I was both smart and I struggle with things. In my home and in my head, I believed I could only be one or the other. It never occurred to me that I could be both.Laura: Terry's email reminds me of stories from a bunch of guests we've had on the show. I think about, for example, Dr. Kojo and how intensely he pushed himself to work harder and harder and harder until he got diagnosed. I think about writer and mom of four Jen Barton, who was coping with anxiety but still had a sense that her equation, as Terry calls it, was off until she was also diagnosed with ADHD. And I think about myself in both of these ways, never giving myself a break and telling myself to just try harder. And then getting my anxiety under control only to find that I still simply couldn't focus. Thanks for writing in Terry.Our next letter is from Taryn, who says they were recently diagnosed with ADHD at 33. They describe starting medication as, quote, the single most life-changing decision they have ever made, and they're grateful for it. But they say they're also grieving deeply for the years they feel they've lost."Taryn": I first asked my doctor for help with my mental health at the age of 12. She told me it was just teenage hormones. In high school, I spent so much time in the counselor's office. In college, I started therapy and medication. I've tried at least eight medications, and I've gone through so many diagnoses. I think about all the things that could have been different if I had gotten the right help sooner. I could have been a better friend, a better partner, a better child, a happier me. Part of me is really sad and really angry, and I feel super left out of the ADHD narrative. Everywhere I turn, there are people talking about how ADHD is positive for them in some ways. I feel that ADHD has been almost entirely destructive for me. But thank you for your podcast. I've listened to about half of the episodes so far, and it's been very helpful.Laura: Taryn's letter is so important. We try to show a diversity of experiences on this show. The positives, of course. But we don't want to gloss over the hard stuff and the difficult feelings that can come with an ADHD diagnosis. So thanks, Taryn, for your candor.This next letter comes from Daisy, who tells us she started the process of being evaluated for ADHD two years ago. She says that trouble managing emotions and other ADHD symptoms made it hard for her to grow up in a family that prided themselves on being unemotional and, quote, strong."Daisy": Rejection sensitivity was one emotion I constantly had that I could never explain to people. Whenever somebody said to me, "The worst they can say is 'no,'" I would immediately respond with, "Exactly. That's the absolute worst thing they can say to me." I could never understand why the word "no" was like a knife in my heart and caused me to immediately start crying. I felt silly and childish that I could not handle rejection, because that is a basic life skill. But something inside me could not connect the logic in my mind to what I physically felt in my heart when rejected. About two years ago, I randomly came across a blog talking about rejection sensitivity, a term I hadn't heard of at the time, and its relation to ADHD. As soon as I read this person's experience, I had my "aha" moment. Because I'm a young adult female, everything I had known about ADHD was based on the typical myths and stereotypes that dominate much of the public perception. I now had an explanation for why my entire life, I was afraid to ask for help, could never focus on a lecture for more than a few minutes at a time, or constantly forgot things people asked me to do. But it also explained why I have such intense passions for the things I love, why I experience a wide range of emotions, and why I feel uniquely me.Laura: We haven't talked a lot about rejection sensitivity on the show yet, but we have talked a lot about and we'll talk more about ADHD in girls and women and how symptoms so often get overlooked or swept under the rug. Trouble managing emotions as a lesser known symptom of ADHD. And if girls or women struggle with it. They're far too often labeled as just being too sensitive or too dramatic or too emotional. Thanks, Daisy, for your letter.Hearing from you all means so much to me. I love the community we've built around the show. But before we go, my amazing producer, Jessamine, who makes me sound way better than I sound in real life, is going to join us quickly for something fun. Hey, Jessamine.Jessamine: Hi, Laura. We have gotten so many awesome notes from listeners. I figured we could just share a few of the shorter one sort of rapid-fire style.Laura: Ooh, I love that. Let's do it.Jessamine: All right, so here's the first one. "I can't believe how much the people you're interviewing are describing my life. It's like they're reading a book about my past."Laura: Oh, that's nice to hear.Jessamine: I like that one. This one is, "I recently found your podcast when looking for resources for students, and it has felt like another absolute 'aha' moment for me."Laura: Yes, that's what we're here to do. I love it. Awesome.Jessamine: "This podcast is so helpful to feel heard and seen. It makes you feel like you aren't alone in coping, and that you have peers who truly understand the dynamics of ADHD and the moving parts that come with it."Laura: Oh, I love that. I feel that way every time I have an interview with someone. I get to experience that over and over again. So I'm with you.Jessamine: "It has brought me comfort and community that I didn't know I was seeking."Laura: Oh, same here.Jessamine: "Laura, I can't express how validating and healing it was for me to listen to your 'aha' moment. It came at a time when I needed it the most, and yet I didn't even know I needed it."Laura: That is so nice to hear because I was so anxious about sharing my own "aha" moment. You know this Jessamine. Remember that very first episode?Jessamine: Oh, yeah.Laura: Oh, I'm glad that it resonated.Jessamine: Tough place to start. Your first interview was, you know, yourself. But it was a good one.Laura: Yeah. Me crying about myself. Oh, my gosh. Thank you so much, Jessamine, for that. That's so motivational. And I hope it motivates you as well, because you are a huge part of the show and working with you is so much fun.Jessamine: Yeah, I really love working on the show and hearing how people connect with the interviews and feel less alone or more understood by the show is honestly my favorite part.Laura: Well, I think we're going to wrap it up there. Thank you to everyone who let us share their words on the podcast today and everyone else who has written in. And if you've listened this far, I'm assuming you're enjoying what you're hearing. I would love it if you would rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and other platforms. This helps more and more people find the show and have their own "aha" moments. Thank you also to my fabulous colleagues, Briana, Justin, Eleni, and you too, Jessamine, who were the voice actors you heard in this episode. And thank you all for listening. If you'd like to share your "aha" moment or anything else, please email us at ADHDAha@understood.org.You've been listening to "ADHD Aha!" from the Understood Podcast Network. If you want to share your own "aha" moment, email us at ADHDAha@understood.org. I'd love to hear from you. If you want to learn more about the topics we covered today, check out the show notes for this episode. We include more resources as well as links to anything we mentioned in the episode.Understood is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people who learn and think differently discover their potential and thrive. Learn more at understood.org/mission. "ADHD Aha!" is produced by Jessamine Molli. Say hi, Jessamine.Jessamine: Hi everyone.Laura: Briana Berry is our production director. Our theme music was written by Justin D. Wright, who also mixes the show. For the Understood Podcast Network, Scott Cocchiere is our creative director, Seth Melnick is our executive producer, and I'm your host, Laura Key. Thanks so much for listening. 

My child was just diagnosed with a language disorder. Now what?

If you just found out your child has a language disorder, you might have a lot of questions about what to do next. Some kids may struggle with receptive language. Others may struggle with expressive language. Some may have trouble with both.Whatever the diagnosis, here are six ways to support your child. 1. Learn about your child’s language disorder, treatments, and therapies.Some kids have trouble following directions. Other kids may have trouble finding the right words to explain an event sequentially. Knowing how your child’s language disorder affects them makes it easier to know how to help. You can also talk to your child’s teachers and doctors about treatment options. For instance, speech therapy can be useful. Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) can help kids: Learn to speak in longer, more complex sentencesExplain events in a logical sequenceLearn the vocabulary of everyday directionsImprove active listening skillsSLPs can also show you how to work with your child at home. If your child is in preschool, find out how preschoolers may be eligible for free speech therapy.2. Look into school supports for language disorders.Schedule a meeting with the school to talk about whether your child might be eligible for special education services. Bring any reports you may have from doctors or specialists. These could help with the IEP or 504 plan process. Talk about what supports and services might be helpful. An IEP might include speech therapy or social skills goals. If your child doesn’t qualify for an IEP or a 504 plan, talk to the school about informal supports that could help. Learn more about how to work with the school to use outside evaluation results. And if the school hasn’t yet evaluated your child, find out how to request a free evaluation.3. Help your child be a self-advocate.It’s important to help kids develop the ability to ask for what they need, both in and out of school. This might take a lot of practice, especially if your child struggles with spoken language.Make sure to help your child see their own strengths and challenges. Then discuss what self-advocacy can look like. Have your child try these self-advocacy sentence starters.4. Understand the possible emotional impact.Having a language disorder can make it hard to engage in everyday conversations. Your child might have trouble putting thoughts into words. Or they may misunderstand what others are saying. These kinds of obstacles can impact your child socially — and emotionally. So it’s important to keep an eye out for signs of anxiety and depression. Reach out to your child’s doctor if you have concerns. 5. Learn how to help your child at home.How you help will depend on your child’s age and specific struggles with language. For example, if you have a young child, it may help to repeat back short phrases they use. Then expand what they say into a longer sentence. You can ask the SLP for more strategies.Give your child plenty of time to respond to questions. Try to resist the urge to jump in and fill silent moments. You can also try role-playing so your child can practice what to say in different situations. Use the role-play to teach about social cues, like facial expressions, voice pitch, and tone. If your child has social skills challenges, make sure to use age-specific strategies. 6. Stay connected to teachers and find other support.Stay in contact with your child’s teachers to know if the services and supports in place are working. A strong partnership lets everyone work together toward your child’s success. Another idea is to connect with your local Parent Training and Information Center (PTI). This is a way to learn about services in your area. More resourcesLearn how trouble with expressive language and receptive language can play out in everyday life. Explore this guide to language disorders.

Getting reevaluated for special education

How often do kids need to be reevaluated? Find out what to do about losing IEP services and how reevaluations can help teens get ready for college. How often do kids need to be reevaluated for special education? What are schools looking for when they assess students who already have an IEP? This episode of Understood Explains covers the basics and key details, like why this process is extra important for high-schoolers who may want to go to college.Host Dr. Andy Kahn is a psychologist who has spent nearly 20 years evaluating kids for public and private schools. His first guest on this episode is special education teacher Kate Garcia. They’ll explain:What reevaluations look like How often they happen and whyWhat to expect after a reevaluation Andy’s second guest, Amanda Morin, will share tips to help kids and families get ready for a reevaluation. Worried that the school might cut your child’s services? Get advice on how to avoid passing those feelings on to your child.Related resourcesWhat is a reevaluation for special education?What to do if your child is losing IEP servicesEvaluation rights: What you need to knowEpisode transcriptHaizel: Hi, my name is Haizel. I'm in the Bronx, New York. I've had multiple kids that have had an IEP and my focus today is on Sayeira, who still has an IEP as a junior in high school. Sayeira has been evaluated or reevaluated by the school district several times. And I believe that at least twice was at my request. Even though she's expected to be reevaluated every three years, I did use my parental rights to have her evaluated sooner than that because I felt that one, her needs were not being met. And two, I just felt like something was missing. So I believe in total since she started in kindergarten, she has been reevaluated five times within the school district and once externally.Andy: From the Understood Podcast Network, this is "Understood Explains." You're listening to Season 1, where we explain evaluations for special education. Over 10 episodes, we cover the ins and outs of the process that school districts use to evaluate children for special education services. My name is Andy Kahn, and I'm a licensed psychologist and an in-house expert at Understood.org. I've spent nearly 20 years evaluating kids for both public and private schools. I'll be your host.Today's episode is all about reevaluations. We're going to cover a few key things: what reevaluations look like, how often they happen and why, and what to expect after reevaluation. We're also going to share some tips to help kids and families get ready for a reevaluation, including what to say to your child about getting reevaluated — and what not to say. But first, let's hear more of Haizel's story.Haizel: When I requested the reeval, I was sent a letter to the school. I did send an email directly to the person that I knew would be responsible in the team. And I would specify my reason for wanting to have her reevaluated so that they can look at those areas. One of the areas I had concerns with was her memory because she would learn something and not be able to retain the information. So I'm like "Can you please look at her memory?" I would look up the information or get the information and try to focus my letter on what I wanted them to consider so that there was no question as to why I'm writing the letter.Andy: What Haizel was just describing is an important evaluation right that many families don't know about — that you can ask the school to reevaluate your child at any time and for any reason. Another thing that parents need to know is that by law, kids with IEPs, or Individualized Education Programs, need to be reevaluated at least once every three years to see if their needs have changed. Over the years, I've worked with a lot of families who are nervous about the reevaluation process. I've often heard things like, "Man, the first evaluation was so stressful. Why is the school putting my child through this again?" Or "My child is older now and more sensitive being seen as different. I don't want the reevaluation to hurt my child's self-esteem or make them feel bad about themselves." And some families are really concerned that the school is just doing an evaluation to take away their child services. While these are all valid concerns, and really everyday concerns that family share with me, my hope is that my first guest today is going to help me address all this. Kate Garcia is a special education teacher at a high school near Philadelphia. She's also a special education case manager, which means she's a part of a lot of evaluation and reevaluation teams. And she's also an Understood Teacher Fellow. Kate, welcome to the show. Thanks so much for being here. Kate: Hi, Andy. Thank you so much for having me. Andy: So today I'd really like to first talk about like the purpose of reevaluations. How do you explain to your students and their families why a school wants to do a reevaluation? Kate: Right. So the purpose of a reevaluation is to determine first whether additional information is needed to see if a student continues to have a disability requiring specially designed instruction, which are things that teachers are doing in the classroom to support students. And to see if any related services are necessary to add or take away from the supports. We also want to see if the nature and extent of the special education and related services have to be altered or changed, and if potentially the student is qualifying under a different disability category.Andy: So talk to me about related services. What does that mean for families who might not know what that means? Kate: Sure. So related services are things like speech and language. It could also be occupational therapy, physical therapy. So if your student is showing signs of handwriting difficulty, and you want to have an occupational therapist come and evaluate that student, that would be part of the related services portion on a reevaluation,Andy: OK. So big picture, we're thinking about everything that's in the student's IEP, and we're looking for any changes in how the student is functioning. Basically, we're looking for what's different in this evaluation compared to the previous one. And hopefully what we're seeing is progress. But as kids get older, sometimes new challenges may emerge that need to be addressed in the IEP. Give me some examples of what kinds of things might be added as a result of a reevaluation,Kate: We're looking for any additional needs, such as maybe counseling services. We can also look at additional supports that teachers can put into place every day in the classroom. So we look at things like would preferential seating — is that working in certain classrooms that is not being implemented in others? So we kind of take a cross-section. We're getting input from all of those teachers, and of course, the family and the student. And we can piece together what's working here, what's working there? What do we need to start implementing more of? And maybe what do we need to take away? Andy: So, take another second on that. What we need to take away — that's a big trigger phrase for a lot of our families. What would lead to a child maybe having services changed or taken away? And what would typically be the justification for that? Kate: Right? So we first of all, in order to have that conversation at a reevaluation, we have to have data to support that. So we're looking at things like is the student meeting their goals? Are they accessing accommodations, services, and supports independently? So when we think about that, we think about students who are understanding of how their disability impacts them in the classroom, how to access supports that they need after identifying that support, and then can they access help if they're having trouble with that support? And that would come from both the student, so hopefully, we're hearing the student voice in this particular area. And then also from educators who may give feedback that the student is accessing these supports without prompts. And ideally, we have someone going in to observe this student to collect data on that to support the fact that the accommodation might still be necessary, but it might not be something that every teacher has to implement, because the student is implementing it on their own. Andy: Gotcha. So really, we're not just looking at just tear away services from a kid who needs it. But more talking about, we're looking for evidence that they're making progress to do some of these things more independently. Kate: Yeah, absolutely. Because that's the goal. Disabilities don't just disappear. And that means we have to teach students how to understand what they need and how to access it. Andy: So we've been talking about why kids need to be reevaluated and understanding that reevaluations happen every three years for identified kids for special education due to the law. What do those reevaluations look like? And how do you explain this to families and the kids themselves? Kate: So the first step is always going to be our school psychologist reaching out to the family, letting them know, you know, the reevaluation period is coming up. Either we need permission to access more testing, or we're going to complete a records review. At that point, then the student possibly undergoes testing with the school psychologist. They would likely get observed by the school psychologist in a couple of different settings. And then input is gathered from the teachers and from any other professionals that that student sees, such as speech and language, counseling, occupational or physical therapy — all of these people are providing input. Our school psychologist then compiles all of that into a document. And then the IEP team, after that document is finalized, we'll look at the recommendations in place. And then an IEP meeting will be held following that evaluation. What I like to tell parents is that especially at the high school level, your student's voice is critical in this, because there's always going to be data and different perspectives. But what matters in this whole scenario is your student and their needs. And if they find that needs are not being met in a particular area, we need to hear that, because we need to make sure we're then either collecting data or getting insight on that area to address it.Andy: Kate, I want to pause here to note a jargony phrase that parents may hear, which is "triennial evaluation." That's the technical term for the reevaluation that needs to happen every three years. OK, so how often do triennial evaluations get skipped or significantly modified?Kate: I think this depends on the district. And the caseload of the school psychologist definitely plays a role in this. Also, it depends on the student and their progress. And so I have seen at the secondary level, oftentimes we talk about a records review as — you know, we're not updating the testing. So, you know, I've seen that happen quite a bit at the secondary level, especially for ninth- and 10th-graders who have been qualified under the same disability for quite some time. And so you know, the school psychologist reviews the records, they feel like we don't need any updated testing, and hence they have skipped any new testing. So I've seen it happen quite a bit.I've seen it happen more over the past few years with COVID and the impacts of, you know, more students being identified and being referred to special education. Hence, we have upped the caseloads of some of these school psychologists and made it so that, you know, they just don't have time to get a lot of this testing done. Andy: Gotcha. So one part of this is that parents have to consent for however this process goes. If the parent then gives permission to say, we're going to do a shorter or a file review evaluation, because the child has autism, or the child has ADHD, and it's been well established, and there have not been substantial changes, parents can give consent to have merely a file review, perhaps, and an observation. And that will hold the place of doing a more comprehensive assessment. I think in most cases, you had mentioned, Kate, that in some cases where schools are overwhelmed with referrals, and they don't have adequate staffing to complete referrals. And in those cases, I want to emphasize, the parents still need to consent to skip or to make a smaller assessment goal. And that's really important. If a parent wants that assessment, by law, they're entitled to it. So when we think about how kids approach reevaluation versus their first evaluation, have you noticed any significant differences in the kids you work with and their parents — how they respond to reevaluation versus the initial evaluation? Kate: I have. I've noticed with the initial evaluation, it's almost more parent heavy, even at the secondary high school level. We have a lot of questions from parents, which are great. And parents should ask questions and make sure that they're getting answered. When I look at reevaluations and the students that are undergoing those, they're a little bit more comfortable. So they usually have had a case manager for quite some time. And so as a case manager, I might be the first line of defense for questioning, you know, well, do I have to meet with the school psychologist? And what are they going to ask me? And do I have to do those tests again? So the questions there are coming more from the student because they have a familiarity with our team of the special ed department at their school, versus that initial evaluation where that student doesn't even know who I am in my role in the school. So we're getting more questions from the parent end. Andy: Totally. So one of the things that parents express as their biggest fears is that reevaluation is going to lead to their child's services being discontinued. There are times where kids are making such good progress, that they're ready to discontinue an IEP, or maybe move to a section 504 plan. What advice would you give to parents about deciding if their child continues to need special ed services, and how they can safely know if it's time to discontinue? Kate: So I think the first thing is, let's look at the data. Because if we're at this point in the conversation, we have a lot of data accumulated. And I think also what we discussed earlier with the lens of, they might still need that support. But guess what? They're accessing it on their own, which is amazing. We always try to frame those conversations with parents as what a success that your student is able to access the supports that they need, and be successful in the classroom. And we might still need some of these supports, which might present in a 504 plan. Or your student might be accessing these supports and doing them independently. And we might be able to exit all services completely. Not to say they don't still need the help. But what an amazing accomplishment that they feel confident enough in both their need and their ability to access support that they can do it independently now. Andy: So how do you help parents understand that their child might no longer need a specific service, or a formal IEP? Kate: I think the first step is to understand where the student is at through the data. So if a student is meeting their goals, if we are as an IEP team, adjusting those goals to make them more rigorous, to make them more applicable to that student's transition plan, so where does the students see themselves after high school? If we're doing all of those things, and the student is meeting them, that's a great starting point for that conversation to say, here's what we're putting in place. Here's the challenge we're presenting. And here's your student meeting that challenge. And then we also have the discussion about what sort of supports do we get as people outside of a school building? So me, as an adult, I can still access help at my job. I just have to know how to do it. So we can focus on those soft skills for many of these students who would be exited from the IEP services and reassure parents that if your child has made it to this point, and we are seeing this much progress, that we also have covered these other skills that your student is going to need to be a successful person.Andy: Gotcha. Let's talk about that next big transition, the reevaluation around maybe getting ready for college. What would be a common reason why kids would get reevaluated as high school is getting ready to end? And can you talk about like how your evaluation teams at school usually help with that? Kate: Sure. So when we think about this process, the first step to it usually happens between ninth- and 10th-grade year where the special education team mentions to the parent and student you know, if you're considering postsecondary education, which might look like a community college, might look like a trade school, might look like a traditional four-year college, you need to understand that your IEP doesn't come with you. So although we can offer you services within the district until you're 21, that might not be the best plan for every student. So if your plan is once you hit that fourth year of high school, and you've accumulated the appropriate credits, your plan is to graduate and move on to another educational setting, you need to understand the difference between what supports can be provided there versus what we can provide here in your home school district. So we mention to parents, you know, if you start visiting schools, you need to make sure that you're stopping at the Office of Accessibility, to understand what supports that college is able to provide your student on a regular or as-needed basis. And most commonly, those supports might look like a separate space to take a test, extended time on assignments, copies of the professor's notes, things of that nature. In order for your student to access those supports at that level, they're going to need documentation on file with that school. Depending on the school, they may require the IEP, whatever the most recent IEP is, and potentially updated testing. So we make this very clear to the parents, because you might encounter a school that's saying, oh, you had a record review done recently. And we need updated testing within — I've seen it anywhere from three years to one year — in order to consider this disability and have it on file and have your student receive accommodations. So we make sure by 11th grade year that our parents understand if you feel as though you might require this updated testing, we want to make sure you have it done by us. And you have our paperwork with our recommendations for your student to make sure that they're accessing those supports at the secondary level. And the other key piece that we hear back from parents as well: We're not really sure if we want that. And I tell them it's better to have it on file and not need it than to be in a situation where your student has to access supports that they don't have a record of needing. Andy: That's really good advice. So the next step in the reevaluation process is deciding whether you agree or disagree with the results. In our show notes, we also have a link to an article on what to do if your child is losing IEP services. Kate, what a great chat we've had today. I really appreciate all your input. Kate: Thank you so much. This was a great conversation and an important one.Haizel: When it comes to the reevaluations or any evaluation that Sayeira has had, I don't feel that the evaluation themselves have been difficult. She tends to like attention. And she does well one on one. So she did well with that. I think the hardest thing I've had to deal with when it comes to Sayeira having her IEP is her realizing she had an IEP. For many years, she received the services and had no idea that she was any different. It wasn't until we were doing the high school application process where there is an opportunity for different consideration of students that have IEPs, and unfortunately it states in the booklet that you look at it — so students with disabilities, they have a different code for those students who apply to high schools. It wasn't until then that she realized that she had an IEP and that she had a disability in the sense of how the DOE considers it. And that was probably the hardest conversation I had with her. To help her understand there's nothing wrong with her — that everyone needs support. Everyone learns differently. It's just that in her case, she has a little more support than other students.Andy: So we've been talking about how reevaluations help schools and families see if a child's strengths and needs have changed over time. But what can adults say to kids about getting reevaluated? My next guest is Amanda Morin. She co-hosts Understood's "In It" podcasts about the joys and frustrations of parenting kids who learn and think differently. She's the mom of two kids who learn differently. And she also worked as a classroom teacher and as an early intervention specialist. Amanda, welcome. Amanda: Thank you.Andy: So you know getting reevaluated can be really challenging for some kids and no big deal for others. What kinds of things do you advise parents to say to their kids about reevaluations? Amanda: There are a couple of things that really matter here, right? Sometimes kids don't have a good experience in a previous evaluation, especially if it was their first evaluation, because they didn't know what to expect, or they felt on the spot, or they didn't have a good rapport with the evaluator. And I think it's important to know ahead of time, from the school, who is going to be evaluating. And if it's the same person, then I think there's an opportunity to say to your child, I know this was tough for you the first time. And also, you get to show this person how much you've grown. For older kids, sometimes you may just have to say to them, this is the grind. This is the grind, this is the part that's tough. This is the part that you may not want to do. And also think of how well things are going in school for you. Hopefully, things are going well, right. And I want to make that point, if things are going well in school, you can say like, think of how well things are going in school. If we know where you're at now, they could be even better. And if things aren't going well in school, this is your opportunity to say. The reevaluation is to really get a better sense of why school isn't going as well as it could be for you. So we can get more information together. So we can make a plan. So things get better. Andy: And I think that for a lot of kids, that becomes really, really important. The idea that we're really, we're getting almost a report card on the interventions. And by giving the same sort of evaluation tools three years later, we can really see: is the stuff working for you? And I think that if it's not and you continue to be frustrated, it's really important that you're involved in this. Amanda: I love the idea of describing it as a report card on of what we've tried. It's such a good way of sort of changing the framing of that, to be able to say to your child, "Hey, guess what, you're going to be the person who's grading on this one." Andy: And also being able to say to them, you know, this is another way of showing what's working for you and what's not. And I think that's a great opening question for a lot of kids. Like when we start off these meetings, and we're talking about getting reevaluated an older kid is at the table, and we say, maybe you can tell us about what do you think's working for you here? What do you think isn't working for you? Amanda: There are things to avoid in this as well, right? There are things that I would suggest parents don't say. Don't make promises, right? Don't make promises that this will bring about change. Don't make promises that this is going to keep things at a status quo. Because sometimes we don't know. A lot of parents worry about a reevaluation because they worry about what it means in terms of eligibility. Are we trying to test my child out of the supports they have? Right? I would not suggest passing that anxiety on to your child. I would also suggest for parents to maybe think about that a little bit differently. And realize that if that's what's happening — if what the reevaluation is showing is that your child has has gained so much from the supports and accommodations that they don't need the specialized instruction anymore — that's something to celebrate. That's something that's very, very cool. You may be anxious about it, because you may worry about what happens if then my child needs that again? And I think for you as a parent and for your child, if that comes up, you can say, "We can always have this conversation again." Don't worry that you've done well, right? Let's celebrate that.Andy: So we've talked about the what, why, and how of reevaluations. If there's one thing you can take away from this discussion, it's that reevaluations can help you and the school see how your child's strengths and needs have changed over time. So don't be afraid to ask lots of questions until you understand what's happening and why. As always, remember that as a parent, you are the first and best expert on your child.In our next episode, we'll focus on how to talk to your child about different steps in the evaluation process. We hope you'll join us.You've been listening to Season 1 of "Understood Explains," from the Understood Podcast Network. If you want to learn more about the topics we covered today, check out the show notes for this episode. We include more resources as well as links to anything we've mentioned in the episode.And now, just as a reminder of who we're doing all this for, I'm going to turn it over to Amalia to read our credits. Take it away, Amalia. Amalia: "Understood Explains" is produced by Julie Rawe and Cody Nelson, who also did the sound design for the show. Briana Berry is our production director. Andrew Lee is our editorial lead. Our theme was written by Justin D. Wright, who also mixes the show. For the Understood Podcast Network, Laura Key is our editorial director. Scott Cocchiere is our creative director. Seth Melnick is our executive producer. A very special thanks to Amanda Morin and all the other parents and actors who helped us make the show. Thanks for listening. See you next time. Andy: Understood is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people who learn and think differently discover their potential and thrive. Learn more at understood.org/mission.

