School supports
Learn about support for kids who struggle in school. See options like tutoring and homework help. Find out how students qualify for IEPs, special education, or 504 plans.
Jump to section:
Tips and strategies
- Quick tipAsk about school.
Help kids open up by asking open-ended questions, like “What’s the hardest thing you’re working on?” or “Who are you eating lunch with?”
- Quick tipReach out from the start.
You don’t need to wait for parent-teacher conferences to start talking with your child’s teacher. Reach out at the beginning of the school year to start building a relationship. It can take time to get comfortable sharing information with each other.
- Quick tipTry a homework folder.
Have kids use a folder to bring their homework to and from school. Try a brightly colored folder with pockets. This makes it easier to find in a backpack and keeps papers from slipping out. Check this folder daily.
Podcast
ABCs of IEPs
What’s an IEP? And why are there so many confusing acronyms in special education? Hear answers to common questions about IEPs and more.
Downloads
Sample 504 planPDF
Questions to ask before and during the IEP meetingPDF
Anatomy of an IEPPDF
School communication logPDF
More resources
All articles
- Different types of schools: Know the options
- Questions to ask about online schools
- How to get an IEP
- Teachers weigh in: What I wish parents asked at parent-teacher conferences
- Staying on top of your child’s IEP
- My child’s 504 plan doesn’t seem to be working. Now what?
- 7 tips for developing a good 504 plan
- Classroom accommodations for students who learn and think differently
- Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973: What you need to know
- 504 plan terms to know
- How to apply for SAT and ACT accommodations
- What are your rights in the 504 plan process?
- 6 strategies for making sure your child’s 504 plan is being followed
- 504 plans: 5 common pitfalls
- How to get a 504 plan for your child
- How my daughter and I helped change the SAT accommodations policy at her high school
- Download: Sample scripts for dispute resolution
- Classroom accommodations for written expression disorder
- Questionnaires for connecting with students and families
- 10 tips for a better IEP meeting
- 10 special education myths you may hear
- Classroom accommodations for executive function challenges
- When-then sentences: An evidence-based behavior strategy
- 5 common misconceptions about IEPs
- The 13 disability categories under IDEA
- The difference between IEPs and 504 plans
- 10 key procedural safeguards in IDEA
- 7 things to know about college disability services
- How to organize your child’s IEP binder
- 6 tips to make sure your child’s IEP is implemented properly
- Download: Anatomy of an IEP
- Download: IEP goal tracker
- Download: IEP binder checklist
- The IEP meeting: An overview
- Who’s on the IEP team
- How to consent to some parts of an IEP and not others
- Should I encourage my child to go to IEP meetings?
- Legal FAQs about IEP meetings
- IEP case managers: A guide for parents
- Questions to ask before and during your child’s IEP meeting
- When and why teachers can be excused from IEP meetings
- Setting annual IEP goals: What you need to know
- How to tell if your child’s IEP goals are SMART
- Setting an IEP baseline: PLOP, PLAAFP, and PLP
- FAQs about standards-based IEPs
- Questions to ask about your child’s IEP goals
- Can I ask for self-advocacy IEP goals for my child?
- My child’s IEP doesn’t seem to be working. Now what?
- How to work on your child’s IEP goals over the summer
- What is IEP transition planning?
- How my IEP transition plan helped me start college with confidence
- School vouchers: What you need to know
- Elkonin sound boxes: An evidence-based literacy strategy
- Questions to ask when hiring a tutor
- Dyscalculia tutoring: What families need to know
- Dyslexia tutoring: What families need to know
- 5 places to find free or low-cost tutoring
- How to teach using explicit instruction
- Classroom accommodations for anxiety
- Classroom accommodations for language disorders
- What is the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)?
- Place value disks: An evidence-based math strategy
- Vocabulary words: An evidence-based literacy strategy
- Respectful redirection: A behavior strategy for teachers
- Pre-correcting and prompting: An evidence-based behavior strategy
- Nonverbal signals: An evidence-based behavior strategy
- Positive behavior strategies: A guide for teachers
- What is co-teaching?
- Lesson planning with Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
- Universal Design for Learning (UDL): A teacher’s guide
- What is culturally responsive teaching?
- Strategy instruction: What you need to know
- Classroom accommodations for dyslexia
- 4 small and special ways to thank your child’s teachers
- What’s the difference between remedial instruction and a compensatory approach?
