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.
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Introducing “Through My Eyes”
Explore this interactive, digital experience that offers a firsthand look at the daily struggles of kids with ADHD, dyslexia, and dyscalculia. Help others see your child differently — so they can act differently, with greater empathy and support.
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
Reduction in force | 1
When the office protecting disabled students’ civil rights was gutted, one attorney watched a lifeline for families disappear overnight.
Downloads
Sample 504 planPDF
Questions to ask before and during the IEP meetingPDF
Anatomy of an IEPPDF
Free appropriate public education (FAPE) fact sheetPDF
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- Can a student with a 504 plan get a transition plan?
- Download: Parent-teacher conference worksheet
- Classroom accommodations for developmental coordination disorder
- School choice and special education: What to know about public, charter, and private schools
- The Education Freedom Tax Credit: What families of kids with disabilities need to know
- Parent-teacher conferences: How to get ready for your next meeting
- 5 common misconceptions about IEPs
- Related services for kids who learn and think differently
- The difference between supports and services in school
- Are evaluations for IEPs and 504 plans different?
- 8 multisensory techniques for teaching reading
- What is Universal Design for Learning (UDL)?
- Parent-teacher conferences: Tips and questions to ask
- The school wants to move my child from an IEP to a 504 plan. How will that affect my child?
- FAQs about standards-based IEPs
- What is STEM?
- 6 myths about 504 plans
- Unilateral placement: Moving from public to private school
- How to break down barriers to learning with UDL
- Classroom posters: STEM stars who learn and think differently
- How to use flexible grouping in STEM
- How to plan an inclusive STEM lesson
- How to help if English language learners are struggling in school
- Do colleges view 504 plans as better than IEPs when students apply to college?
- How to begin positive relationships with families: 8 tips to try
- 10 things for teachers to know about English language learners
- Financial aid and scholarships for neurodivergent students
- 10 special education myths you may hear
- State academic standards: What you need to know
- What are remedial programs?
- What is trauma-informed teaching?
- For teachers: What to expect in an IEP meeting
- How to teach using explicit instruction
- What are academic modifications?
- When-then sentences: An evidence-based behavior strategy
- Family engagement and student success: What the research says
- Vocabulary words: An evidence-based literacy strategy
- The history of special education: From exclusion to IDEA
- 4 challenges of English language learners who are neurodivergent
- Emergency contact information for students: Why it’s important
- School discipline rights for kids with IEPs and 504 plans
- Pre-correcting and prompting: An evidence-based behavior strategy
- Nonverbal signals: An evidence-based behavior strategy
- Strategy instruction: What you need to know
- Classroom accommodations for sensory processing challenges
- Classroom accommodations for written expression disorder
- Classroom accommodations for language disorders
- 6 options for resolving an IEP dispute
- Teaching with empathy: Why it’s important
- 15 college programs for neurodivergent kids
- What is IEP transition planning?
- What is an evaluation for special education?
- Elkonin sound boxes: An evidence-based literacy strategy
- What conditions qualify for a 504 plan?
- What is assistive technology?
- What is explicit instruction?
- Types of college accommodations and services
- Terms teachers use when kids struggle in school
- 5 watch-outs when you’re choosing a school for your child
- 6 benefits of having your child evaluated
- 11 tips on informal negotiation strategies
- What are private schools for students with learning disabilities and ADHD?
- Accommodations for state standardized tests
- My child’s 504 plan doesn’t seem to be working. Now what?
- Understanding evaluation results and next steps
- What to include in a state complaint for IEP dispute resolution
- 3 questions to ask yourself before your next IEP meeting
- School vouchers: What you need to know
- Do charter schools have to give accommodations to kids who have disabilities?
- Can an IEP or 504 plan include something about getting emotional support at school?
- What’s the difference between remedial instruction and a compensatory approach?
- Does the Section 504 lawsuit put my child’s 504 plan at risk?