6 signs your child is burned out

Kids can experience burnout for different reasons. It’s especially important to watch for signs of burnout in kids who learn and think differently. They’re working hard to build skills and may face more hurdles. Plus, like all kids, they’re dealing with the demands of school, home life, and the outside world. Stress overload can dampen the motivation that keeps your child working to improve. Here are six common signs of burnout to watch out for. 1. ProcrastinationYour child used to be motivated to start schoolwork right away. Now you have to give several reminders. And your child still complains and stalls.2. ApathyYour child seems to have stopped caring about things. In the past, when you asked, “How did speech therapy go today?” your child would describe the session in detail. Now your child just shrugs and says, “OK, I guess.”3. AvoidanceYour child loved the first few months of being in a social skills group. Now your child comes up with excuses not to go. Or they’re coming up with excuses not to go to school at all. 4. Anxiety and fearSchool has always been hard for your child. But the anxiety has become so intense that your child cries each night. Some kids also have test anxiety at the end of the school year, making them want to avoid school on test days. 5. Trouble concentratingYour child can focus for only about 10 minutes before becoming distracted. It used to be for twice as long. Being overly stressed or tired can cause kids to “check out,” especially if they have extra tests and school work.6. Irritability and negativityYour child seems to be easily annoyed or upset by little things that weren’t a big deal in the past. Or, instead of their usual positivity, your child often says, “What’s the point?” How to help Recognizing the signs can help you make changes at home to prevent burnout. Start by asking what kinds of emotions your child has been feeling. Explain what burnout is, and then brainstorm with your child about what might help. Explore tips for avoiding burnout. And learn more about stress and anxiety in kids who learn and think differently.