- Classroom accommodations for dyscalculia
- The difference between the Every Student Succeeds Act and No Child Left Behind
- 6 options for resolving an IEP dispute
- Your child’s rights: Important terms to know
- Classroom accommodations for ADHD
- Can my child get accommodations for AP testing?
- Accommodations for state standardized tests
- Classroom accommodations for sensory processing challenges
- Classroom accommodations for nonverbal learning disabilities
- Getting an IEP for your very young child
- Do kids with an IEP have to go back to in-person school this fall?
- My bilingual son has an IEP, and I still don’t know how it will work remotely
- Can you get a 504 plan for anxiety?
- Why I celebrate technology as a go-to for kids with dyslexia
- FAQs about homework for kids
- Treatment for kids with dyslexia
- How I’m making peace with my son’s IEP
- Educational therapy: What you need to know
- 8 multisensory techniques for teaching reading
- How occupational therapists help kids who struggle with motor skills
- How to help if English language learners are struggling in school
- The teacher isn’t following my child’s IEP. What can I do?
- 9 steps to take if the IEP eligibility meeting doesn’t work out
- Amanda Morin wants to “level the playing field” for parents
- Can an IEP or 504 plan include something about getting emotional support at school?
- I can’t take off work to go to the IEP meeting. What should I do?
- Public, private, and charter schools: How they compare
- Would my child be better off at a charter school?
- Do colleges view 504 plans as better than IEPs when students apply to college?
- 11 tips on informal negotiation strategies
- What’s the difference between RTI and MTSS?
- Parent-teacher conferences: How to get ready for your next meeting
- 8 steps to take if your child is facing disciplinary action
- Printable back-to-school downloads
- What does it take for instruction to be “evidence based”?
- The difference between IEP meetings and parent-teacher conferences
- Does my child need to be evaluated to get a 504 plan?
- Download: Sample letters for dispute resolution
- What is structured literacy?
- Distance learning toolkit: Key practices to support students who learn differently
- How to use culturally responsive teaching in the classroom
- What conditions qualify for a 504 plan?
- The first assistive technology I recommend to parents
- Not an IEP or a 504 plan — it’s our mediation agreement
- After one IEP meeting, my husband and I were finally on the same page
- How to help your child get emotional support at school
- Deciding on an evaluation: 5 common questions
- Dyslexia laws: What they are and how they work
- “Stay put” rights: What they are and how they work
- 10 things for teachers to know about English language learners
- Who ensures schools follow special education law?
- How does optical character recognition help kids with reading issues?
- Download: Sample letters for requesting evaluations and reports
- Emergency contact information for students: Why it’s important
- State academic standards: What you need to know
- The school evaluation process: What to expect
- Finding out if your child is eligible for special education
- Special education teachers: A guide for families
- Parent training centers: A free resource in your state
- 4 challenges of English language learners who learn and think differently
- 5 options for resolving a 504 plan dispute
- What to include in a state complaint for IEP dispute resolution
- SAT or ACT? How to know which is best for your child
- FAQs about tutoring for kids who learn and think differently
- How to get a free or low-cost private evaluation
- Checklist: What to look for on a grade school visit
- My child is falling behind in school. Now what?
- 6 myths about 504 plans
- What is occupational therapy?
- Individualized instruction vs. differentiated instruction
- What is instructional intervention?
- How schools monitor student progress
- The difference between tutoring and academic coaching
- Social Thinking: What you need to know
- What to double-check on your child’s IEP
- FAQs about having your child attend IEP meetings
- Can a student with a 504 plan get a transition plan?
- What to expect at a due process hearing
- 6 strategies to teach students self-regulation in writing
- 7 tips for talking to your child’s teacher about sensory processing challenges
- FAQs about school evaluations
- 504 plans and your child: A guide for families
- 6 steps to request a free school evaluation
- 6 things to do if you’re denied early intervention
- What to expect at a resolution session
- 4 worries I had when my son’s IEP ended
- Assistive technology: Questions to ask the school
- Do charter schools have to give accommodations to kids who learn and think differently?
- 9 examples of assistive technology and adaptive tools in school
- Is online tutoring a good option for my child?
- What research supports Orton–Gillingham?
- Are my child’s struggles serious enough for an evaluation?
- Someone on my side of the IEP table
- 9 tips to make the most of your parent-teacher conference
- Not too late: A high school IEP for my daughter
- What is an evaluation for special education?
- Will the school provide a translator at an IEP meeting if I need one?