- 5 common concerns about getting your child help at school
- How to apply for SAT and ACT accommodations
- The difference between IEP meetings and parent-teacher conferences
- Questions to ask before and during your child’s IEP meeting
- What to double-check on your child’s IEP
- 8 steps to kicking off your child’s IEP the right way
- What to bring to an IEP meeting
- Questions to ask about your child’s IEP goals
- Special education teachers: A guide for families
- 9 reasons kids might refuse to use accommodations
- How SEL helps you as a teacher
- What to do if your child is losing IEP services
- Download: Sample scripts for dispute resolution
- Download: Sample letters for requesting evaluations and reports
- Download: IEP or 504 plan snapshot for your child
- Download: Sample IEP transition plan and goals
- Download: Sample letters for dispute resolution
- Download: FAPE at a glance
- Download: Sample 504 plan for a child with ADHD
- How to show empathy to your students with compassionate curiosity
- Extended school year services: What you need to know
- Social Thinking: What you need to know
- Different types of schools: Know the options
- Toolkit for teachers: Navigating IEPs
- Download: Back-to-school update for families to give to teachers
- Your child’s rights: Important terms to know
- What to expect at an IEP eligibility determination meeting
- Printable back-to-school downloads
- Download: School communication log
- Finding out if your child is eligible for special education
- What is instructional intervention?
- Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973: What you need to know
- Out-of-district placement: How it works
- 5 places to find free or low-cost tutoring
- Assistive technology: Questions to ask the school
- 10 examples of assistive technology and adaptive tools for kids
- Treatment for kids with dyslexia
- 7 tips for developing a good 504 plan
- The difference between Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and traditional education
- Setting annual IEP goals: What you need to know
- Why your child’s school may deny your evaluation request
- Wilson Reading System: What you need to know
- 10 steps to take if your child is denied services
- IEP and special education terms
- The difference between a school identification and a clinical diagnosis
- What is co-teaching?
- What happens to your child’s IEP if you switch schools
- Are there IEPs and 504 plans in college?
- 5 examples of Universal Design for Learning in the classroom
- How to use accommodations and modifications in the classroom
- The difference between the Every Student Succeeds Act and No Child Left Behind
- Accommodations: What they are and how they work
- What is Child Find?
- What is special education?
- What is multisensory instruction?
- How to teach students to use AI responsibly: A guide for families and educators
- How to read an IEP: 5 things teachers should look for
- Learning about evaluations
- My kids’ experience with special education at Catholic school
- Download: School contact lists
- Download: Anatomy of an IEP
- Download: IEP goal tracker
- Download: IEP binder checklist
- Printable: Help families prepare for parent-teacher conferences
- How to write an effective email to parents and caregivers
- Questionnaires for connecting with students and families
- How to get a 504 plan for your child
- Classroom accommodations for anxiety
- Accommodations vs. modifications: What’s the difference?
- The difference between IEPs and 504 plans
- Classroom accommodations for dyscalculia
- Classroom accommodations for dyslexia
- Classroom accommodations for students who learn and think differently
- What is least restrictive environment (LRE)?
- 6 models of co-teaching
- What is response to intervention (RTI)?
- What is the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)?
- Classroom accommodations for ADHD
- Common accommodations and modifications in school
- What is a 504 plan?
- What is an IEP?
- The 13 disability categories under IDEA
- How my IEP transition plan helped me start college with confidence
- How self-advocacy helped me fight for my rights in college
- A unique IEP solution for our twice-exceptional son
- What does it take for instruction to be “evidence based”?
- 6 teaching strategies that support kids with ADHD and learning disabilities
- What do the Trump administration’s changes to special education mean for kids with disabilities?
- 10 key procedural safeguards in IDEA
- 5 options for resolving a 504 plan dispute
- What is PBIS?
- What is MTSS? A guide to the multi-tiered system of supports in schools
- What is a functional behavioral assessment (FBA)?
- Strengths-based IEPs: What you need to know
- Can my child get accommodations in class without an IEP or a 504 plan?
- How students who learn and think differently can thrive in STEM
- 7 things to know about college disability services
- What evaluation testing results mean
- Does my child need to be evaluated to get a 504 plan?