A mom of 8 with limited resources on advocating for her son with ADHD

This Philadelphia mom of eight dedicated herself to advocating for her son with ADHD — and felt judged in the process. Hear her story and advice. Melissa is a single mom from Philadelphia who faced many challenges while raising her son Abdullah, who has ADHD and learning differences. A second-generation Puerto Rican and a high school graduate, Melissa faced stigma, limited resources, and a knowledge barrier. But she dedicated herself to making sure her son could learn and self-advocate — all while juggling seven other kids.  This week, Julian Saavedra and Marissa Wallace welcome Melissa, who they’ve been friends with ever since they taught her son. Listen in to hear how this mom beat the odds by being her son’s best advocate. Hear the advice she has for parents like herself. And find out what Abdullah is up to now. Related resources8 steps to advocating for your child at schoolHow to find more support when you have kids who learn and think differentlyPerspectives: How to make sure families of color are heard by the schoolEpisode transcript Julian: From the Understood Podcast Network, this is "The Opportunity Gap," a podcast for families of kids of color who learn and think differently. We explore issues of privilege, race, and identity. And our goal is to help you advocate for your child. I'm Julian Saavedra.Marissa: And I'm Marissa Wallace. Julian and I worked together for years as teachers in a public charter school in Philadelphia, where we saw opportunity gaps firsthand.Julian: And we're both parents of kids of color. So this is personal to us.Marissa: Hello and welcome, everyone. It is so wonderful to be here tonight because this evening we have the honor and the privilege to introduce and welcome to the show one of our very dear old friends from our previous lives back at good old KIPP West Charter School is where Julian and I first met and where we met this amazing parent, Melissa, thank you so much for being here.Melissa is one of a kind. She is a true family member. And we wanted to take some time to talk with her specifically, because not only is she a great parent to eight — get that, eight — amazing kids, but she also is someone who was super supportive within our school. And she was able to really help us to grow as educators when we got to work and have the privilege to work with her son Abdullah. We know he has accomplished so many great things as an adult and throughout that educational experience. He does have a lending and thinking difference, and we really were able to learn from him and from you, Melissa. So thank you so much. We're just so excited for you to be here. So welcome. Welcome to our podcast.Melissa: Thank you so much for having me. It's my pleasure and honor to be here.Julian: Thank you so much for joining us. Like Marissa said, it's just exciting when we get to talk about somebody that we know very intimately, somebody that we know on both sides of the equation with the student side and the parent's side. And it's just an honor for us to elevate somebody like yourself. So that being said, tell us about yourself. Tell us a little bit about who you are and what brings you on our show.Melissa: I'm a single mom of eight kids. I'm a high school graduate. And right now, I am living an amazing career as an office production studio manager and an artist. I'm Puerto Rican, second generation over here. And my children also are second generation West Indian. Their father's from Barbados and international because we just like love everyone's culture. So we just adapted to that and brought that into our own. And I raised my children in an Orthodox Islamic  way.Julian: Let's speak specifically about your children. As we said earlier, both Marissa and I were fortunate enough to teach multiple members of your family. But the first one that we taught was Abdullah. We know specifically Abdullah has ADHD. And I remember, as his social studies teacher, how inquisitive he was and how confident he was in his ability.And you know, somebody who had come to the table with learning and thinking differences, but also were confident. In his case, he had a quiet confidence about, and I remember how much it impacted my own teaching because it made me want to bring my A game every day. And it made me want to make sure that I was producing like high-quality lessons and making sure that what I was putting in front of him was going to be worthy of his intelligence. So that's what I saw, right? And this is going back years and years and years, but I'd love for you to tell our listeners just more about him. Tell us more about Abdullah.Melissa: Abdullah made me who I was as a mother and a parent. I was really challenged to defy all stigmas that were placed on me as being a young, Hispanic mother with a kid who didn't go to college or having a kid with physical delays, and then later having learning differences, he really just challenged me every day, like, to just be my best. Put everything aside that was like placed on me and really just to like learn, pick up a book and ask questions.He was very quiet about it. So the best word to describe him would be very stoic. And that is really who he is. He's always known that things are just different for him. Like he sees things differently. He holds things differently. He couldn't button his pants like his friends, or he couldn't run down the street like his friends, or ride the bike as quickly, but he always challenged himself. He never was like, I can't do this.Marissa: And that's such a beautiful picture of Abdullah. And as we are continuing to talk about Abdullah, tell me more about like, when and how you noticed, or how did you determine that he had learning and thinking differences?Melissa: So when Abdullah was 3 days, 3 days old, they told me that he had a hole in his heart. So at 7 days old, he had to have open-heart surgery. So at that point, I always just kept like an extra eye on him, his development, how he was sleeping, how he was breathing, what he was eating, how he was moving.So when he was 6 months and he wasn't sitting — up a 6-month-old baby should be sitting up or really trying to sit up. I had just had a conversation with his pediatrician. And so that was like really vital for me, for him to have a pediatrician that I was like, heard my concerns and listened. So at that moment, they made the reference to had him evaluated. And we did find out that at that moment, he did have some physical disabilities and differences that made it hard for him to sit up. And we then provided physical therapy for him at that moment.Marissa: And that's so important. That is something we've talked about on this show before too, is just the importance of that early intervention. And you being so observant and so aware definitely helped throughout the process for the acceptance for you as the family, and then Abdullah as he was navigating school. You know, after you got the information and kind of sifted through it yourself, how did you then tell Abdullah about his learning and thinking differences? How did you explain to him what was going on?Melissa: I don't think it was really until his older adolescent years, probably even like his middle school years when he came to KIPP and I invited him to his first IEP meeting. I had the conversation with him about how he learns and speaking up about what he needs and what these meetings were about and that he had a voice in his education. And that's why he was there, so that he could know one day that he had to advocate for himself and take over for his own education, along with the support of his family and like the staff at the school.Marissa: Thank you for sharing about Abdullah and for sharing about just that experience of you acknowledging and understanding his learning and thinking differences, and then sharing that with him. And him being part of those meetings was such a crucial part for sure, in his experience. What was the response then from his siblings and from the rest of the family? How did they navigate that as well?Melissa: I know the conversation was always present with them before it was present with Abdullah. You don't know like the right words and you don't know what to say to your child that has like a learning difference. I was always afraid to say something that would discourage him. So I would just always give him like encouraging words. But when it came to his family, it was like they missed out on a lot of weekends. They sat at home when I had to drive an hour away to get Abdullah to therapy or to get what he needed.So we had to talk to them about that, about what he needed. They felt like what they were getting, like the short end of the stick, he was getting a chance to go to his cool therapy places that have cool gadgets. And they were bright and colorful when he got to do all these fun things and they got to sit home.So we had the conversation about that, that he really needed that support. And then we also had to have the conversation as well when it came to playing, because sometimes they would think that he was trying to get away with things or not doing something, or he couldn't play the game as well as the other kids 'cause his comprehension wasn't there on understanding a game. So that was one we maybe had to make some modifications to the game or do you know, just talk to the kids about just having some understanding and compassion for him.Julian: That's really positive that that's the experience he had within his own family in the Black and brown community. There is sometimes a stigma around the idea of learning and thinking differences and receiving special education services. So you and I come from very similar timeframe of when we were in school and the experiences we had in our own school experience. What was the experience for you all when it came to some of those stigmas coming up and how did y'all deal with?Melissa: So for me, growing up, the first experience that I had, that was a huge — just a teacher for me, right? — was my own oldest brother. He was labeled a learning disability, was placed in like the basement class. So I saw how the school system treated him. And I also saw how successful he was when he graduated from high school.And I didn't want that for my kid. I was like, I didn't want him to be placed in the basement or to just hurry up and be passed through school, just to get a diploma. And just to say that the school district did their thing. I wanted my son to get an education. I believed that he could go to college and I believed that he had the right to learning just like every other person in this world, no matter which way we learn.Julian: Gotcha. So did you experience any pushback to that?Melissa: The major challenge and pushback was not understanding the language, right? Feeling like I was this uneducated person with the high school diploma, from the Badlands that didn't know how to navigate an IEP. And I made it known that I knew what these things were, but there was still some things about the lingo that I didn't understand.So that's where I felt the problem came in. Not fully knowing all of my rights that were there and weren't exercised. And not to put any teacher at fault, but you guys are just doing your job. And if the parents don't ask and we don't raise our concerns, how are you to know that those are our concerns and really bring it up when you are placed with 30 students to one teacher and the ratio is just really off there to begin with.Marissa: I know we have talked before and I know Abdullah had started education homeschooling. So that was also probably part of your story and part of Abdullah's story is then going from that homeschooling environment to making the transition to the charter school. And so I'm curious, and you just unpacked and shared a lot about kind of your learning curve and the things that you learned about the process and about the, so what led you to make the decision to have him come into the charter school? And how do you feel that he adjusted to that decision?Melissa: OK. So there was a moment where we were homeschooling and I could not get Abdullah past the third-grade math curriculum. I did not know what to do. Like I was just not equipped and I needed help. And there were days where Abdullah got everything he needed. He got caught up on his work. And then my three daughters just sat there, like looking and playing with their LEGOs and their dolls. And it's probably why they're engineers now. 'Cause they had like all this free time to play, but like LEGOs, they didn't get what they needed. And then the other day. They got what they needed and Abdullah didn't what he needed.And he needed continuous support every day, like extended year-round learning and not just like the normal learning, like in a classroom. Just learning every way we want. And it was just really frustrating. And I started to feel like a failure as a parent. And, um, I started to hate homeschooling. And I didn't want it to be like that. I didn't want, I didn't, I didn't like that feeling. So I sought out the best help that I could. I did my research on the internet. I asked around to some families to ask what they were doing.Marissa: Do you feel, or, you know, I know it was many, many years ago, but how do you feel that Abdullah adjusted to, to KIPP, in to that environment?Melissa: So it was just like, they all around family support and he went to school with his sister. So that really mattered. And me being able to come to the school and sit in the back of the classroom if I needed to, or just volunteer and show my face in the hallway, that really allowed him to adjust. And he didn't feel different because of his skin color. And he wasn't teased because of his learning difference.Julian: Did you go through an evaluation process to get Abdullah special education services?Melissa: It was exciting. It was scary, and I'm glad I did it. It was like the roadmap to life for me for three years. So it was one of the best things that I did, and I was able to be there and be like an interactive part of his education and his IEP.Like they taught me what they were teaching him in school. They showed me the things so that I was able to do these things at home with him and not just play with him, bring learning into play and everything around us. So it was really cool part, but it was scary. Then, like I spoke to before, I didn't know how to ask the right questions.Julian: How did you go about just getting the information, like even during this evaluation process or as you went further along with Abdullah, how did you go about educating yourself?Melissa: Sharing my concerns with other parents around me and asking the pediatrician questions. Asking his physical therapist, his occupational therapist, and his speech therapist questions and a psychologist, and really telling them what my vision was for my kid.Like I described who I saw Abdullah being when he was a grown man, when I wasn't here for him and who I wanted him to be and who he needed to be for himself when no one was there. And they recommended books to me, and it taught us about differences on what side of the brains we use to learn and do things. So really like reading and just asking questions from all of people that were there at my disposal, in my home for like an hour two days a week.Julian: And I mean, that's parenting, right? All of us are parents on this call and we all are in this mode where we're constantly educating ourselves about how to be the best parents we can be. So I love that you said you did a lot of reading. Thinking about that and helping Abdullah navigate his school experience, what are some of the learning strategies that you saw really worked for him? We know specifically, Abdullah has ADHD. What are some things that really worked for him?Melissa: I have learned through many rounds of trial and error and just really a lot of trying things out is that he's like a multisensory learner. He needs to have his directions broken down to him, repeated it to him several times. And he's able to say that now he's able to say, "Can you repeat that?" And he's learned how to repeat the directions that were told to him. He knows. Now that's a skill that helps him remember what he needs to do.Marissa: I know for sure, both Julian and I, in our time working with him, we saw him thrive in many different environments, both academically and functionally and personally.Julian: Yeah. I remember, you know, I taught him in eighth grade and I remember that the quiet confidence and the schoolwork definitely came out, but socialization is also incredibly important during middle school. And as one of the general education classrooms that had everybody push in, we had a mixture of abilities in the classroom.And so there are some times when the teacher has to really manage the social interactions between all the students in the room. And I just remember that he was one of the coolest kids in my class. Like the boys would really dig him and it wasn't like a fake "Hey, I'm trying to be nice" or anything. It was like they really, they vibed with him.And I remember during, we were having some debate about something and I did a lot of debates in my class. And I remember they, they were on either side and Abdullah, like had the last point in the debate and it was like the mic drop. And all the boys were like, "Oh, he said that." And they gave him a high fives and whatnot. And he might not even remember this, but I just remember the smile on his face.Marissa: Yeah, absolutely. You mentioned this multiple times throughout our conversation today, about the importance of support systems. Have you kind of created those systems for both yourself, right, as a parent and for Abdullah? What are some things you've done to create those systems in your lives?Melissa: Really having a support of family around us. Like my mom was a vital part into getting things done, getting me to appointments. And Grandmom who was just, she was like always another person that I felt that I had to prove something to. She was like an important part of that support system as well, because it was like, I wanted to live up to her standards and yeah, I have a kid with learning differences and yeah, have a kid who's physically disabled, but he's going to do anything that he wants to do and puts his mind to. So that was like really important for me building that, that family support, the doctors around me. And most importantly, it was like the school just really being open with them.And I'm just so blessed that I happened to choose KIPP because when I put my kids in school, they were two different ages. So I had two other kids that weren't old enough to get into KIPP because they didn't have the elementary school yet. And we got that family support. That was just really important and vital to me like building that support. And those were like the major support systems, was family, your health care system, your doctors — having the right pediatrician — and the school.Marissa: The chosen family. And we definitely considered your family. And there's continued like, like Julian said, this is decades later, and we are still very thankful and very blessed to have worked with your family and Abdullah.Julian: And I think people listening need to hear that, that there's multiple areas of support. And sometimes we don't even realize that we have that support until we need something. And that's important to recognize too. So Abdullah, 24 years old now, 24 years old grown man.Melissa: Yes. We just celebrated his birthday. I embarrassed him at my art studio. An amazing band performed. I'm going to give them a shout-out, the name is Dockle Banger, um, but they performed on stage and I got on stage with a birthday cake and we all sang happy birthday to him and it was amazing and we just showered him with love.Julian: So you want to tell us what he's up to? Where is he at in life right now?Melissa: Right now, he just came home from a two-week orientation at a technical school in Western Pennsylvania that is designed for young adults with learning differences, that supports adults with on any level that they need. They even have like driving classes. So I'm like what? This gets me off the hook when teaching them how to drive.Yeah, my kid is going to come home with a trade skill and be able to be confident and knowing how to balance his checkbook on his own and drive? Like what? So that's what he's doing. And he got a chance to explore.Marissa: All good things there. Thank you for sharing. And clearly Abdullah has really, really evolved. Like he really has become his own individual with all of the strengths that we saw in middle school. And now he's taking that strength and going, oh gosh, that's so exciting. I cannot wait to hear the rest of the story because this is just the beginning.Julian: This podcast is specifically for families that might just be starting on finding out that their student or their child has learning and thinking differences. And they don't know. They have that stigma maybe, or they might just be really worried because they're, they don't have the knowledge that you have. What advice would you have to somebody that is just starting out their journey?Melissa: There's always that feeling in your heart that tells you hey, something is off here. So ask the question. Take notes. Do your research. Those are like some of the most important pieces of advice that I can give. And don't take no for an answer. Like don't take no, that's not possible. No, it's too late in the school year to do it. No, that can't be done. Explain to me why it can't be so you can understand. And if it can't be done this way, then find another way to get it done. Because there is nothing that is impossible. And just really like believe in yourself because these babies are a gift to us. And we wouldn't — we're their number one advocate for a reason. So just trust in that and know that you can really do it. And you have the support out there. The support is there for you. Just ask.Julian: Mic drop, just like your son. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. Thank you.You've been listening to "The Opportunity Gap" from the Understood Podcast Network. And this is our last episode of the season. We're going to see you after summer break. If you have any topics and I mean, anything that you want us to talk about for Season 2, please email us, hit us up. We want to get Season 2 poppin'. So please, reach out at opportunitygap@understood.org.Marissa: Understood is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people who learn and think differently discover their potential and thrive. Learn more at understood.org/mission. "The Opportunity Gap" is produced by Cin Pim. Briana Berry is our production director. Andrew Lee is our editorial lead. Our theme music was written by Justin D. Wright, who also mixes the show. For the Understood Podcast Network, Laura Key is our editorial director, Scott Cocchiere is our creative director, and Seth Melnick is our executive producer.Julian: Thanks again for listening.

Getting an IEP for your very young child

It’s never too early to get help for a child with developmental delays or learning and thinking differences. Your child must be at least 3 years old to qualify for an IEP. But even before then, your child may be eligible for special education services.What to do if your child is under age 3From infancy until age 3, children can receive help through early intervention services. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), a federal law, requires that every state provide early intervention. You don’t need a referral. You can request a free evaluation from your state’s early intervention services program.If your child is found to have a disability or a serious developmental delay, services such as speech therapy or occupational therapy will be provided in your home at no cost to you.If your child qualifies for these services, you’ll work with a team of educators to develop an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) for your child. The IFSP is a legally binding document that specifies which services and supports the state will provide to your child.“There’s no benefit to waiting if you’re concerned about your child. Getting answers as early as possible can help keep your child from falling behind.” What to do if your child is between ages 3 and 5IDEA guarantees that eligible preschoolers, ages 3 to 5, can get an Individualized Education Program (IEP) and special education services through the public school system. Like an IFSP, an IEP is a legally binding document. It spells out the services and accommodations the school district will provide to meet your child’s needs.If your child qualifies for an IEP, they’ll most likely be offered a free spot at a preschool run by the district.Here’s how you can try to get an IEP for a child between the ages of 3 and 5:Look, listen, and list your concerns. Observe your child and keep a list of behaviors or other examples that make you wonder if there’s a learning or thinking difference. Your list will help you present your concerns to people who can help.Talk to the pediatrician and/or the preschool teacher. Share your observations and concerns with your child’s doctor and teachers (if your child attends preschool or daycare). Ask if what they see is typical for children that age. They may assure you that your child’s development is on track.Get a referral for an evaluation. If the doctor or teachers share your concerns, you can ask for a referral to your state’s Child Find program. Child Find provides free screenings and evaluations for children who show signs of a developmental delay or learning differences. You also can send a letter to the school district’s special education director, requesting a (free) evaluation.Your request for an evaluation can be denied. That’s why it’s important to describe in detail the reasons for your concerns. You also may want to include copies of any tests or doctors’ notes that support your concerns.After a complete evaluation, your child will qualify for an IEP if they meet these criteria:They are at least 3 years old.The evaluation shows they have a disability or delay covered by IDEA.They need special education services to address those issues before starting kindergarten.What if your child is already in kindergarten or grade school?The process of getting an IEP for a grade-schooler is similar to the process for a preschooler. Whether your child attends a public or private school or is homeschooled, you can request an evaluation by contacting your local school district.There’s no benefit to waiting if you’re concerned about your child. Getting answers as early as possible can help keep your child from falling behind. You’ll also understand your child better. This will help you find strategies such as assistive technology and any other accommodations your child needs to succeed.

