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