- Do IEPs cover extracurricular activities?
- I can’t take off work to go to the IEP meeting. What should I do?
- Can a student have both an IEP and a 504 plan?
- The classroom teacher acts like she’s not responsible for my child. What can I do?
- FAQs about school evaluations
- Are kids with ADHD covered under IDEA?
- What is and isn’t covered under FAPE
- Speech therapy: What it is and how it helps with language challenges
- Understanding IEPs
- Girls and STEM: What educators need to know
- How to use culturally responsive teaching in the classroom
- Respectful redirection: A behavior strategy for teachers
- What is No Child Left Behind (NCLB)?
- What is a sensory diet?
- What is Orton–Gillingham?
- What is a reevaluation for special education?
- What is a behavior intervention plan?
- What is social-emotional learning?
- What is occupational therapy?
- What is culturally responsive teaching?
- What is Accelerated Reader?
- What is differentiated instruction?
- How speech-language pathologists work with kids
- Homeschooling kids who learn and think differently
- The IEP meeting: An overview
- What is a neuropsychological evaluation?
- What is the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)?
- Summer learning programs for kids who learn and think differently
- FAQs about RTI
- Navigating IEP meetings
- Preparing for an evaluation
- 504 plans and your child: A guide for families
- Distance learning toolkit: Key practices to support students who learn differently
- 5 myths about English language learners (ELLs) and special education
- Lesson planning with Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
- What is an IFSP?
- Positive behavior strategies: A guide for teachers
- 3 things to say when your child worries about getting help at school
- Questions to ask the school about early screening
- Checklist: What to look for on a grade school visit
- Checklist: What to look for on a middle school visit
- Checklist: What to look for on a high school visit
- Transferring school districts: 8 steps to take if your child has an IEP
- Dividing fractions using fraction strips: An evidence-based math strategy
- How to plan online lessons with Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
- 5 expert tips to build a relationship with support staff at school
- The teacher isn’t following my child’s IEP. What can I do?
- What research supports Orton–Gillingham?
- Special education services in military DoDEA schools
- How to teach kids with dyslexia to read
- Can my child get an IEP for slow processing speed?
- How can I build a relationship between the therapist and the school?
- Should my child study for a special education evaluation?
- Are my child’s struggles serious enough for an evaluation?
- What’s the difference between RTI and MTSS?
- How will I know if the accommodations in my child’s IEP are working?
- How do I get my child’s IEP going at the beginning of the school year?
- Will the school provide a translator at an IEP meeting if I need one?
- Is there a standard form or template for 504 plans?
- Does my child’s 504 plan have to be reviewed at the start of each school year?
- Can I refuse to let the school evaluate my child?
- Would my child be better off at a charter school?
- Is online tutoring a good option for my child?
- How does optical character recognition help kids with reading issues?
- Can I ask for self-advocacy IEP goals for my child?
- My child is embarrassed to go to the resource room. What can I do?
- My child’s friends think he’s “cheating” because he gets extra time on tests. What should I do?
- Video: 5 myths about assistive technology
- Does my child need to be evaluated to qualify for SAT test accommodations?
- Can you get a 504 plan for anxiety?
- With IEPs, good people can disagree
- Evaluating kids who attend private schools: Who pays the bill
- P&A centers: A source of legal help
- The difference between interventions and accommodations
- 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
- Retelling: An evidence-based literacy strategy
- Video: 8 insider tips on navigating IEP meetings
- Section 504 fact sheet
- The school wants to change my child’s accommodations. What can I do?
- Video: Elijah Ditchendorf, a high school science whiz who has dyslexia
- Video: Inside a dyslexia evaluation
- 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
- 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
- How assistive technology can help kids with note-taking
- 8 steps to advocating for your child at school
- Are IEPs different for English language learners?
- What are your rights in the IEP process?