Single parenting: Raising kids who learn differently on your own

What unique challenges do single parents face when raising kids with learning differences? Hear from a single parent who’s “in it.”  What unique challenges do single parents face when raising kids with learning differences?  In this episode, hosts Amanda Morin and Gretchen Vierstra talk with a single parent who’s “in it.” Rachel is raising her 10-year-old daughter, who has ADHD and other learning challenges. Listen to Rachel talk about the journey she’s been on with her daughter. Hear how she’s trying to manage everything as a single parent. Plus, get Rachel’s tips for how to use humor during challenging moments.Related resourcesWhat is working memory? Our community weighs in: How your relationship with your child changed after the diagnosisPlus, hear from another single parent: Raising an intense daughter with ADHD (Andrea’s story)Episode transcriptAmanda: From the Understood Podcast Network, this is "In It." On this podcast, we offer perspectives, stories, and advice for and from people who have challenges with reading, math, focus, and other types of learning differences. We talk to parents, caregivers, teachers, experts, and sometimes even kids. I'm Amanda Morin. I'm the director of thought leadership for Understood. And I'm a parent to kids who learn differently.Gretchen: And I'm Gretchen Vierstra, a former classroom teacher and an editor here at Understood. And today we're talking about what it's like raising a child with learning and thinking differences as a single parent.Amanda: Of course, there are as many stories and different experiences out there as there are single parents. But today we're focusing on Rachel, who is a single mom by choice. She has a 10-year-old daughter who's been diagnosed with a number of learning challenges.Gretchen: To preserve her daughter's privacy. We won't be using Rachel's last name. And we won't be using her daughter's name at all.Amanda: And a quick note before we get started. There are a couple of curse words in this conversation. Nothing too outrageous, but you may not want to play it around those with tender ears who might repeat it in places you don't want them to.Gretchen: We're so pleased to have Rachel with us for this conversation. Rachel, welcome to "In It."Rachel: Thank you.Amanda: Actually, Rachel, before we get into the nitty-gritty of raising a child with learning disabilities on your own, we'd love it if you could tell us a little bit about you and also about your daughter. Like what she's like, what she's into, what makes her awesome to you?Rachel: Sure. Well, I'm 47. I lived for many years in New York City. And then, anticipating that I might become a parent on my own, I experimented with life in the country in western Massachusetts, where I have now lived for over 10 years. This is where I had my daughter, who is now 10. And my daughter is absolutely wonderful. She is, first of all, hilarious, which is a very important value of mine. Anybody who can slay me is an instant friend, and my daughter's very funny. For example, we like to sing popular songs pretending we are our dog, one of our dogs, in the voice of our dog. So that's just an example of — she'll bust out like a rap lyric, but in my dog's voice. She's very athletic. She's a very skillful skier. She likes anything propulsive: skateboards, scooters, skis. But that's her. And she loves fashion, by the way. That's another one.Gretchen: How are the two of you similar, and how are the two of you different?Rachel: Well, we're both similar in that we are pretty competitive. We have high expectations of ourselves. And like I said, we're both funny. Wait, did I say I was funny? I'm funny.Gretchen: Oh, I we got that, right?Rachel: Yeah. Like my partner — so I do have a partner now, though she doesn't live in Western Mass. But my partner says that when I cook, I'm not allowed to say that the food is good until the other people have said it's good, because I have a tendency to like take a bite out of what I've made at a dinner party and be like, "Oh, this is so good." And my partner is like, "Rachel! Let the other people say it's good." I just was reminded of that and I was like, and also I'm funny. Like, probably I'm not supposed to say that, but I think I'm pretty funny. And, so how are we different? God. Well, you know, it's an interesting question week to week, because I feel like my daughter at the age of 10 is starting to go through that pre-adolescent developmental process — to use a very clinical word to describe a very dramatic event for girls. I find her changing before my eyes in some ways. I notice her becoming more risk-averse. I wonder if that is linked, almost like as a comorbidity, as they say, to her learning challenges. Meaning her consciousness, her awareness of her limitations is potentially shaping how comfortable she is in the face of uncertainty or dealing with failure, because she has a lot of pride. She's also intensely stubborn. She's a — can't believe I'm about to say this on a podcast — she's a Taurus. So I'm like going to use her astrological sign. But she is, she's a bull, man, and and it takes her longer to come around. I have the emotional life of, like, a middle schooler, by which I mean, I pass through feelings very intensely and very quickly. So that's, I mean, yeah, there are a lot of ways we're different. She's also quite opaque about her feelings. So she's not a kid who's like, "I am feeling worried about my learning issues," right? It's more like, "I'm fine." And obviously still waters run deep and I'm only beginning to get insight into what's really going on there. Because I'm somebody who, for a living, teaches people how to express themselves and develop their emotional intelligence. I'm like, what do you mean you're not going to tell me how you feel every five minutes?Amanda: Do you mind sharing with us the specifics of your child's learning differences and whether she has a formal diagnosis or anything?Rachel: Sure. We recently had her second neuropsych evaluation. Her first was at the end of first grade, and the second was — we're now close to the end of fourth grade. And while there was not really a clear diagnosis, there were signs at the end of first grade. And now the diagnosis is subthreshold ADHD, the primarily inattentive kind. And that means, so far as I understand it, that she meets criteria for having that primarily inattentive ADHD, but she's — but not all of it. Enough of it to recommend trying meds. She's got very low working memory. She scores in the 19th percentile for working memory, which basically means, you know, taking in information and being able to manipulate that information in order to accomplish a task. So for her, that could look like, you know, looking at a word and she's reading the instructions. It says, like, you know, underline the base word and circle the suffix and then write it down on the slide. And that's hard for her to take that information and use it, execute the task. She also has learning disabilities in math and reading comprehension, and she is showing signs of anxiety in the psychosocial piece, as well as other kind of attendant psychological concerns. And yeah, that was not the funnest reading material I've ever engaged with. Funnest, actually not being word. But even recounting it to you both right now, you know, I can feel myself sort of clutching and seizing my body, like, it's just it's not — not fun. So, yeah, that's all of it.Amanda: There's nothing quite like seeing your child sort of reduced to a report on paper that doesn't say like, "And she also raps in the dog's voice and she also skis."Gretchen: When did you first think there might be something going on with your daughter? Did you notice it? Did someone else notice it?Rachel: I never notice anything. Can I tell you? I'm just like, this is my kid. Hey, sometimes she does this, sometimes she does that. Like, maybe because I'm an educator, maybe because I ran a residential summer camp for many years. I'm like, all kids are annoying pains in the asses sometimes. Like that's just kind of how I am. Like, I don't know. So I — maybe some people would think I would pick up on it fast. I didn't pick up on anything because I just sort of feel this like — kids are going to be kids. It was, it was my daughter's caregiver when she was 10 months old or 9 months old who said, "You know, she's not making a lot of speech sounds." And I was like, "OK, sure." And she's like, "Well, I think you should get her evaluated.". So, you know, we called early intervention. They came, they found developmental delays in every category. I think she was 14 months old at that point. You know, I have mixed feelings about it. Before I got that second neuropsych, I would have told you, did I really need to call early intervention? Like, you know, she actually — the thing for which we brought her, speech, is the thing that she is strongest on now. When early intervention comes, you know, they earn their pay by finding problems. So it was tricky for me to get then a whole new report when my kid was not even 2 years old that was like every single category. It's like, "No, dude, I just want to talk about her speech.". You know, I'm telling you this story because I think that we also are coming of age as parents in a world where there's a literal industry that is built to, yes, help your child, but also profits off pathologizing your child. And it's a kind of chicken and the egg thing. Like, of course, you want help for your kid, but you also don't want so much information that you begin to label them and treat them in a particular way. So that was the beginning. And, you know, I didn't really think a lot of it after she began talking really effectively, you know, after she became an exceptional speaker. And I was like, all right, cool. She was just a little late. And then in first grade, a teacher suggested that she might need extra support and that she was having trouble following directions. And following directions, that's the working memory piece. And from then on, there was again, no diagnosis in first grade, but it was just clear that she was struggling, particularly in math. She was struggling to be able to provide salient details about passages that she had read. And then at the same time, I was like, "Oh, wait a second, I think I have this problem, too." And I started to learn more about the hereditary nature of this, and I was like, oh, right, like that weird feeling frozen in my brain that happens when I'm presented with information that feels overwhelming. Maybe that's what that is. So there's also this whole other parallel process of like, wait a second, me too? And you're almost like rethinking your whole, your childhood while you're watching your kid figure out theirs.Amanda: I think a lot of people do that. And it's like, how do you reconcile doing both of them at the same time, you know?Rachel: I mean, you get good therapy if you can, right? You make sure you have people to talk to. I do think it's one of the most important things we can do as parents is remember that our children are individual beings. And so I think it's very important not to try to superimpose or, you know, conflate our experiences with theirs. It always feels better to be like, "Oh, my kid's just like me." Because then we don't have to do the work of taking care of who they are, because then it just feels like we're taking care of who we are. That is one of the great challenges where I think we're biased towards wanting our kids to be like us because it's just so terrifying when they're not. So that's how you reconcile it, is you don't actually. You recognize that they're not to be reconciled, just that there might be parallel experiences. And if you can find compassion for your child, you should be able to find it for yourself and vice versa.Gretchen: What kind of conversations have you had with your daughter about learning differences, and how has she been responding to this whole process?Rachel: Well, again, there's a lot of opaqueness there. I wish I really knew. So one of my parenting policies is that I never lie to her. I'm very clear. And she, I think, trusts wholly that she is always being told the truth. And what I say to her is, if I can't tell her the truth, then I'm not going to say anything. Ninety-nine percent of the time we can live that way. So in this case, I've been very direct with her and I have said you have learning challenges when it comes to math and reading. And I've explained to her what working memory is. And I said, everybody has challenges and this is going to be yours. And here are some challenges I have. Here are some people in our lives. You know, this is this person's challenge and this is that person's challenge. This is going to be the thing that's hardest for you that I'm pretty sure of. And I say to her also, like, you don't really want to have a life in which you don't have any challenges, because being able to deal with challenges is going to make you have a much happier and more successful life. It's the kids who don't have any problems right now who actually have it harder later. And that I can say it with great certainty, and research will back me up. So, you know, I'm trying to frame it as being able to deal with difficulty is a muscle that we all have to flex and we're going to get you the support you need. And as she gets older, I'm also going to tell her that this experience of school is presented to us as a neutral structure, but is structured around the experience of a particular kind of learner. And that that's a systemic problem. And it doesn't mean she's defective. It means the system is. But she's not ready for that yet.Amanda: Yeah, but she — I mean, it sounds like the two of you have like a really open dialogue about this. And I'm wondering how much of that do you feel like is because it's the two of you?Rachel: I mean, probably a little bit is that. But I think it's just also like because I'm an educator and because I believe in treating children as people, like it's just how I am. And I also think that when you are raising a child on your own, you are more transparent because you do not have a partner to absorb the emotions and the angst that you invariably experience. You kind of leak — your feelings leak out more because you don't have that sponge of the other person. And I don't want to assume that everyone who is partnered has a partner willing to absorb, but many do. One thing I've learned, you know, my therapist used to say to me before I understood this, she'd be like, just because people are married doesn't mean they're happy. Because, you know, I was always, like, single and like, you know, aching for a partner. And I would do this thing where, of course, you know, very black and white. Oh, everyone who's married is just, like, so happy. She's like, no, they just don't talk about it. But there is something about the way in which a dyad, a group of two, can contain things that a single person cannot. Or at least not this one.Amanda: When you started this process, was there someone with whom you could have conversations so you felt like you had someone to bounce ideas off?Rachel: I mean, the thing about being single for so many years is that I doubled down on my friendships. So I have a beautiful friend network. I also have a partner now who is an educator herself. You know, we can talk about it. But actually my daughter's — Jewish people don't usually have godparents, so let's just say like guardian — is herself a second grade teacher, now becoming a learning specialist. And she's just always been the person who, like, came with me to the neuropsych meeting the first time and sat with me, you know. When the psychologist said, "Did anything happen to you during your pregnancy?" — right? — and trying to understand what was wrong with my daughter, I just burst into tears. And there was my friend Maggie, like holding my hand, which P.S., it's just such a stupid question. Don't ask me that fucking question. Like, sorry, I'm going to drop an F-bomb. But like, do you know what I mean? Like I think I get why you're doing it, but maybe just like ask it in a, in a written assessment. It's just, it's such a mom-shaming question. Like, what does she think I'm going to say? I had a couple of margaritas one night when I was nursing? That's true. Yeah. You think that? Is that why? Like, I know that I'm going a little far here, but I just — my point is, like, the kinds of things that can happen to you in those conversations can be incredibly demoralizing. Yes, it is good to have someone with you. And also, we do live in a culture that invariably, you know, consciously or not, often blames the mother. I'm going to settle down now. Don't worry.Amanda: No no, you're good. You're just going to get us riled up. That's what's going to happen. We're all going to have this conversation now. I feel it. I just feel it in my bones because I think about all the conversations that I had, you know, and this is my background, right? I actually — and I'm laughing a little bit when I say this — I'm a former teacher and early intervention specialist. And sitting — and even sitting in the evaluations for my own kids, having people say those kinds of things to me, I was just like, I know that you are trying to find a way to make this make sense, but sometimes it just doesn't make sense. So, you know, let's not put this on me. And side note, I just do not like sitting in meetings where people call me Mom. It's not my name. You know, like they say "Mom, did you ever...?" Know my name. You know, just please don't call me Mom.Rachel: Oh, my God. I so agree with that. I haven't really verbalized that, but yeah, that's annoying.Gretchen: You know, speaking of people sometimes being annoying and sometimes being super helpful. So in your circle of friends or in other parents you met along the way as you were finding out about your daughter's learning challenges, what was helpful from other folks? And what was not helpful?Rachel: I think what's helpful is just like empathy. Empathy is always helpful. You know, I was just listening to a podcast about grief and loss by a woman who's written a new book about this subject. And she said something to the effect of, "It's OK to bring my mom up on Mother's Day." Her mother had passed away. "It's not like I forgot to think about her and your bringing it up is reminding me." I thought that was so funny. Like, I mean, funny and poignant. Like, you don't have to walk around the fact that I'm in pain about my child struggling. You can say, like, "Damn, that is really hard. I'm so sorry." And, like, "I love you and I'm here for you," or "And I just want you to know I find your kid amazing for these reasons." But don't feel like you have to either minimize your kid or pretend that this isn't a problem. It's a problem. It's hard.Amanda: I'm going to circle back and ask just a couple of more questions about how this diagnosis has affected the way you parent — or if it has. And what sort of adjustments you may or may have not made along the way.Rachel: Yeah, I mean, it's affected everything about my parenting in some ways. Like, you know, you always hear that saying, "Parent the child you have, not the child you wish you had." But that becomes extremely salient and painful, particularly for me as someone who grew up with a lot of messaging from my own family about achievement — conventional achievement — as a way to be valued and attended to and loved and given positive outlook on life. And so whether or not I subscribe to those beliefs intellectually, I was definitely engineered with them. And therefore they live with me and they will live on with me for a long time. And so having a neurodivergent child means that I need to do deep work on trying to unhook from those messages. And it is an ongoing and for sure unresolved challenge for me, because that's deep, deep impacted messages that I grew up with. So that is an area of my parenting where I have to do a lot of work and I mostly feel like I fail. Another way it's changed my parenting is like I have to get really clear on how to manage my own anxiety and panic, because for me, my anxiety and panic can morph very quickly into anger because I'm — that's just where it goes. And I need to be really thoughtful about not allowing global fears about my daughter to then turn into anger that I take out on her. So if she does, says, refuses to do, refuses to say something, that makes me be like, "Oh, my God, are you going to even go to college?" — like that kind of global panic thinking, then I can snap into anger very quickly. And then try to — and I'm sure I'm using my anger to assert control at a moment when I feel out of control. And all of that leaves her way, way at a disadvantage. Like, that's not helping her at all. That's me and my crap. And I need to, like, work on that. So those are two areas of my parenting where I am "in it," to use your eponymous. I'm "in it," and I'm sure I could go on and on, but I could talk for an hour of each about both of those challenges.Amanda: That is so relatable to me — that like sort of spiral, that one thing sort of takes me down all of the places that it could go. And so I just I want to say out loud that you are not the only parent who is trying to to keep that tamped down and handled.Rachel: Well, thank you. And I feel very vulnerable telling you, but I also say it in the hopes that maybe it will help someone else feel less alone.Gretchen: Assessing your own parenting mid-cycle, right? It's so hard. And one thing I found myself saying, and I don't know if this is the right thing to say to my child sometimes, is just like "I'm going to make mistakes. And I just made one, and I'm here to come back and fix it and apologize to you." Because sometimes I feel like —Rachel: That's the only thing we haveGretchen: Yeah, that's it. That's all I can do is say "sorry."Rachel: That's all we can do. Like, no, that's what we should all be doing all the time. Because unfortunately, if we don't apologize to our children, they assume that we are 100 percent behind our behavior. I think if there's one thing we must do with our children, it is apologize to them and say, "I need a do-over," you know. Or more than a do-over. I need to work on my shit. Or in Charlie's voice, "I need to work on my shit."Gretchen: Oh my God.Rachel: The dog. See what I mean? It's funny, right?Amanda: Oh, my gosh. It's the best.Rachel: I want to strongly recommend everyone begin speaking in their dogs' voices at difficult and awkward moments. But yeah, that's how — that's how it works.Amanda: Humorous always.Gretchen: Humor is it.Amanda: Yeah, humor is it.Rachel: Yeah. But, you know, you can't laugh at yourself without having some self-compassion. Humor is a really important way to kind of back out of a rough situation and forgive yourself and forgive each other. And we definitely lean on it.Amanda: I love that. I think that, you know, I was going to ask more questions. I think that's a perfect place to end, unless there's something you want us to know that we didn't ask.Rachel: No, I just appreciate the opportunity to connect on this topic and sending lots of love to everybody out there who's navigating this in a world that doesn't often see or attend to the kinds of kids we have.Amanda: Well, we really appreciate you taking the time.Gretchen: Yes, thank you. That was such a powerful conversation. I appreciated how open Rachel was and just how willing she was to share laughs and a little bit of angst with us. So of course, she was just sharing the experiences of her one family. And there are lots of other experiences out there. Amanda, do you think there are other things that we should touch on before we go?Amanda: I do. And it's interesting, Gretchen, you know this about me and our listeners may not, that when I was first going through this diagnostic journey with my own oldest son, I was a single mom to the two kids I had at that time, right? And so one of the things, you know, I think is really important to note is that being a single parent, whether it's by choice or whether it's by circumstance or however, however it is, it's not always about just making decisions on your own. Like sometimes a one-parent household, you may have less income than a two-parent household, but also less time. And there are a lot of phone calls and a lot of meetings and a lot of things that go on when you're trying to figure out the learning challenges in your home. And if income is also an issue, you have to figure out how do you take the time off to make those phone calls and those kinds of things? And so I remember that so clearly — trying to figure out how to manage my time, manage my income, manage my availability for my kids. And so I just — I think I wanted to share that with our listeners.Gretchen: What kinds of resources are out there and how do you get them?Amanda: One of the things that I realized I really needed over time was case management, right? Somebody to support me in making some of those phone calls. And the funny thing is, as an early intervention specialist, that's one of the things I provided to some of the families that I worked with, and it was just part of the early intervention component of things. You had a case manager. Oftentimes, health care providers can set you up with a case manager from an outside agency, and I think it's important to really tap into that resource so they can help you figure out the information you need, make some of those phone calls for you. Because all of that takes a lot of time. It's so much work just to be figuring out what piece of information goes with which form and where that form gets sent to and those kinds of things. And if there's somebody in the know who you can ask that question of, it saves so much time. It's an amazing thing. Eventually, I remarried. My kids have a stepfather, and I signed releases so that he could speak to the schools and he could speak to the doctors, too. So making sure you think through like who you also feel comfortable having these conversations, and can you sign releases so that person can have those conversations is really helpful, too. And then the other thing — and this one's a little more wonky — is that the law is kind of on your side in some ways if you have a child who is going to have an Individualized Education Program or some sort of disability that requires additional doctor's appointments or therapy appointments. If you have a kind of job where you can take family medical leave, you can take it a little bit at a time to go to those meetings. And that's really important to note, too.Gretchen: That's all such good advice, Amanda.Amanda: Thank you. Is there anything you wanted to add, Gretchen? Like what came up for you?Gretchen: My biggest takeaway from our conversation was just that we all could use a little humor and we all could use a little honesty with each other.Amanda: Absolutely.Amanda: You've been listening to "In It" from the Understood Podcast Network.Gretchen: This show is for you. So we want to make sure you're getting what you need. Email us at init@understood.org to share your thoughts — or to share a story about your own experience as a single parent to a child with a learning difference. We love hearing from our listeners.Amanda: And if you want to learn more about what we covered today, check out the show notes for this episode. We include more resources as well as links to anything we mentioned in the episode.Gretchen: Understood as a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people who learn and think differently discover their potential and thrive. Learn more at understood.org/mission.Amanda: "In It" is produced by Julie Subrin, and a big shout-out this week to Sara Ivry. Briana Berry is our production director. Andrew Lee is our editorial lead. Justin D. Wright mixes the show. Mike Errico wrote our theme music. And for the Understood Podcast Network, Laura Key is our editorial director, Scott Cocchiere is our creative director, and Seth Melnick is our executive producer.Gretchen: Thanks for listening and for always being in it with us. 

6 options for resolving an IEP dispute

No matter how good your relationship with a school, there may come a time when you and the school disagree about your child’s Individualized Education Program (IEP). Conflicts can arise over the amount or type of help in the IEP. Or you may not agree about your child’s placement.The good news is that the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) gives you several ways to resolve disputes. Here are six options for resolving an IEP dispute.Option 1: NegotiationYou’re part of the IEP team. In fact, you can call an IEP team meeting at any time. This brings together you, your child’s general and special education teachers, and the school to discuss your child’s education.Just calling this meeting is a powerful way to jump-start a solution. Perhaps your child’s IEP requires an hour of speech therapy a week. But you find out that the school has skipped several weeks of therapy. You can call an IEP team meeting right away to discuss how to fix this problem.Option 2: MediationIf the IEP process isn’t working, you can ask for mediation. This is a free, confidential, and voluntary process where you sit down with the school and a neutral third party to work out a solution. (The third party is called a mediator.)The mediator doesn’t take sides or tell you what to do. Instead, the mediator tries to help you reach a solution with the school that works for everyone. You can ask for mediation at any time. The decisions are legally binding.Option 3: Due process hearingDue process is a formal way to resolve disputes under IDEA. You start this process by filing a complaint. This is a written document that spells out your dispute with the school. The complaint must state a violation of IDEA. You might argue that the school wrongly denied your child special education. Or you might say the school isn’t providing appropriate services.Learn about the details of due process, including your rights. You can also take a look at a sample due process complaint letter. Find out what happens at a due process hearing.Due process is a serious and involved legal process. It’s a good idea to speak with a special education advocate or attorney before you file a complaint.Option 4: LawsuitIf you don’t win the due process hearing, you have the option of filing a lawsuit in state or federal court within 90 days. (The school can also file a lawsuit.) This is a very serious legal option and requires a lawyer. You can only file a civil lawsuit after you’ve gone through due process.Option 5: State complaintIn addition to the options above, you can also file a state complaint about a school’s violation of IDEA. You have to file within one year of the violation. The complaint is a letter to the state department of education asking for an investigation.Organizations and groups of parents can also file state complaints. For instance, you can get together with other parents and file a state complaint if you see a situation at school that affects more than just your child. Once a complaint is filed, the state may investigate and decide if the school violated IDEA. States have their own rules on how these complaints are handled.Option 6. Office for Civil Rights complaintAnother federal law — Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act — also protects students with IEPs from discrimination. Section 504 gives you even more options. The most important is a complaint to the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) of the U.S. Department of Education. An OCR complaint has to be filed within 180 days of the school’s violation. Just like with a state complaint, an OCR complaint may lead to an investigation of the school. Visit OCR’s website to learn more.Knowing your options for dispute resolution is important to effectively advocate for your child. Get tips on how to negotiate with the school about an IEP. And get an overview of laws that protect your child's rights.