- Does my child need to be evaluated to qualify for SAT test accommodations?
- 3 tiers of RTI support
- How a student with dyslexia changed my teaching career (and my life)
- 9 reasons kids might refuse to use accommodations
- Are evaluations for IEPs and 504 plans different?
- Can I refuse to let the school evaluate my child?
- Learning about evaluations
- 6 benefits of having your child evaluated
- Different terms you may hear for evaluations
- Why your child’s school may deny your evaluation request
- I disagree with the school’s evaluation results. Now what?
- Who pays for assistive technology? Parents or schools?
- What to expect at an IEP eligibility determination meeting
- Why second evaluation results may differ from first ones
- Prior written notice: Your right to hear about changes to your child’s IEP
- Classroom accommodations for developmental coordination disorder
- FERPA: Protecting your child’s records
- 5 tips to learn how to use an assistive technology tool
- Download: Back-to-school update for families to give to teachers
- Toolkit for teachers: Navigating IEPs
- Deciding on homeschooling? 3 things to consider
- To be Black in America with a learning disability
- Teaching with empathy: Why it’s important
- 6 phrases to use when asking your professor for support
- 5 myths about English language learners (ELLs) and special education
- Financial aid and scholarships for students who learn and think differently
- Dyslexia testing results: What they mean for instruction and supports
- 7 tips for talking to your child’s teacher about ADHD
- 8 tools for kids with dysgraphia
- Our community weighs In: Crying at IEP meetings
- 9 tips to help military families navigate the system
- 5 watch-outs when you’re choosing a school for your child
- Terms teachers use when kids struggle in school
- The ups and downs of my son’s 504 plan for ADHD
- What can I do if the school is moving too slowly with an evaluation?
- Speech therapy: What it is and how it helps with language challenges
- 5 conversation starters for discussing an evaluation report with teachers
- 5 conversation starters for discussing supports and services with teachers
- When a child has dyslexia and dyscalculia, treat the math challenges separately
- School discipline rights for kids with IEPs and 504 plans
- IEP personal stories
- 3 things to say when your child worries about getting help at school
- The discrepancy model: What you need to know
- The school wants to move my child from an IEP to a 504 plan. How will that affect my child?
- How I got over my fear of AP statistics (and passed!)
- How self-advocacy helped me fight for my rights in college
- Sample letter: Requesting your child’s school records
- Private vs. school evaluations: Pros and cons
- Beyond IEP meetings: How I connect with my son’s general education teachers
- 5 examples of Universal Design for Learning in the classroom
- How to keep your child’s services in place during a dispute
- What to expect at a mediation session
- A unique IEP solution for our twice-exceptional son
- What is Child Find?
- Wilson Reading System: What you need to know
- Independent educational evaluations (IEEs): What you need to know
- FAQs about specialized math instruction in grade school
- Foster care, special education, and learning and thinking differences: What you need to know
- Strengths-based IEPs: What you need to know
- 6 tips for creating your child’s IFSP
- 5 things to do before an IEP meeting
- IEP and special education terms
- Summer learning programs for kids who learn and think differently
- Charter schools and learning and thinking differences
- Questions to ask about the school’s reading instruction
- What happens when you switch schools during the evaluation process
- Do IEPs cover extracurricular activities?
- What are academic modifications?
- Are kids with ADHD covered under IDEA?
- The most important thing to remember before your next IEP meeting
- How RTI monitors progress
- Informed consent in the special education process: What you need to know
- Printable tools to help manage your child’s IEP
- 6 steps for requesting your child’s school records
- Alternate assessments: What you need to know
- Common accommodations and modifications in school
- What is Orton–Gillingham?
- What is an IFSP?
- What is Accelerated Reader?
- What is multisensory instruction?
- What are remedial programs?
- Unilateral placement: Moving from public to private school
- Classroom accommodations for auditory processing disorder
- Out-of-district placement: How it works
- How speech-language pathologists work with kids
- What happens to your child’s IEP if you switch schools
- When choosing apps to help your child with schoolwork, keep this tip in mind
- 12 questions to ask the school about 2e students
- Special education services in military DoDEA schools
- What is a behavior intervention plan?
- Why I feel invisible at IEP meetings (a dad’s view)
- The day I rejected my son’s IEP
- My kids’ experience with special education at Catholic school
- Types of college accommodations and services
- What is a reevaluation for special education?