Early intervention and kids of color

Co-host Marissa Wallace opens up about her biracial son who had language delays as a toddler. Hear her story. Thousands of kids of color from marginalized communities enter kindergarten behind. One cause: Families often don’t know that there’s free help for babies and toddlers with developmental delays. In this episode, co-host Marissa Wallace opens up about her biracial son who had language delays as a toddler. Even though Marissa is a teacher, she didn’t know exactly what to do. That’s when her doctor recommended free early intervention services. To make sure other families don’t miss out, Marissa and co-host Julian Saavedra raise awareness about early childhood intervention services. They also talk about barriers that kids in low-income areas face. And they share tips on how families can seek out early intervention.Reports mentioned in this episodeOur Youngest Learners: Increasing Equity in Early Intervention, by The Education TrustEarly Inequities: How Underfunding Early Intervention Leaves Low-Income Children of Color Behind, by Citizens’ Committee for Children of New YorkRelated resourcesWhat is early intervention?How to get an early intervention evaluationFederal government developmental milestonesEpisode transcriptJulian: Welcome to "The Opportunity Gap," a podcast for families of kids of color who learn and think differently. We explore issues of privilege, race, and identity. And our goal is to help you advocate for your child. I'm Julian Saavedra.Marissa: And I'm Marissa Wallace. Julian and I worked together for years as teachers in a public charter school in Philadelphia, where we saw opportunity gaps firsthand.Julian: And we're both parents of kids of color. So this is personal to us.Marissa, what's up? How're you doing today?Marissa: I'm doing well, Julian. How are you?Julian: Excited to jump into what we're going to talk about.Marissa: Yeah, I think this kind of came up in a conversation that we had recently. And I think it's an important topic because it's the beginning part of our children's educational experience. I'm looking forward to having an honest conversation about early intervention, what that means, and then just talking about some potential shortcomings of the program, some areas in which it's not doing what it's meant for, which is supporting children from birth until they're school age, is that what happens before they go into school. I'm looking forward to having this conversation.Julian: I think today's really important to bring about something that doesn't really get talked about a lot, the idea of early intervention specifically for, you know, our babies, our toddlers, before students are going into school. And how there's such a disparity between the experiences of our white students and our Black and brown students. You know, I remember when our son was a couple of weeks old and my wife had made sure that we had all the books. We had the American Academy of Pediatrics book, and we had "What not to"  — or "What to Expect When You're Expecting." And I remember in the books, a lot of them had month-by-month explanations of specific things that should be happening for developmental milestones for children as they reached different markers in their lives, when they should start to make sounds, or when they should be able to hold themselves upright by themselves, or when they should start crawling, or when they should start recognizing words. And a lot of those things are really based on physical milestones, those language milestones, and obviously the social and emotional milestones. That's really where we're looking at, where are the early intervention programming come into play? Like, where are those things that we need to pay attention to? A lot of times people are very stuck on what those books are telling them, that, uh-oh, my kid didn't crawl as soon as your kid did.Marissa: You're right. We're constantly thinking about, are they hitting the milestones? You, we're having conversations, we're seeing other parents with their children and we're, like, making that comparison. So what early intervention is, it's services and supports that really are in place to help young children who are experiencing developmental delays. And so those developmental delays can be small to large. Like, I know that it's, often what happens is when there is a notice of, whether it's a language or a physical milestone or something, social, emotional, where it's a child is performing not where they're supposed to be or below average in those areas, oftentimes, their pediatrician would have that conversation with the family and then recommend going through an evaluation process. So we're going to hear and talk about some terms that are similar in the early intervention process to what we've talked about on the show, as far as the evaluation process at this school-age level. But so it's important to understand and differentiate between an early intervention program and a school-age program for special education because they are different. I will say, though, this is a step that's overlooked often but so incredibly and critically important to a child's development and to what their school life is going to be like. Because if you start this process early, it really has an amazing way of providing students with those services before they become a student.Julian: I think a lot of our listeners probably have children that are older than this age range, maybe not. But if you have people in your lives that have younger children, or if you know or interact with people who have toddlers or babies at some point, I completely empathize with the anxiety that comes along with parenting a newborn, parenting a baby, parenting a toddler, especially if it's your first one. There's a lot of things that go along with it. A lot of feelings that come with it, and it's a nerve-racking experience to begin with. It's a beautiful thing, definitely, but it's also really hard, and you're getting advice and information from all places. From your friends, from your mother-in-law, and or your mom, or your dad, or your aunt, or your grandma, or the neighbor across the street, social media, all the pictures of Facebook telling you this, that, and the third. If you're in those spaces and you're somebody that might be wondering or worrying about your child, are they hitting these milestones? Should parents just wait for them to hit the milestones? Should they, like, when should they start to take action?Marissa: Right. And so I'm so glad you bring that up, because I can, like, vividly remember, like, our process. So I think the first piece of it is, right, is, like, making sure, especially in those very beginning months, weeks, and years of your child's life, making sure that they are going to their regular checkups with their pediatrician, because that's, for us, where this kind of unraveled and where we got the information. Because even as an educator, I honestly did not know anything about early intervention until I became a parent. I had heard about early intervention, but I didn't personally interact with it until my son. Two things, right, there's, like, a knowledge gap that we have, and then there is an access. We have to also talk about sometimes the access to these services are not easily accessible for all families. So for us, like I, because I was an educator, I had some thoughts, and some, again, also falling into the comparison trap. I was like, ooh, Lincoln's not communicating verbally as much as I believe he should for his age. It was his 18-month appointment that we were going for his check-in with his pediatrician.And so if you're a parent out there, or a guardian, and you've ever taken a kiddo at that age, you may or may not remember there, they ask you all these questions before you even get seen by a doctor, there's just this list of questions about their development. So all the things that, you know, Julian and I brought up — the physical milestones, language milestones, social and emotional — they start asking those questions.And so, for us, it was one, I encourage everyone to answer those questions and those surveys honestly. The part that stuck out to our pediatrician was his limited words. So he didn't have a whole lot of words at 18 months. And so, of course, that led to some behaviors, right? Because he's not able to verbally tell us or ask us. And so therefore there was crying and tantrum-ing and some other actions and behaviors that were happening because of his limited vocabulary at that time.There wasn't like a huge concern. However, our pediatrician was on it and was like, "Here's my suggestion. Let me give you the contact and the information to follow up with early intervention services. Give them a call and set something up."And so that was, like, our beginning. Again, step one, OK? So now it's, I could have done one of two things: I could have ignored it. I could have been, like, he's fine, he'll grow out of it. Or I could have just been a busy mom and not ever followed up. But thankfully we made the call, we got an appointment to have him evaluated. And the great thing, and something now I know it's pandemic time so life is very different, but at that time, they came to our house. So it was a really easy process. Yeah. They came right to our house and did the evaluation at our house, and were pretty communicative with getting us information and letting us know that he did qualify. He qualified for speech services.Julian: I know that's probably really hard, like, at that point where you're evaluating your 18-month-old son. Did that cause any feelings?Marissa: It did, and I'm the kind of person, like, I want the information, you know what I'm saying? So I was more relieved that someone was going to give me information so that I knew what to do next, and that I knew that my child could get the support, because that's really what early intervention is, is identifying a delay. Whether that delay is, in this case, it was a language delay, whether it's a physical delay, social-emotionally, whatever that delay is, they identify it. And then the really amazing thing is they believe in incorporating the families into providing the support. So once we knew what his delay was in, it turned into really hands-on therapy, where now I was working at the time and Mario was home, so it was more, like, teaching the parent how to interact and how to build these language skills together, which was really cool.Julian: So let's bring out a couple of things with what you said. First, thank you for sharing your experience so far. And we're obviously a little different than all parents out there because we both are educators too. So how we take these things is going to be a little bit different because it's been part of our career. But I'm thinking about all the parents that are not in education. I'm thinking of all the parents that are potentially experiencing this, and they might not have the immediate wherewithal to know, "Oh, maybe something's going on. Maybe I need to speak up to my pediatrician." Maybe — the whole point of this show particularly is focusing on the gap in opportunities for our people of color versus those that are not. The statistics are wild. That's also something that, that, again, we don't really talk about this side of things, but listen to this: For families of color, access is far more limited.So this statistic comes from the Education Trust: "The probability of a child being identified as having a developmental delay and using early intervention services is drastically different depending on their race and ethnicity, comparing this to their white peers with developmental delays. Black and Latino children with developmental delays are 78 percent less likely to have their need for early intervention services identified. Black children, specifically, with developmental delays are 78 percent less likely to receive early intervention services."This report will be found in our show notes. And honestly, I didn't even know that. Like, until we started to really dig into this, I had no idea that there was such a drastic gap between the identification but also the actual reception of the services that are out there.And, Marissa, tell them, what are early intervention services in terms of costs?Marissa: Certain early intervention services are free in all states, so, again, I said —Julian: Say that again?Marissa: Certain early intervention services are free in all states.Julian: Free! Free!Marissa: We were really fortunate because every single service that our kiddo had was completely paid and taken care of.So it does, just to further that, you may be charged on a sliding scale or through your insurance for early intervention services that are not free. So there are, again, there's different classifications, there's different levels of services? I can't speak for every child and every family. However, for the most part and at least the initial piece, right? The initial piece of getting into early intervention, that part and finding out what your child needs is going to be free. So you cannot be denied services, though, if you can't afford to pay for them. So that's important for families to know, too, that even if there is a cost attached to it, you cannot be denied for that service.So it is, so again, just similar to when we've talked about the special education piece, there are things in place to protect and to ensure that children are receiving the support that they need, because, I promise you, early intervention is so critical in your child's development. And it is a game-changer for when they transition to school age.So it has so many benefits. However, right now, I think our conversation based on these statistics is what the heck is the barriers? That's really concerning to hear that such a large percentage less are receiving such important services. What's the why behind it?Julian: Well, yeah, I mean, I was shocked, you know, I knew about early intervention from, again, from my educational background. I knew what it was, and then our pediatrician was amazing. So she always told us, like, what to expect coming up. And she was way more well informed than the books, so I felt comfortable with her. But I know that that's not the same experience for everybody. I think that we were able to procure a really solid pediatrician that could devote lots of time to us because we were going to a hospital in a wealthier neighborhood. And we were privileged enough to have that. And I think one of the largest barriers is always going to be around income. And we know that income and systemic racism are tied together. And for many of our Black and brown students, and pre-students, children who are not even in school yet, those that are in low-income neighborhoods don't have access to adequate health care.They also, because they don't have this access to adequate health care, they don't have the same pediatrician experience that those of means have. So instead of having a 25- or 30-minute appointment with a pediatrician where you can ask lots of questions, where you can have this working relationship, where you can email back and forth or text message to call, you might have a situation where you're going into a clinic and the appointment is five minutes. It's a really quick, "Let me check off the list. Let me weigh the child. Let me make sure there's nothing wrong. All right, let's go on to the next person." So the relationship isn't even developed to a point where you feel comfortable as a parent with bringing up some of the worries that you might have. So I think one of those big barriers is in low-income communities, specifically the lack of health care, the lack of adequate pediatric services, and the lack of access to a working relationship is really something that holds people back.Marissa: And it's concerning because it actually made me think about if a parent that I was talking to, this was years ago, and similar to us, like, the parent came from a place of understanding and some privilege and knowledge of what their child deserved. However, they had to take their knowledge and actually, like, step up to the pediatrician and was like, "Hey, I know there's these services out there. Can you tell me about them?" because it didn't come up in a conversation. But now I'm also wondering and concerned with how much we know that our health care system is so overwhelmed. Now I'm thinking, what does that look like now? So in these places where they're overwhelmed, and in these places where they're not taking the time to really talk to families or have these well visits even, right? Think of how much is missing with being able to identify any developmental delays and then provide any next steps for access to early intervention. Because if a parent like ourselves, or like this parent that I know didn't have the know-how or the knowledge to have the conversation, you would go to these appointments and if the conversation didn't happen, you wouldn't even think twice. Do you know what I mean? You would have walked out. Like, if, if you didn't, if it never came up, you could have totally missed the opportunity.Julian: Yeah, and that's, that's something I don't think would just be restricted to the cities. I imagine that if we dug deeper, this is across rural communities, this is probably across any communities where there's just a lack of sufficient health care. I mean, we hear about health care in the news a lot, and a lot of times we talk about health care in relation to older people or, you know, folks that are not getting health care for existing conditions, but we don't really talk about the beginning of someone's life.Marissa: Right. And this is the preventive, right? The preventive piece.Julian: Exactly. And this is a very, like, extremely preventive measure that, in many cases, if some of these developmental delays were brought up early on, then it could potentially prevent further down the line, issues that happen in school. You know, because a lot of times we see that our students of color are coming to school behind their white and wealthier peers due to all of the things that are happening related to systemic racism, but also due to the fact that potentially they're not getting intervened with all of the potential things that could be solved or addressed like you had with Lincoln.Marissa: And we were fortunate, because like I said, it was me, it was every piece of the process. It was me having my own assumptions. It was me taking the time. I hate doing surveys. Like, just real talk. Like, when I sit down, and I vividly remember sitting at that appointment and I'm like, oh, it was like 30 questions. And I'm just like, oh, I really just want to click anything right now. I just want to be done with this survey. I'm thankful that I obviously allowed myself to be honest because then it triggered the next conversation, which was, "OK, here's the next step." And then again, I had a choice. I left the doctor's office with this information. I could have just ignored it and not made the call, but then I made the call, got the services. And so just for everyone out there who's listening, understand that there's such a wide variety of services they provide too. So it's anything from, like, in our case where we had the speech therapist coming to the home and working alongside my husband to work with Lincoln, to having, if your child is at a daycare, they will have services where they will go with the child to the daycare and provide the services there.I had a family who had a child who, they had some behavioral developmental delays, and they actually had an assistant who was with the child in the daycare multiple times throughout the week. So it is a variety of things that are really involved in early intervention. And the cool thing, too, is just like if they were school age, there's progress monitoring. So there's checks that happen. And there's, I still have, I have saved to this day, notes, tons of notes. Every time our person would come, they would document everything that happened, and they would give it to us. A copy for them, a copy for us. So I have this whole, like, year of Lincoln's life documented on the progress he made.So I hope even though there's barriers, my goal is to have everyone who's listening understand the benefits and know that, just like we said in that blurb about the fact that they are free services and that you cannot be denied for services. So hopefully that's sparking in families who might be concerned about their young ones to have these conversations with a pediatrician or a trusted friend or someone who can connect them in their community to these services, because that connection piece is key.Julian: It is, and I think on the flip side, even the impact is also felt in underfunding the early intervention programs that are available in low-income areas. There's the pediatric side and the health care side, but then the other side of it is the actual intervention program. So say, by chance, the families procure some sort of programming and they finally get early intervention services. What we're finding across the country, many of our programs that are available are not getting funded properly. For example, in the Bronx and Manhattan, in 2019, there was a social service agency called University Settlement, and they employed early intervention therapists that spoke 11 different languages, providing services to over 350 kids. This program was closed in 2019. Over the 10 years, other programs like that closed all across the city of New York. A lot of these evaluations that are happening were by therapists who would have to travel a lot farther from their homes in the suburbs or their homes away from the low-income areas, and so they couldn't service as many kids in one day as if they were in the suburban areas. So if I'm a therapist, and I'm a mobile therapist, and I'm located in one of the suburbs, but I need to do all of my programming in the city and I'm not located or my office is not in the city, the amount of families that I can see in any given day is vastly smaller than the amount of families that I might be able to see if I'm closer to where I service the kids. So that barrier in and of itself impacts the amount of people who are seen. How is that even remotely close to being OK?Marissa: But it's because, just like the shortage in the teaching world, right? There's shortages in this area as well, and that's a huge issue. And we have consistently as a country sit there and pump funding into the, to reactionary services as opposed to prevention, like that's been like an ongoing thing. Like these preventative services that would be, would help so that there wouldn't need to be all of these reactionary services, where we've always been backwards with that. Because I'm sure we were super fortunate, but I know our story is not, clearly, is not what everyone's experiencing. And I do think you bring up a great point is there's just not enough funding to cover those that are doing this work. And that's why there's probably not people out there doing the evaluations, because the ones that are probably overworked and underpaid.Julian: How do we start to actually make some movement on making some of this happen in low-income areas in Black and brown communities? Because 78 percent is unacceptable.Marissa: And I, and I'm hoping that our first step today was just the awareness, right? Like I just think that there is, as I mentioned, like I, as an educator, did not really understand or know enough about early intervention until I was a parent.So there is clearly just knowledge gaps. So I hope that our first thing that we've done for our listeners is provided awareness. I think the second thing is providing facts, right? We don't sugarcoat it for our listeners. We are honest, and we tell the truth. And so now that you have the facts, like, knowledge, though, is power, so now that you have the facts and you know that there are services that are free, and you know that you are not, should not be denied those services if you can't afford them, it is now about having, finding those people to have those conversations with. Whether it's your pediatrician, whether it's someone within your own circle or your community that can get you connected to make sure that your child has what they need.Because I will tell you this, like, the success story that I've experienced. Lincoln did an entire year of early intervention services. And then when he was 2½, he tested out. And we went from being concerned that he was going to need to continue to have early intervention, and most likely we were, like, preparing for him to get identified as a child with a speech or language impairment, that would have then carried and transitioned over to school age. And he would have then needed special education, which we were fine with. We really were. We had accepted that was potentially his journey. However, in one year, the progress that my kid made — give so much credit to Ms. Tanya and to the other people that worked with Lincolna. And it was truly a team effort, and I believe because of them and because of those services, he was able to transition out and not need school-age services.Julian: So it's just another one of those things that goes not said. But we don't talk about it, and it just, other people are benefiting from it, but it's designed to benefit everybody. All children should be experiencing a situation where they get what they need. And if there's a position where we can potentially intervene before students go to school so that they are prepared and ready to walk into a school building and ready to learn, then we need to make sure that it's happening. Share that early intervention is a right. It is not a privilege. It is a thing designed to help everybody. Make sure that you're opening up conversation and ask those questions. And, Marissa, thank you so much for sharing your story and sharing the success story because it works.Marissa: Right.Julian: It works.Marissa: And that's right. And I want there to be more stories like that. I'm hoping that we achieve — that's the goal is by making this an awareness, by working towards equity for every child. Lincoln is a unique kid, so I'm just glad he received what he did receive. We were very fortunate.Julian: For more information, please check out show notes for all of our resources that we mentioned today.This has been "The Opportunity Gap," a part of the Understood Podcast Network. You can listen and subscribe to "The Opportunity Gap" on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.Marissa: If you found what you heard today valuable, please share the podcast. "The Opportunity Gap" is for you. We want to hear your voice.Go to u.org/opportunitygap to find resources from every episode. That's the letter U as in understood, dot O R G, slash opportunity gap.Julian: Do you have something you'd like to say about the issues we discussed on this podcast? Email us at opportunitygap@understood.org. We'd love to share and react to your thoughts about "The Opportunity Gap."Marissa: As a nonprofit and social impact organization, Understood relies on the help of listeners like you to create podcasts like this one to reach and support more people in more places.We have an ambitious mission to shape the world for difference. And we welcome you to join us in achieving our goals. Learn more at understood.org/mission. "The Opportunity Gap" is produced by Andrew Lee, Cinthia Pimentel, and Justin D. Wright, who also wrote our theme song. Laura Key is our editorial director at Understood.Scott Cocchiere is our creative director. Seth Melnick and Briana Berry are our production directors.Julian: Thanks again for listening.

Language delays, dyslexia, dysgraphia, and ADHD — and now thriving

When my son Henry was 18 months old, I took him to our pediatrician for a regular checkup. She asked if he was speaking yet. He wasn’t, so she recommended I take him to a specialist.This referral led to that referral, and before I knew it, my son was sitting through a screening for early intervention services. He also sat through testing by a speech-language pathologist. These would turn out to be the first of many evaluations he’d have over the years.The results were heartbreaking to me. Henry had both expressive and receptive language delays. He also had delayed fine motor skills and a host of other issues.So I followed the recommendations of experts and began treatment. Twice a week he went to an occupational therapist. And once a week, he went for speech therapy.The treatment seemed to work. A year later, my son was talking up a storm and hitting most of his developmental milestones.So when he was almost 3, I decided to have him reevaluated by the same speech-language pathologist to ease my mind. Now that my son knew more than 200 words and was stringing together simple sentences, I hoped an evaluation would show that he was now on a “normal” developmental curve.But that didn’t happen.This time, the evaluation found that Henry talked excessively and had trouble with transitions (read: he pitched a fit when it was time to move from one activity to the next). He also wasn’t making eye contact. And in the evaluation report, there was a statement I’ll never forget: “It may be prudent to consider whether Henry will be capable of participating in a ‘regular’ preschool program.”I cried myself to sleep that night. I couldn’t come to terms with the report. My once cantankerous toddler had, in my eyes, blossomed into a joyful and adventurous 3-year-old.Despite what felt to me like a gloom-and-doom report, I chose to enroll him in a “regular” preschool. As his very first parent-teacher conference approached, I braced myself for the worst.But to his teachers, who knew nothing about his history, he was just a typical 3-year-old. All of the things that were flagged as issues — difficulty with transitions, excessive talking, and lack of eye contact — didn’t seem to register any warning signs for his teachers.I wish I could tell you that that was the end of my worrying. But it wasn’t. Years later, through a private evaluation, my son was eventually diagnosed with dyslexia, dysgraphia and ADHD.And since starting kindergarten, Henry has had three school-based evaluations. (He needs to sit for them every three years to keep his IEP.)Each evaluation has been hard for me as a mother, but I’m glad we’ve done them. Without them, my son wouldn’t qualify for accommodations such as extended time. Nor would he get curriculum adjustments like not being marked down for spelling errors in his assignments. The evaluations also allow him access to a keyboard to help with writing and basic computation.Today, Henry is thriving. Nearly every teacher who has ever taught Henry has made a point of telling me just how bright he is.“He’s extremely articulate,” they’d say to me. “He often grasps concepts that are way above the other students’ heads.” What’s more, he finished the seventh grade with the reading comprehension of an 11th grader.Yes, he has deficits. His spelling and writing are atrocious, and the ADHD makes it difficult for him to stay on task.I left his most recent school evaluation feeling very calm. Not much had changed.Afterward, I called my husband and we laughed: “I guess we just have to accept that Henry is never going to win the spelling bee.”But to me, the fact that Henry is doing well is a sign of how far he’s come and how powerful his mind truly is.

IEPs: Does my child need an IEP?

Get tips from a special education teacher on how to tell if your child needs an Individualized Education Program (IEP) — or if you may want to wait.If your child has been struggling in school, you might be wondering if they need special education. And once you start exploring special education, you’re going to run into the term IEP, which stands for Individualized Education Program.But what exactly is an IEP, anyway? On this episode of Understood Explains, host Juliana Urtubey will cover IEP basics and how to figure out if your child needs this kind of support. Timestamps[00:57] What is the purpose of an IEP?[03:27] What’s in an IEP?[05:42] Does my child need an IEP?[07:42] Should I wait to get my child an IEP?[10:05] What if my child is learning English? [11:36] Key takeawaysRelated resourcesUnderstanding IEPsAre my child’s struggles serious enough for an evaluation?How to help if English language learners are struggling in schoolSeason 1 of Understood Explains: Evaluations for Special EducationEpisode transcriptJuliana: So, your child is having some struggles in school and you're wondering if they might need an IEP. But what does this mean? On this episode of "Understood Explains," we'll cover IEP basics and how to figure out if your child needs this kind of support. From the Understood Podcast Network, this is "Understood Explains IEPs." My name is Juliana Urtubey and I'm the 2021 National Teacher of the Year. I'm also an expert in special education for multilingual learners, and I'm so excited to be your host for this season of "Understood Explains."Quick note about how we're going to structure the season: Most of the episodes focus on information that's important for all parents or guardians to know. But we also have a few episodes that are tailored for different groups of families: families with younger kids, older kids, and multilingual learners. And all the episodes are available in English y en español. OK, let's get started. [00:57] What is the purpose of an IEP?So, what's the purpose of an IEP? Before we answer that question, I want to quickly explain what an IEP is. IEP stands for Individualized Education Program. It's a formal plan that details the special education instruction, supports, and services that are designed to help a student with a disability make progress in school. IEPs are covered by a federal law called the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA. This law applies to all public schools in the U.S., including charter schools. If your child qualifies for an IEP, you'll work with the school to develop annual goals and monitor your child's progress throughout the year. So the purpose of an IEP is basically to be a road map, showing how the school will help your child catch up with their peers. It might surprise you to know that IEPs are very common. Nearly 1 in 6 public school students has an IEP. That means millions and millions of kids have Individualized Education Programs. And each IEP is customized to a student's needs. So if your child has dyslexia, the IEP might specify an hour of special reading instruction a few times a week. Or let's say your child has ADHD and autism. Maybe you and the school think your child needs to be in a smaller classroom to get more individualized instruction throughout the day. These are the kinds of details that get spelled out in an IEP. And it's important to know that most kids who have IEPs spend most of their day in general education classrooms. By law, IEPs need to keep kids with their peers as much as possible. There's one other really important thing that all parents need to know. Having an IEP is not a sign of low intelligence. I've taught many, many kids, and all of my students have unique strengths and needs. But sometimes, people's strengths can be overlooked if they have a learning difference. For example, during my first year of teaching, I had a student named Abelardo, who really struggled with reading and writing. The most I had ever seen him write was "Yes," "No," and his name. But one day, we discovered that Abelardo was selling candy and fun school supplies out of his backpack. And he was so good at it. He even had charts to keep track of his inventory and charts to show what was the most popular. And his charts were even color-coded. It was clear to me that Abelardo had incredible math, reasoning, and entrepreneurial skills. But he needed formal supports to help him with reading and writing. So remember, kids can do really well in some areas and still need an IEP to help them thrive in school. [03:27] What's in an IEP?Let's get into a bit more detail and talk about what's in an IEP. There are lots of important parts, but I want to give you an overview of four key things in an IEP. First, there will be a section detailing your child's present level of educational performance. This is the jargony term for how your child is doing in school. You might hear the school use acronyms for this, like "PLOP," or "PLP," or "PLAAFP," which is short for "Present Level of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance." This part of the IEP outlines the student's strengths, challenges, and how their classroom scores compare to their peers. This section may also mention some of your child's behaviors or interests, like the subjects they enjoy and how they get along with other kids. Next, there will be an "Annual Goals" section. This describes what progress the IEP team is hoping to accomplish. It will list each goal and break down shorter-term objectives to reach along the way. And later this season, we'll have a whole episode on how you can help the school come up with these goals. The third main part of an IEP is the "Services" section. This part details how the IEP will help your child meet the annual goals. This section lists any services your child will get and for how long, such as 30 minutes of speech therapy twice a week. There are also a gazillion different kinds of services that can go into an IEP. Anything from mental health counseling to physical therapy to training in things like social skills or time management. Remember that “I” in IEP is short for "Individualized," which means the IEP can include whatever special services your child needs to make progress in school. And last but not least, is the section that details the accommodations, which are changes in how your child does things at school. This section of the IEP is often called "Supplementary Aids and Services." It could include things like more time on tests and a seat at the front of the classroom to help your child pay attention. It could also include assistive technology like text-to-speech software or audiobooks. The other important thing to note is that an IEP is a legal document. And later this season, we'll have an episode about your rights during the special education process. [05:42] Does my child need an IEP?All right, here we go. One of the biggest questions: Does my child need an IEP? Sometimes the answer to this question is very clear: "My child is blind and needs to be taught how to read Braille." But sometimes the question is harder to answer. Here's an example: "My child has ADHD and needs a lot of support to get organized and follow directions. Will classroom accommodations be enough to help my child make progress in school? Or does my child need specialized instruction?" Schools look at a bunch of different kinds of data to figure out which kids qualify for an IEP. And to help you understand this process, I recommend you listen to the first season of "Understood Explains," which is all about evaluations for special education. We'll include a link in the show notes. But the school cannot evaluate your child for special education unless you give permission first. So you play a very important role here. If your child is struggling in school and you're wondering if these struggles are serious enough to need an IEP, I want you to ask yourself a few questions:Why an IEP now? What got you thinking about this? Was it something a teacher said or that your child brought up? Are your concerns new or have you been worried for a while? Thinking about what prompted your concerns can help you talk about them with your child's school or health care provider. How are your child's struggles getting in the way at school? Is your child having trouble with a certain subject like reading or math? Is your child struggling socially or with things like concentrating in class? Try to write down a few examples, even if you don't know the root cause. What are you observing at home? Does homework take hours and hours and often end in tears? How often is your child worried about school? How intense are these worries? Is your child wanting to stay home from school because it's too hard? These are the kinds of questions that can help you get ready to talk to the school about giving your child more support. [07:42] Should I wait to get my child an IEP?Should I wait to get my child an IEP? OK, so you've noticed your child is struggling and you think school supports might help. There's a very common question that parents ask themselves next: Is now the right time, or should I wait? I've worked with a lot of parents who wanted to wait because they were hoping their child would grow out of their challenges. But I found that the sooner we meet children's needs, the better. Being proactive can help kids in many different ways: academically, socially, emotionally. So if you're wondering if your child needs an IEP now or if you can wait, I want you to do three key things:First, ask the school what kind of interventions they've tried with your child and for how long. Interventions are much more formal than simply giving a student some extra help. They typically take place over several weeks, and during that time the school keeps track of your child's progress. If you think your child's skills are improving with the intervention, you may decide to wait to ask for a special education evaluation. But you don't have to wait. You can ask for an evaluation at any time. The second thing I want you to do is find an ally at your child's school, whether it's a teacher or an aide or another staff member. Sometimes schools have family liaisons. You can ask the front office to guide you to one. Having a relationship with someone you trust at the school will help you understand the process, ask questions, and get help for your child. And the last thing I want you to think about is time of year. Remember, you have the right to request an evaluation at any time, but practically speaking, it's better to avoid asking during the first few weeks of the school year unless you had concerns from the previous year. And likewise, it's better to avoid asking for an IEP at the very end of the school year, when school's winding down for the summer. So, those are a few concrete things you can do to help you think about whether now is the right time to talk about an IEP, or if you want to wait. As a general note, I know many families may be reluctant to speak up or be seen as the squeaky wheel at school. And in particular, I know some Latino families may not feel like it's their place to tell the school how to educate their child. But I want to be really clear here. Schools in the U.S. want families to tell teachers when they're worried about their child's progress. And teachers want to partner with families. So I encourage you to talk with your child's teacher and share your concerns — whether you're asking for an IEP or not. [10:05] What if my child is learning English? So, this next question is near and dear to my heart: What if my child is learning English? Before we dig into this, I want to note that schools use different terms to describe students who speak languages at home, in addition to, or other than English. Many educators use the term "English language learners." I prefer the term "multilingual," and better yet, "linguistically gifted."The important thing to keep in mind is that all children learn languages at different rates, and that's OK. It can be hard to become fluent in English while also learning to read, write, and do math in that new language. But there are ways to tell if a child's struggles are due to a language barrier or something else, like a learning difference, such as dyslexia. We're going to talk more about this later this season, but for now, I'm going to put a link in the show notes to an Understood article to read if your multilingual learner is struggling in school. It includes lots of good questions to help think about whether your child might need an IEP. And there's one more thing I want to mention while we're on this topic. Learning more than one language cannot cause a learning difference or disability. All children, even children with learning and thinking differences, can be multilingual. Families often ask me if they should stop speaking to their child in their native language because they worry it's causing harm. That's just not true. In fact, educational experts recommend that families keep using their home languages. Speaking multiple languages is good for a child's learning and brain development. [11:36] Key takeaways OK, we've covered a lot of information in this episode, so I want to wrap up with a few key takeaways to help you think about whether your child needs an IEP:Think about how much or how often your child is struggling. Being proactive can help your child in the long run, not just academically, but also socially and emotionally. Kids can do really well in some areas and still need an IEP to thrive in school. All right. That's it for this episode of "Understood Explains." Tune in for the next episode to learn the difference between IEPs and 504 plans, which is another common type of school support. You've been listening to "Understood Explains IEPs." This season was developed in partnership with UnidosUS, which is the nation's largest Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization. Gracias, Unidos! If you want to learn more about the topics we covered today, check out the show notes for this episode. We include more resources as well as links to anything we've mentioned in the episode. Understood is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people who learn and think differently discover their potential and thrive. Learn more at understood.org/mission. Credits Understood Explains IEPs was produced by Julie Rawe and Cody Nelson, with editing support by Daniella Tello-Garzon.Video was produced by Calvin Knie and Christoph Manuel with support from Denver Milord.Mixing and music by Justin D. Wright.Ilana Millner was our production director. Margie DeSantis provided editorial support, and Whitney Reynolds was our web producer. For the Understood Podcast Network, Laura Key is our editorial director, Scott Cocchiere is our creative director, and Seth Melnick is our executive producer.Special thanks to the team of expert advisors who helped shape this season: Shivohn García, Claudia Rinaldi, and Julian Saavedra.

What to do when people say insensitive things about your child

Do you feel like you constantly have to explain or defend your child to people? Use these tips to respond when people say insensitive or unwanted things about your child who learns and thinks differently.1. Don’t overexplain.Sharing some information about how your child learns and thinks differently can be a good thing. But giving too much detail can be confusing. Keep it short and simple.2. Talk about strengths.Pointing out your child’s strengths can cut down on critical comments. The more people know about those strengths, the more likely they are to see your child’s abilities before the challenges.For example: “Isla is a great soccer player because her motor is always running!”3. Don’t say more than you want to.Imagine a parent you know stops you at the store and asks how your child’s speech therapy at school is going. Is that a real concern, or is that parent being nosy or gossipy?If you’re not comfortable, you can stop the conversation right there with a simple “It’s going well, thanks for asking.” Or say, “Thanks for asking, but we don’t really talk about it.”4. Don’t discuss it at all.No matter how well you know someone or how politely they ask, it’s your choice about whether to talk about your child’s challenges. If a friend asks if you’ve considered a new ADHD pill, you can say, “We’ve looked at a lot of things that might help. Thanks.”5. Be blunt, if necessary.Sometimes even well-meaning people cross the line when asking or talking about your child. In those cases, consider saying, “Thanks for your interest. We’re going to deal with this ourselves.”Looking for more tips? Learn how to respond when relatives say negative things about your child.