- Checklist: Questions about colleges with special programs
- Types of colleges and how they differ
- Checklist: What to ask colleges about assistive technology
- What to bring to an IEP meeting
- Private evaluations: What you need to know
- What to do if your child is losing IEP services
- Should my child study for a special education evaluation?
- Who’s on the evaluation team at your child’s school
- Evaluation rights: What you need to know
- 5 things to do after an IEP meeting
- 5 things to do during an IEP meeting
- How will I know if the accommodations in my child’s IEP are working?
- What are private schools for students with learning disabilities and ADHD?
- 5 reasons parents play a key role in the IEP process
- Why kids with executive function challenges have trouble with planning
- 3 questions to ask yourself before your next IEP meeting
- 9 tips for talking to your child’s teacher about executive function challenges
- 5 common myths about early intervention
- Types of tests for executive function challenges
- Preparing for an evaluation
- 10 smart responses for when the school cuts or denies services
- 7 tips for a productive 504 meeting
- A heartbreaking choice: Should my son have accommodations for lockdown drills?
- 5 things I learned about 504 plans when my son with ADHD got one
- Homeschooling kids who learn and think differently
- What is a sensory diet?
- What is and isn’t covered under FAPE
- What are your rights in the IEP process?
- What is social-emotional learning?
- How to get your child help in school without an evaluation
- Are IEPs different for English language learners?
- Can a student have both an IEP and a 504 plan?
- Can my child get an IEP for slow processing speed?
- What evaluation testing results mean
- What is a neuropsychological evaluation?
- Early intervention services: Who pays for what
- 8 steps to advocating for your child at school
- 5 questions to consider when choosing assistive technology tools
- How assistive technology can help kids with note-taking
- Download: Sample 504 plan for a child with ADHD
- 5 common techniques for helping struggling students
- What’s in an IEP
- 4 benefits of inclusive classrooms
- The difference between tutors and educational therapists
- Homework is hard for my child. How can the teacher help?
- Download: Anatomy of a school behavior contract
- How to show empathy to your students with compassionate curiosity
- What is differentiated instruction?
- FAQs about the GED
- Related services for kids who learn and think differently
- Extended school year services: What you need to know
- Surprising IEP and 504 accommodations for note-taking, assignments, and tests
- Surprising IEP and 504 plan accommodations to help kids self-regulate and manage emotions
- 3 common reasons schools change accommodations
- Download: Parent-teacher conference worksheet
- Video: Middle-schooler teaches future teachers about dyslexia
- Video: How a great teacher helped a student with dyslexia find her path
- The school wants to change my child’s accommodations. What can I do?
- 5 common concerns about getting your child help at school
- What is least restrictive environment (LRE)?
- Is there a standard form or template for 504 plans?
- Download: School contact lists
- 6 things to know about private schools and special education
- The difference between interventions and accommodations
- What is MTSS?
- Accommodations: What they are and how they work
- What is the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)?
- Download: IEP or 504 plan snapshot for your child
- Download: School communication log
- Download: FAPE at a glance
- Section 504 fact sheet
- Printable: Help families prepare for parent-teacher conferences
- The difference between a school identification and a clinical diagnosis
- IDEA fact sheet
- Download: Sample IEP transition plan and goals
- The difference between accommodations and modifications
- IDEA, Section 504, and the ADA: Which laws do what
- The difference between supports and services in school
- What is an IEP?
- What is response to intervention (RTI)?
- What is PBIS?
- Paraprofessionals: What you need to know
- What is a 504 plan?
- 6 strategies teachers use to help kids who learn and think differently
- Video: A college student with dyscalculia shares her story
- Video: 8 insider tips on navigating IEP meetings
- Video: Mario Ornelas, chef and college student with dyscalculia, dyslexia, and weak working memory
- What is a functional behavioral assessment (FBA)?
- Understanding IEPs
- What is special education?
- What is Universal Design for Learning (UDL)?
- Navigating IEP meetings
- What RTI should and shouldn’t include
- Understanding evaluation results and next steps
- What is assistive technology?
- IEP roadmap: How kids get special education
- Video: Inside a reading intervention
- How to write an effective email to parents and caregivers
- Video: Inside a dyslexia evaluation
- Video: Elijah Ditchendorf, a high school science whiz who has dyslexia
- Tutoring options: Pros and cons
- How to teach kids with dyslexia to read
- Who’s on the RTI team
- The difference between push-in and pull-out services
- Video: 5 myths about assistive technology
- Getting an IEP for your teen