How to request an evaluation for special education

School evaluations are free — and you can ask for one at any time and for any reason. But the details you include can make a big difference. School evaluations are free — and you can ask for one at any time and for any reason. But the details you include can make a big difference. This episode of Understood Explains covers the ins and outs of how to request an evaluation for special education. Host Dr. Andy Kahn is a psychologist who has spent nearly 20 years evaluating kids for public and private schools. His first guest on this episode is former special education teacher Christina Gutierrez. They’ll explain three key things:How to request an evaluationWhat details to include and whyHow soon the school needs to respondAndy’s second guest is parenting expert Amanda Morin. They’ll share tips on what to say to your child about requesting an evaluation — and what not to say. Related resources6 steps to requesting a free school evaluationDownload: Sample letters for requesting evaluations and reportsWhy your child’s school may deny your evaluation requestParent training centers: A free resource in your stateEpisode transcriptJennifer: Hi, my name is Jennifer and I live in Atlanta, Georgia. I have a son, Nathan. He is 11 years old. I first started having concerns about Nathan's differences when he was in first grade and his teacher called us in for a meeting. And she said, I just feel like something's not right. Like, he's working really hard in class, but we're not seeing any results. And can you work harder with him at home? And for me, the first thing that happened for me was like this mom guilt, like we haven't been doing enough. I was kind of in denial that it could even be something like dyslexia at first. And once I kind of came around to OK, this actually sounds exactly like what dyslexia is described as, so now what do I do? How do I go about getting him help? I started looking into it and started realizing that I had the right to request that evaluation.Andy: From the Understood Podcast Network, this is "Understood Explains." You're listening to Season 1 where we explain evaluations for special education. Over 10 episodes, we cover the ins and outs of the process that school districts use to evaluate children for special education services. My name is Andy Kahn, and I'm a licensed psychologist and an in-house expert at Understood.org. I've spent nearly 20 years evaluating kids for both public and private schools. I'll be your host. Today's episode focuses on how to request an evaluation. We're going to explain three key things: what details to include in your request and why, what you can expect after you submit your request, and what you can say to your child about requesting an evaluation — and what not to say. First, back to Jennifer's story.Jennifer: When I knew that I should submit this request for an evaluation, I did some research online. And there's several templates online that you can use to guide you on how to write a request for this evaluation for your child. And so in my first letter that I wrote, I was very just kind of like to the point, like I'm requesting this evaluation. And I didn't put a lot of the background information that I wish I would have included. I was very direct. And I didn't add in the parts that made him a person, if that makes sense. So when I look back on how that went, I kind of wish I would have documented in that letter what I was seeing and why I was requesting the evaluation.Andy: What to include in an evaluation request? This is a big question for many parents. But before we get into those details, I want to mention two important things about special education law. Number one: Over the years, I've worked with many families who didn't know that school districts are required by law to be on the lookout for kids who might have disabilities, and that school districts need to evaluate kids, at no cost to families, to see if a child might need special education services. Number two: Many families are surprised to learn that they can ask the school district to evaluate their child. They don't need to wait for the school to reach out and say, "Hey, we think something's going on, that your child is struggling." You can reach out first. So that's a really important part of special education law — that you can ask your school district to evaluate your child at any time and for any reason. But the way you ask — the details you include — can make a huge difference in helping the school decide how or whether or not to evaluate your child. So my first guest today is going to help me unpack all this. Christina Gutierrez has spent a decade as a special education teacher in New York City, where she recently shifted gears and is now working in a private clinic that provides free evaluations for kids. Christina is an Understood Teacher Fellow. She's also a mom of a child who receives special education. So she knows the evaluation process personally, as well as professionally. So Christina, welcome. So glad to have you here today.Christina: Thank you for having me.Andy: So I understand you worked for many years as a special education teacher. And you also worked for two of those years as a school response to intervention coordinator. Can you tell me a little bit about that?Christina: Yeah. So a school response to intervention coordinator is a role that's pretty specialized. Response to intervention is a school's attempt at catching any lagging gaps that may be happening with students, and intervening either through extra tutoring in reading, or extra tutoring in math, to help students thrive. There are levels to it. There are different tiers — what they call tiers to intervening. So your Tier 1, just for some understanding, is your classroom, just like your natural classroom that you're in, right? Schools are expected to provide classrooms that try to assess — that try to reach every child in their understanding and in academic content. Your Tier 2 is, oh, as a teacher, I'm noticing this kid is struggling a little bit in his math facts. I'm going to pull him every day for a couple of minutes, maybe 15 or 20 minutes a day, to go over these math facts extra just to see if I can in closing on some of that gap. Tier 3 is where a school says oh, a teacher says oh, or a parent says, oh, wait a minute, you've tried this, we've tried this, it's not working. OK, let's intentionally pull a kid out of the classroom environment and provide key instruction in that gap that we're noticing — if it's math facts, if it's reading, if it's writing, whatever the gap is — and then we have pre-assess, right? You see where the kid is in the beginning, you intervene, usually six to eight weeks, and then you test the student's ability at the end of that time. If the student has grown, the intervention has worked, we're going to continue that until we can close the gap. In many cases, the intervention doesn't work. And you say, wait a minute, we've pulled you three times a week for 30 minutes, and you're still struggling in this key area, it may be time to refer for an IEP. So IEP stands for an Individualized Education Program, which is the actual like document that references all of the services a student may get, including their classification.Andy: Cool. So we're talking about general education students here. We just see that there's something that's not going like it needs to go. So we're providing intervention before that process starts.Christina: Absolutely. And after a certain amount of time, I can notice that like, hey, Mom, I've tried this many interventions, or this many activities with your student. He's still pretty struggling or she's still struggling. I think it's time to refer for special education services. Here's how you would go about doing that.Andy: So it sounds like a big part of your job was helping to decide if the school — if they should reach out to parents and asked to evaluate their child. Have you ever reached out unofficially, and said, you know, maybe you should ask the school to do this, you know? Why would you — and why would you give that advice?Christina: Yes, I have. And a lot of the families that — I've worked in primarily urban communities, and a large amount of those students were Black or brown, Black or Latino students, in very under-resourced communities. And so there was a connection there in terms of language, in terms of just like, overall experience. And so parents trusted me a lot. And so a lot of the time, they'd asked me, like, I don't know what to do. And at that point, I would say, here's what you can do. And I would explain to them the steps, like completely from start to finish. The parent has the right, as their child's primary advocate, to request in writing an evaluation for their student. And then they'd go "How do I do that?" I'd say, "Here's how you do it." And in some cases, I would like write it. And in New York State, in particular, it can be written on anything. It can be written on a napkin, it can be written on a Post-it, if it's in a form of writing, has the student's name, the student's school number or identification number. And then you say, like, "I want my child evaluated, because there's a delay in their academic performance, or I'm really concerned about how they're doing in math." Sign your name, and have a date on it. And they have to acknowledge that they've received it.Andy: And Christina, the reason why it's important to put a date on your letter is because schools have to respond within a certain number of days to let you know if they're going to approve or deny your request. The response time frame might be 10 days in some states. It might be 30 days in other states. But the big point is that the school can't leave you hanging forever waiting for a response. The one other thing I want to clarify is that in some states, you don't have to write a letter, you can make an oral request. But it's always, always, always a best practice to submit your request in writing. Listeners, if you go to our show notes, we have a link to state-specific information so you can find out what the time frame is in your state. We also have a link to a template that can help you write a request for an evaluation. OK, so Christina, let's turn back to writing the letter. What kind of details do you encourage parents to put into these letters?Christina: The first is a date, that's really, really important. The other key information or detail is the student's full name, the student's identification number — if not, a key identifier, such as their birthdate. And then a request, like naming what you want evaluated. So I'm requesting a neuropsychological education evaluation. I would like it to also include an occupational therapy, a speech therapy, such and such evaluation — because that's not always given, right? And then that delays the process further if you didn't request that but you did want to see if your kid required those services. So you want to include in detail what you want assessed. And the reason: Because I'm concerned about their performance, because as of lately, whatever the reason is. And then a signed signature.Andy: Absolutely. The thing that you said that I think's interesting is that when you talk, you've named a lot of assessment types. So a lot of my families aren't going to be familiar with those types of assessments. So what would you — what are some other things you might tell them to put in that would be helpful? Because yeah, what you're saying, I would say, I'd go to you. I'd want you to help me write that letter. Because what you're saying is going to just — it sounds like it would plug me right in. For my parents, what are the things they might observe or see that could help them in that process if they don't have that knowledge?Christina: Well, I think the key conversation here would be one with their child's educator. Where do you see that my student is struggling most? I notice that when I'm helping him with homework, or her with homework, they're struggling with their math. I'm notice this is true frustration, they're crying, you know, label the behavior that they see. So I think that's the first one. I would say — something that's a key that helped me, because my son has also has an IEP, and it's something that helped me decide that I wanted to get him special education services, was that I noticed that in our communication, he seemed to be really, really frustrated or not understanding what I was saying. He also could not express himself. And so there was this very, like strong gut instinct that, wait a minute, there may be something happening with my son that I need to address.Andy: So when we're talking about the details to include, is there a certain sort of length of letter or note that's great? What do you see as most effective?Christina: I mean, I think simple is best. I think the key here is, name your concern, and why you have that concern, give identifying information so that they know which child you're referring to. And make sure you have a date and the name on that document. It doesn't need to be lengthy. It can if you feel like you want it to be.Andy: Gotcha. So I would assume that based on that, maybe sending an email would be good as well? Christina: Yeah.Andy: I gotcha. And the theme that I got from you was, in terms of keeping it simple, it sounds like maybe a single-page letter will be just as good as a long letter, in the sense of let's just get the key points out and put it in writing. Who should the family then give the request to? Like, where does this go? Who do you send it to?Christina: Yes. So in New York City, you give the request to the school psychologist, or the guidance counselor, and they will hand it forward. If you don't know who those people are, you can give it to the teacher and the teacher is responsible for bringing it to the parties that be.Andy: Any tips for homeschooled or private school students in terms of doing this process and getting that communication to — to who? I guess that would be a big question.Christina: In New York State, the way you would get your child evaluated in that case, if they're in a private or parochial school, is to go to the committee of special education for that district. It can be tricky for parents whose children are in different school settings because legally, they're not mandated in the same way public schools are to provide these services or to have your student evaluated. It gets a little nuanced and tricky when you decide to go out of the public school system.Andy: So whether you're a homeschool, private school, or public school student, you have the right to request that evaluation. But schools can deny that request. So here's an example of why a school might deny a request. There may be a case where a child has pretty good grades, and they seem to be achieving well and making some academic gains. But the parent sees something that doesn't seem right to them, maybe something seems like it's going on behaviorally, or they're struggling with some anxiety about going to school. And in those situations, the school may deny the request, because they don't see the impact. I often would strongly advise families to appeal that process, to really talk more about that with the school. Because it can be so important to gather things like baseline data. Now what we mean by baseline data is, let's get a sense of what they're doing right now academically, let's get some information. And then if we come back and evaluate them again later, because maybe they're not eligible for a service, you know, to get some certain kinds of support, we may have really important information that can help them in the future. Any other tips for families who are getting ready to submit the request for evaluation. Any other things to keep in mind?Christina: I think the tip to keep in mind most is don't let up. Right? Like you are your child's advocate, you are the best person who can speak for your child. Even if it's in a language that people at their school don't speak in, you have the right and you should not let up. And eventually, you know, even if they don't, they continue to deny your request, at least there's documented proof that you've been requesting the support. And should a need come later, as you said before, Andy, at least there's documented proof that like we've had this anticipation coming. And so here's where we should begin.Andy: So I guess there's one last tip I want to sort of talk about just a little bit. And I say this to a lot of the families that I've worked with over the years. You know, it's really important to avoid confrontational language. And maybe you can talk like, what's your experience when parents get confrontational with the school? How does that — how has that typically gone for you?Christina: I don't recommend confrontation. But I do think that sometimes it happens. And the best way to talk a parent through that is to say like, here are your rights moving forward. Because most people are going to get confrontational if they feel like their rights are being impacted, or I'm not being heard. I'm not being received. And this touches my child you're talking about, right?Andy: Yeah, I think for me when I've had conversations within schools, especially with my younger students, is to say to families, this is a lengthy relationship. This is a relationship that's going to go on for many years, and being really aware of how that communication goes can set you up for more future success.Jennifer:  I wish I would have included the types of things that we were seeing at home. Like, he's only in first grade that we've read the entire Harry Potter series together. He sits and listens, he can comprehend the story. He's predicting plot developments that I didn't even see when I read it as an adult. And he's so young, he's so smart. But when he's reading, he's missing words like "he" and "said," and these little words, "of," "if." They're supposed to be the easier words that he's missing these things. And so something's just not right. We're working so hard at home with sight words, and he's just not making the progress that I would expect him to make based on how smart I know that he is. I didn't include those kinds of details. And I really wish that I would have. I don't know, you know, we didn't have the best experience. And I really don't know if that would have made a difference. But when I talk to parents now, I definitely add that as advice to them: When you write your letter, make sure you write what you're seeing at home and why you think that you need that evaluation.Andy: So we've been talking about what to say to your child's school about why you want your child to be evaluated. But what can you say to your child about requesting an evaluation? My next guest is an expert on talking to your child, Amanda Morin, the co-host of Understood "In It" podcast. Amanda: Hi, Andy.Andy: I think so much of this, for us having been in schools for so many years, is really trying to help parents talk to their kids about the request process. What do you think is the best information to share with your child about that process?Amanda: Absolutely. I can say sometimes it's actually more difficult to have this conversation with your child when you're requesting an evaluation, because there is an uncertainty around it. Because a school — you're not always sure if they're going to approve the evaluation request. So I think sometimes it's better to stay a little bit vague and say to your child, "I know that you've been struggling. I've noticed it. We've talked about it a little bit" — if you've talked about it. And if you haven't, now's the time to start having that conversation and say, "I've noticed you're struggling. And I want to help you. And I want to find other people who can help you." And I think that's the time when you say, "So because I've noticed this, I've reached out to the school. And I've asked them to take a look at it so we can see if there's more help we can provide for you." And I think that's sort of the crux of what you want to say right now, until you have more informationAs more information comes in, right — as as you get to the process where the school is replying to your to your request for evaluation, then you can say to your child, "OK, so I've heard back from the school. And they've decided that it's a good idea to look closely at this — at what's going on. And you're going to start seeing some of this move forward." Or there may be a possibility where you say to your child, "You know what, the school and I took a look at this, and we're going to wait, we're going to hold for right now. So I told you that we're going to look at those skills. But in the meantime, I'm going to talk to your teacher, or other people in your school, and we're going to figure out what we can do to help you right now." So I think there are a number of ways you can handle that conversation.Andy: I think that's a really great piece of advice. The idea is that the entire crux of this conversation is we're looking to get some help for your child. And even in the absence of an evaluation, there is likely to be some help that's going to be offered. It just may not be the same thing we expected had they gone through the evaluation,Amanda: Yeah, and I don't think you would necessarily say to a child, whether they're young or old, "We're going to go through the RTI process." Because it's very — it's very technical, right? So even if you say "response to Intervention," what you want to say is there are programs in place that can help you learn skills that you're having trouble with, that are more intensive, or they're more supportive than the general education classroom, because they're designed to be that way. So I think there are ways around that language because it's very technical, right? And I'm not saying we would use it, but I think it's worth thinking through how do you describe that to a child. And what you say to them is, there are these programs in place already in your school, that don't require me reaching out to the school and asking them to do something extra. This is built in to the school's programming. And you may end up having a little extra support from your teacher, a different teacher, or some other professional in the school.Andy: I think the simplest terminology is "We're doing a process to figure out how to help you best. Some of that help might be offered now. Some might be offered later." So the idea around this is we really just want to be aware of what this process feels like. And at least giving them an idea of what to expect while we're going through it. So I think that's really, really important.Amanda: I love how you put that because I think it's — what you're saying really resonates with me is the idea of making sure we're keeping kids in the loop. And that's what this is all about, is keeping kids in the loop so they're not surprised when something new comes their way.Andy: All right, so let's take a quick look at the next steps in the evaluation process. So at this point, we've done a written request detailing why we want the evaluation. We've found out who to send the request to, and the district has to respond within a certain number of days. And that number of days can vary depending upon what state you're in. So if your school district says yes, we'll evaluate your child, the next step is to formally give your consent to say that you agree, in writing, and then help the school develop the evaluation plan. We'll do the evaluation plan in the next episode of "Understood Explains," so stay tuned for that. If the school district says no, we're denying your request, the next step is to make sure you understand why the school denied it. Then you can decide whether you want to wait and see how things go or you want to pursue some dispute resolution options and push forward to try to get that assessment. You know, families whose request gets denied may want to listen to Episode 3, where we talk all about your evaluation rights. Also, in Episode 8, we talked about private evaluations, including something called the independent education evaluation that the school district has to pay for. If there's one thing to take away from this discussion, it's that you can ask your school district to evaluate your child at any time. But the concerns you include in your request can make a big difference in what happens next. As always, remember that as a parent, you are the first and best expert on your child. You've been listening to Season 1 of "Understood Explains" from the Understood Podcast Network. If you want to learn more about the topics we covered today, check out the show notes for this episode. We include more resources, as well as links to anything we mentioned in the episode. And now, just as a reminder of who we're doing all this for, I'm going to turn it over to Lucy to read our credits. Take it away, Lucy.Lucy: "Understood Explains" is produced by Julie Rawe and Cody Nelson, who also did the sound design for the show. Briana Berry is our production director. Andrew Lee is our editorial lead. Our theme music was written by Justin D. Wright, who also mixes the show. For the Understood Podcast Network, Laura Key is our editorial director, Scott Cocchiere is our creative director, and Seth Melnick is our executive producer. A very special thanks to Amanda Morin and all the other parents and experts who helped us make this show. Thanks for listening and see you next time.Andy: Understood is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people who learn and think differently discover their potential and thrive. Learn more at understood.org/mission.

Busting myths about special education

Debunked! Learn five common myths about special education, and find out how families can help kids of color get the support they deserve. Debunked! Learn five common myths about special education that can keep kids of color from getting the support they deserve. Host Julian Saavedra and expert guest Christina Gutierrez explain common misconceptions and offer tips on how to help your child thrive.Christina is the mom of a child with an IEP. She’s also a former special educator. Find out which of the five top myths “gets under her skin” the most — and which one crept into her own thinking when her son was struggling.Related resources Common myths about special educationWhat to do when people don’t believe your child has a learning or thinking differenceHow to get past parenting guiltWunder, the first community app for parents of kids with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexiaEpisode transcriptChristina: Smart and special education — they're not mutually exclusive. You don't get put in special education because you're not smart. Julian: From the Understood Podcast Network, this is "The Opportunity Gap." Kids of color who have ADHD and other common learning differences often face a double stigma. But there's a lot that families can do to address the opportunity gap in our communities. This podcast explains key issues and offers tips to help you advocate for your child. My name is Julian Saavedra. I'm a father of two and an assistant principal in Philadelphia, where I've spent nearly 20 years working in public schools. I'll be your host. Today's episode is about busting myths. There are a lot of myths about special education, and these myths can keep our kids from getting the services and support that they deserve. To help me explain some of the most common myths, I want to introduce today's expert guest. Christina Gutierrez is a mom in New York City. Her son has an IEP, so she's been through the special education process personally. Christina also spent nearly a decade working in public schools as a special education teacher and as an RTI coordinator, helping schools decide which kids need to be evaluated for special education. Hey, Christina.Christina: Hey, Julian. Julian: Before we jump in, I'm going to start us off with a question just so we could break the ice. What is saving your life? What is that thing that's just saving your life right now? It could be a book. It could be a friend, TV show, hobby, your favorite ice cream. Like something right now that's just really saving your life. What would that be? Christina: Meditation. Julian: Meditation. Christina: I'll put on a meditation that I find on YouTube. I'll listen to some calming music. I'll listen to River Sounds, even to unwind at the end of the day. Just like knowing when my mind is wandering or taking a minute, even if it's 2 minutes, to just sit, be still, be quiet, has been life-changing for me. Julian: Wow. OK, so everybody, listen. Especially parents out there. Meditation works. So before we dive into some of these really common myths that you and I keep hearing from parents, I wanted to really jump into your own personal experience. So you're the mom of a child with an IEP. So, you know, you've been on both sides of the table as a teacher and as the mom. Anything that that kind of jumps out — myths, stigmas, thought traps, or other misconceptions that you noticed when you were thinking about as you went through this process from the parenting side. So as a parent, anything that kind of jumps out to you? Christina: I definitely fell into the trap of believing that I had failed my child, that I had done something wrong, especially so because I was a teacher, right? So there was this pressure of like comparing him to other children. Or is there something more that I could have done? Or what can I do in the meantime. Julian: I mean, as parents, we know. We know that feeling, all of us. Let's dig into some of these common myths about special education. You know, you and I, we've worked with thousands of families over the years. Let me say that again to make it real. Thousands, right? We're old and we've been in the game for a while. And there's some common themes that constantly emerge that we really want to jump in and debunk some of them. So we're going to go back and forth between some of our top five. So the first myth, the one that I personally hear a lot or I experience a lot from the work side is families come in and say, "I'm worried my child's going to feel and be treated differently, like they're not going to be treated the same as everybody else. And that really worries me." Sometimes they might be worried that their kids are going to be in a completely separate classroom. Or sometimes they might think once the teachers find out that my child has an IEP or that they receive services, they're going to be treated very differently. You know, I heard this one a couple of days ago during an initial IEP meeting with a parent. They were worried about their college aspirations. "Mr. Saavedra, and I don't think that they're going to be able to go to college with this. What do I do?" So thinking about all these worries, is that true?Christina: No, that is completely a myth. And I think often of when we were growing up, right, the phrase like, oh, "They're on the special bus," or like "They're on the cheese bus." Especially in New York City, children do get specialized busing. There's like, for families who have been in New York or have been in the States for a long time, Black families, Latino families, and Puerto Rican in particular. Those of us that were in New York for a longer time, there was a stigma, and IEPs weren't always the most beneficial thing. They were often over-generalized to our students. So an example would be my my mom has a lot of stigma with IEPs because my sister was both bilingual for English and Spanish, but she was a quiet child and they automatically tried to put her in special education. And so my mom's relationship with special education is one of like, they just do that when they don't want to teach you. And, you know, the truth was in the '70s, that is how it was. Like that isn't the same anymore. And so I found in my relationships with families of color in particular, having to debunk this myth a lot. Your child will not be treated differently. In fact, it is a legal document requiring teachers to spend extra time with your child and meet them at the needs that they have. That piece of it, I think, has been, in my experience, what has comforted parents. But the myth existed because at one time we were treated differently. And I think in my experience as well, that is something that has helped me with parents, is that you're affirming that you're right to have had that hesitation, because years ago this was your experience or this was your sister's experience or your brother's experience. But special education has has changed a lot. Julian: So I'm in Philly, and a lot of my parents will come in and that's their worry. But also they might have siblings or even themselves when they were in school, where if services were provided, they would be segregated into a different room. And they automatically come in worrying that's what's going to happen to their kid. Christina: But the truth is, in some cases, some children do spend all day in a classroom that is separate, but not necessarily separate in that it's like a shun. But there are students who are in self-contained classrooms all day. And there are students who do require those needs and that don't — I think for me, the framing for parents has been this isn't a bad thing. This is giving your kid what they need. And taking parents through the — like OK, we tried just services, right? We're just going to give you related services. Just speech. Just occupational therapy. OK, that didn't work. We went to integrated co-teaching. OK, that didn't work. At this point, your student is still struggling with X, Y, Z. I had a lot of students like that. And having to break that to parents, like look, here we did this, we did this, we've done all of these things, but why don't we try? So separate setting is a thing, like if your child is in a 12 to 1, which is 12 students, one special education teacher, one para, and your child is receiving the education and academic support that is most needed for their level of functioning. And empowering parents with that has been what I've been able to succeed in the most. Julian: And I think that's the key to what you said, is that there's levels to the support. You know, what we want to make sure to point out is the vast majority of students with IEPs are in general education classrooms. It's much more — a smaller percentage are in those different situations like you described. But the vast majority of students get accommodations or modifications within a general education setting. But no, your child should not be treated differently. At the bottom line, that is a myth and it has been debunked. Christina: It has been debunked. Julian: Let's go on to myth number two. Christina: Myth number two: "My child is smart, and smart kids don't need special education." There's a huge misconception that special education or a child being put in special education may lead a family to refuse services and supports because of the fear of "Oh, this means my kid is dumb." There are students who are twice exceptional, really gifted, but maybe have ADHD or being put in special education. I've always explained to parents in the most simplest form, and obviously it's more nuanced than this. But we are giving your child like a script for what they need to learn best. And we figure that out by teamwork. Smart and special education — they're not mutually exclusive. You don't get put in special education because you're not smart. Julian: I find that a lot of my conversation revolves around helping parents understand that even the word "smart" is a very nuanced thing. Like, what does that mean? We know through our educational training there's multiple ways that you can display intelligence. Just because I might not show linguistic intelligence doesn't mean that my kinesthetic intelligence isn't high, doesn't mean that I can't do all these other different things. And our job is to make individualized education as focused and purposeful for our students as possible. And we know that the vast majority of people who do have IEPs are not intellectually disabled. So another myth debunked. Let's go on to myth number three: "My parenting caused my child to need special education." Christina: I found that. Julian: That's a lot. That's heavy. Because I've felt that. I've felt that. I've seen parents feel that. You're sitting across them in the meeting and you explain that services are going to have to happen. And their facial expression, just the rush of emotions, right? Those are our babies. Those are our babies. And I don't care what anybody says, that's a hard thing to hear. That's a hard thing to not want to blame yourself immediately when you hear that something's wrong with my child and it's my fault. Christina: And to sign and IEP means I did something wrong. And I think even myself, having gone through this process, I actually felt this. What did I do wrong? Julian: I mean, I think there's a couple of things and we're seeing that it's not anything that you did as a parent to cause this situation. And a lot of times when they hear it from somebody that's in education and there's that trust that's built, then it takes the edge off a little bit of hearing that heavy news. So it looks like we got myth number three debunked. All right. Myth number four. All right, Christine, that's you. Christina: Myth number four: "My child doesn't really have a disability. My child is choosing to misbehave." I would say this myth is one that gets under my skin and so irritates me. I see this especially with children who've been diagnosed with emotional behavioral disabilities or disturbances, or where I would say that it's not so much the academic component, but other components of school that are the thing that they're struggling with. ADHD and attention, hyperactivity, or even oppositional defiant disorder, especially in a culture of of people of color. Like I have cousins who are diagnosed with ADHD. I have cousins who were diagnosed with various emotional behavior disturbances, and we didn't believe it. It was like, no, you're choosing to disobey. But the scariest part for me was places where I saw teachers misunderstand that component of like, no, this is a choice they're making. Or personalizing, like "Not paying attention? You don't respect me." Or, like skittish eyes everywhere is like "You're choosing to ignore me on purpose." Julian: There's such a fine line between understanding when this is an active chosen behavior, like I'm choosing to just not follow directions, versus things that are not a choice. Like the child at some point can't control it or doesn't have the tools or strategies or support to deal with that. You know, I've seen, especially in my experience, a lot of our Black boys. Christina: I was going to go there. I always find myself bracing myself for those boys in particular, Black boys in particular, because there's just been an overrepresentation of them, as diagnosed as emotionally/behaviorally disturbed, and protecting them when that is, in fact, what the issue is. Part of it is educating parents around discipline styles and what does or doesn't work. There's that stigma like it's a choice. It's my favorite as a parent that I've been big on, like notifying my family about is like, maybe there was a bad choice, but there is no inherently bad child. Julian: Again, going back to what we said earlier with one of the prior myths, there's a lot of historical experiences that people of color have gone through. I know I went through it in my own school experience. I know a lot of my families to this day still feel that way when they walk in the school building. And so making sure that they understand that there's a whole process to determine whether or not there is a disability there versus if this is just a choice that the child is making, is really important to understand — that it's not just out of the blue that this child's doing this. Like there is a reason for it.Christina: So even if it isn't diagnosed, what is the need that you have that I'm not meeting? And I think when I've been able to ask myself — I need to ask my son that, like, what do you need right now? He had a meltdown today. We're braiding his hair and getting ready for school. Tomorrow is his first day. He has really long hair and he's like, big day. He's like big feelings. Like, everything was just like, oh, and like, like in a very dramatic way. And I stopped. I was like — because I was getting frustrated. I was like, what do you need? You need something. Like, "I'm so nervous about school.". And it was just like tears. And I was like, oh, OK, so this is what I really was. It isn't about the hair. I'm not doing something wrong. Because automatically it's like, what am I doing wrong? What, you know, like frustration with myself. And I was like, well, not what do you need? And sometimes our kids don't have the words, even the the oldest of them. Julian: And that leads us to our last myth for today. Myth number five: "As a parent, I don't know how to help my child." It's a myth that comes up a lot, especially during eligibility determination meetings or even during IEP review meetings. People are wondering, "I really don't know what to do." What's your response? Christina: Well, my response is, "You do. You're here. You're supporting your child. You're advocating for your child, and you're doing all of the things you need to do as a parent." I do like to put ownership on the teachers and schools and the system as well, right? Like here we are doing this part. You showed up. You're acknowledging your child has this need and you called out of work. Or you sometimes are at threat for losing your job because you have to go to all of these meetings and, like, you are doing the thing. If you're talking to me about the thing your child needs, then you're doing it. And reaffirming parents in that — no, you are doing what, you know how to help your kid because you're asking for help. Maybe you don't know how to teach them to read in English because that's not your first language and you don't know how to read in English. But you do know how to advocate that your child is having a need in this area. Julian: I mean, it's a simple thing, but it's one of those that sometimes you need to hear somebody else say it to you because you go back and you go to sleep at night thinking like, what am I doing wrong? I don't know what I'm doing with this. You've got all these things going on and then you hear somebody else who knows your child and they reaffirm that. But that's all it takes. So not overanalyzing it and just really realizing, I know what I need to do. I know my child. I've known you since you were in diapers. I know all the things. I taught you how to walk. I taught you how to talk. I'm going to help teach you how to do these things, too. Christina: Yeah. I taught you how to use a bathroom. Miraculous, because potty training — oof, rough. Julian: Oh, yeah, that took a while. At the Saavedra household it took a while. Christina: It was a mission, right? It was a mission. If you can do that, you can do anything. Julian: That ends with myth number five debunked. You know what you're doing, parents, you know exactly what you're doing. And if you don't know, you will find a way. You will find a way. At this point, before we leave out, we wanted to just give some tips, some specific tips on what you can do as a parent or a parenting adult or somebody that's an advocate for a child in your life to help out and really make sure that your child or student is getting what they need. So the first tip that I want to share with everybody out there is really know your own biases about special education. Know yourself. Know what you think, know your own experiences, know some of the things that you might come to the table with so that you can address them. And I say that because a lot of us don't even realize the things that we're bringing to the table if we don't actually sit down and think about it. And I decided as a teacher, I'm going to learn the process. I'm going to ask all the questions. And I think it took a while for me to really understand that I came to that realization where I need to check myself. Before I sit in front of students and try to do this work. I need to check myself. Christina: I went through the same thing. I would say even before being the parent of a child who had learning differences, it was this "Oh well, if I did it it. Like I'm from Brooklyn, I'm Puerto Rican. My parents speak Spanish. I was low-income. If I could do it, you could do it." That's not always true. I didn't live sometimes — I didn't live in a shelter. I didn't have a parent, you know, struggling with whatever struggles they were having that may not have been the most ideal for students. I wasn't in a charter school. I went to a very wealthy, very wealthy — we were the minority, right? With not that many of us there, but that was a privilege in and of itself. And like knowing the privileges and having to check myself on that as well, that like my experience isn't universal. And I think that even as a parent, right, for me, I'm much more — I was the kid who was reading all the time. My son is the kid who's running all the time. And learning how to differentiate that. He doesn't learn in the way that I do. And so in that way, I have to be able to support him, because my experience isn't his experience. So I think checking yourself is absolutely one of the best ways to navigate this process. Julian: So another tip is talk with a teacher or administrator you trust and ultimately find a support system. A lot of us in the Black and brown community have had adverse situations with school. Like we either have had history that is not so great with the school experience. And so that ability to find somebody we trust is incredibly important. I'm proud that I serve that role for a lot of families. You know, they see me, they know me. I put that out there that, you know, we come from the same type of situation and we can talk. And they'll come and ask me, even if I'm not in the meeting at all or I'm not involved in it, they might call me later or ask me "Mr. Saavedra, let's sit down and actually tell me what's going on here." Finding a teacher that you trust or an adult that you trust in the building is something that is really going to help a long way, because they're going to shoot straight and they're going to give you some of those jargony words that you can drop when you're in some of those meetings to make sure people in the meetings understand that you know what you're talking about. So talking to a teacher you trust is really important. And Christina, what about talking to other families? What advice do you have on how families can find other families who are going through the same thing? Christina: Yeah, you can go to a social worker. You can ask your teacher. You can ask, who are some people who — maybe they can't give you the child's name or anything like that, but are there support groups or is there help? Go to Understood.org. Find the resource in the community that's going to make you not feel so isolated. As an education advocate, one of the meetings that I had with a parent, she called me after the meeting was over and she was like, "Thank you. This is the first time I've ever felt understood. Like, I'm not alone. Like, you knew and you didn't blame me." And, like, she was in tears. And to me, I was just simply someone who understood. Julian: She said the word "understood" a few times. Shameless plug. Understood.org, Understood Facebook group, or Understood even has a free community app, Wunder. W-U-N-D-E-R, Wunder. They're all great resources. But just go out there and find people that really are in the same boat and have that support. Last tip. As your child's biggest advocate, we cannot stress enough: Think about what is it that you want for this child's experience. And once you have startrf thinking about like, what is it you want school to be like, sit down and just start writing out a list. What are these three or five like non-negotiable things that no matter what happens, I want to make sure that this is part of my child's school experience. So thinking going about like the myth we shared earlier: "I don't know what to do." You actually do, because you've thought about what is it that I want for this experience? So it's really being prepared when you're having conversations, or when things are going haywire, or you're having all these different feelings, you can go back to this list of these things that you and your family has identified as really non-negotiable things that need to happen during the school experience. And it could be really simple. I know my wife and I did this for our kids. We thought about — we want our kids to just play at recess. That's non-negotiable. They have recess. We want them to play. We want them to socialize. We want them to make friends and have deep and lasting relationships. That's just a non-negotiable. Christina: Yeah. And I found that one way to make that not so abstract for parents is to think about what is the thing that causes your child the most distress. Is it, for example, in some examples, is like my kid freaks out before a test. They struggle. They're fearful, they're anxious, they're.... OK. You can ask for more testing time. You can say you want extended testing time on the IEP. So finding ways like — because they're often, it's like they need all of the help and it's like, yes, but what is the thing that is the most stressful in the house? That's the thing you want to ask for help with. And I think I have found in my experience that has been what helps parents navigate that process a little bit easier. Julian: Sadly, our time has come to an end, but Christina, I can't thank you enough. Because, one, it's just a pleasure talking. Like, we could talk like this for hours. But two, the expert knowledge you have as a mom. Christina: Thank you. Julian: He has a great mom. But then all those students, the fact that you've worked with so many families, I can just hear the love in your voice. Keep fighting the good fight. And you are always welcome to come back and join us to give us some more tips. Take care. You've been listening to "The Opportunity Gap" from the Understood Podcast Network. This show is for you. So we want to make sure you're getting what you need. Is there a topic you'd like us to cover? We want to hear from you. Email us at OpportunityGap@Understood.org. If you want to learn more about the topics we covered today, check out the show notes for this episode. We include more resources as well as links to anything we mentioned in the episode. Understood.org is a resource dedicated to helping people who learn and think differently discover their potential and thrive. Learn more at understood.org/mission. "The Opportunity Gap" is produced by Cin Pim and Julie Rawe. Briana Berry is our production director. Our theme music was written by Justin D. Wright, who also mixes the show. Laura Key is our editorial director, Scott Cocchiere is our creative director, and Seth Melnick is our executive producer. Thanks for listening, and see you next time.

What is the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)?

To get special education services for a child, you have to follow a legal process. The most important law for this process is the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). IDEA is the nation’s special education law. It gives rights and protections to kids with disabilities. It covers them from birth through high school graduation or age 21 (whichever comes first). Parents and legal guardians also have rights under the law. IDEA places two big responsibilities on states and their public schools.First, school districts must provide a free appropriate public education (FAPE) to kids with disabilities. And these kids must learn side by side with peers as much as possible — something called the least restrictive environment, or LRE. Schools must find and evaluate students who may have disabilities, at no cost to families. This is known as Child Find. If a child has a qualifying disability, schools must offer special education and related services (like speech therapy and counseling) to meet the child’s unique needs. These are provided through an Individualized Education Program (IEP). The goal is to help students make progress in school.Second, schools have to give parents a voice in their child’s education. At every point in the process, IDEA gives parents specific rights and protections. These are called procedural safeguards. For example, one safeguard is that a school must get consent from parents before providing services to kids.The reach of IDEA goes beyond traditional public schools. It includes public magnet and charter schools. The law also provides early intervention services to infants and toddlers up to age 3. Finally, IDEA may impact some students in private schools.

Extended school year services: What you need to know

You might be wondering if your child with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) can receive special education services during the summer. These services are known as extended school year (ESY) services and are an option for some students. Here’s what you should know about ESY services.What is ESY?ESY services are not the same thing as summer school. They’re specialized instruction or related services that are part of a child’s IEP. If your child receives ESY services, they’re at no cost to you, under FAPE.ESY services are provided when school is not typically in session. That’s often during the summer. But for some kids it can also be during other extended breaks, like winter vacation.The services are individualized to help each child maintain skills and not lose the progress made toward goals. For some kids, this may mean one-on-one tutoring. For others, it may be a few sessions of occupational therapy or speech therapy each week. What ESY looks like for your child is a decision made by the IEP team.Who is eligible for ESY?ESY isn’t guaranteed for all students who have IEPs. (And not all kids with IEPs need it.) The Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act lets each state or school district set its own rules for eligibility. So the standards vary from place to place.In many states, kids with learning and thinking differences are unlikely to get ESY services. But it’s important to check with your state’s department of education. It can tell you what the standards are where you live.IDEA does say that schools can’t limit ESY services to kids with certain challenges. For example, a school can’t decide to not give services to kids with dysgraphia. It also can’t give services only to kids with autism spectrum disorder, for instance.What does an IEP team consider to figure out if ESY services are needed?If your child is eligible, the IEP team may talk about ESY services. The main issues the team looks at are regression (losing skills) and recoupment (the time needed to relearn skills). The questions the team considers are:Will your child lose critical skills without continued support and teaching?Will it take a long time for your child to regain those skills — longer than it would take a child without a learning difference?If your child has a history of regressing and struggling to relearn, the IEP team will take that into account. If there’s no data, it can be harder to make a decision. But there are some questions the team may ask to help predict how likely your child is to regress. These include:Has your child had difficulty retaining skills over shorter breaks?Does your child have known challenges with working memory?Does your child need continual reinforcement to keep skills during the regular school year?Does your child have behavior challenges that get in the way of learning during the school year? Will that be a problem next year without continued support over the summer?Is your child making steady progress toward meeting IEP goals? And will a break in services threaten that progress?Is your child just beginning to master a critical skill, such as learning to read?How can kids get help during the summer?Even though not all kids are eligible for ESY services, every IEP team should discuss the option. If you think your child might need ESY, bring it up at your child’s next meeting.You might ask the team to get your child’s teachers to assess any regression or recoupment issues your child has after the shorter school breaks during the year. It’s also helpful to make sure your child is assessed after summer breaks. That can help the team plan for the next summer.Keep in mind, too, that ESY isn’t the only way to keep kids learning. You can also reinforce your child’s IEP goals at home or take advantage of other types of summer learning programs.

What are your rights in the 504 plan process?

If your child has a 504 plan or is being evaluated for one, you have legal rights. Here are the most important ones to know. The right to free appropriate public education (FAPE)Kids with disabilities have the right to a free appropriate public education. The school must meet your child’s educational needs just as it meets the needs of other students.The right to accommodations and modifications A 504 plan can include accommodations, which are changes in school and the classroom that allow your child to take part in learning. For example, to meet the needs of a child who struggles with writing, an accommodation might be a computer for typing. A 504 plan may also modify or change what your child is expected to learn. This is called a modification.The right to instruction and services To give your child an education comparable to that of other students, a 504 plan may include specialized instruction. The plan can also provide related services, like speech therapy, occupational therapy, or even counseling. The right to notice Schools must tell families about significant educational decisions that impact their kids. You have the right to know about things like identification, evaluation, and classroom placement. The right to challenge a school’s decision If you disagree with a school’s decision about your child’s education, you have the right to challenge it. You can ask for a hearing where an impartial officer decides your case. You can also file a complaint with the federal Office for Civil Rights.Learn the steps to take to get a 504 plan for your child. And read about your options for resolving disagreements with the school about 504 plans.

Download: FAPE at a glance

Students with disabilities have a legal right to a free appropriate public education. It’s often called FAPE (which rhymes with cape). This article breaks down what this important term means. And you can also download a handy one-page version to share with others.F is for free.Free means the government pays for the education of students with disabilities. There’s no cost to families. However, families do have to pay the same extra school fees — for example, sports and club fees — that all students pay.A is for appropriate.Appropriate means that kids who qualify get an Individualized Education Program (IEP) with services to meet their unique needs. Other students with disabilities may get a 504 plan that gives equal access to learning.P is for public.Public means supervised by the public school. An IEP team — teachers, parents, and others — decides what services and support the student gets. In a few cases, the government may pay for kids with disabilities to attend private school.E is for education.Education can include special education. It can also include related services, like speech therapy, counseling, or even transportation. The goal is for kids to make progress in school and be prepared for the future. Dive deeperThe right to FAPE is guaranteed in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. Learn more about: What is and isn’t covered under FAPEIEPs and what they offer Important legal terms to know