- 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
- 5 reasons parents play a key role in the IEP process
- 5 things to do during an IEP meeting
- 5 things to do after an IEP meeting
- Evaluation rights: What you need to know
- Private evaluations: What you need to know
- Checklist: What to ask colleges about assistive technology
- Types of colleges and how they differ
- The day I rejected my son’s IEP
- Why I feel invisible at IEP meetings (a dad’s view)
- When choosing apps to help your child with schoolwork, keep this tip in mind
- 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
- What happens when you switch schools during the evaluation process
- 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 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
- How I got over my fear of AP statistics (and passed!)
- The discrepancy model: What you need to know
- IEP personal stories
- 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
- 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
- 5 myths about social-emotional learning
- 6 phrases to use when asking your professor for support
- To be Black in America with a learning disability
- Teacher to teacher: Use a daily warm-up to build empathy
- Prior written notice: Your right to hear about changes to your child’s IEP
- Why second evaluation results may differ from first ones
- I disagree with the school’s evaluation results. Now what?
- How a student with dyslexia changed my teaching career (and my life)
- 3 tiers of RTI support
- Not too late: A high school IEP for my daughter
- Someone on my side of the IEP table
- 4 worries I had when my son’s IEP ended
- What to expect at a resolution session
- 6 strategies to teach students self-regulation in writing
- What to expect at a due process hearing
- The school evaluation process: What to expect
- Who ensures schools follow special education law?
- “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 is structured literacy?
- 8 steps to take if your child is facing disciplinary action
- Amanda Morin wants to “level the playing field” for parents
- 9 steps to take if the IEP eligibility meeting doesn’t work out
- How I’m making peace with my son’s IEP
- Why I celebrate technology as a go-to for kids with dyslexia
- 504 plans: A guide for teachers
- Flexible grouping: What you need to know
- Video: See UDL in action in the classroom
- 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
- 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
- Dyscalculia tutoring: What families need to know
- How to work on your child’s IEP goals over the summer
- My child’s IEP doesn’t seem to be working. Now what?
- Setting an IEP baseline: PLOP, PLAAFP, and PLP
- 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
- 6 tips to make sure your child’s IEP is implemented properly
- Classroom accommodations for executive function challenges
- 10 tips for a better IEP meeting
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 4 benefits of inclusive classrooms
- The difference between push-in and pull-out services
- Private vs. school evaluations: Pros and cons
- How to organize your child’s IEP binder
- Fraction number line: An evidence-based math strategy
- 5 ways to help families foster STEM learning
- How to plan STEM lessons with Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
- 4 tips for teaching STEM to kids who learn and think differently
- Growth mindset printables for STEM
- Who’s on the IEP team
- IDEA, Section 504, and the ADA: Which laws do what
- Checklist: Questions to ask tour school about RTI
- Tutoring options: Pros and cons
- My child is falling behind in school. Now what?
- Homework is hard for my child. How can the teacher help?
- Questions to ask about online schools
- 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
- Questions to ask when hiring a tutor
- 4 small and special ways to thank your child’s teachers
- Can my child get accommodations for AP testing?
- Classroom accommodations for nonverbal learning disabilities
- Getting an IEP for your very young child
- FAQs about homework for kids
- Educational therapy: What you need to know
- How occupational therapists help kids who struggle with motor skills
- Not an IEP or a 504 plan — it’s our mediation agreement
- How to help your child get emotional support at school
- 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
- Individualized instruction vs. differentiated instruction
- How schools monitor student progress
- FAQs about having your child attend IEP meetings
- 7 tips for talking to your child’s teacher about sensory processing challenges
- 6 steps to request a free school evaluation
- 6 things to do if you’re denied early intervention
- 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
- What can I do if the school is moving too slowly with an evaluation?
- Sample letter: Requesting your child’s school records
- 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
- Classroom accommodations for auditory processing disorder
- 12 questions to ask the school about 2e students
- Checklist: Questions about colleges with special programs
- Who’s on the evaluation team at your child’s school
- 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
- A heartbreaking choice: Should my son have accommodations for lockdown drills?
- How to get your child help in school without an evaluation
- Early intervention services: Who pays for what
- 5 questions to consider when choosing assistive technology tools
- Download: Anatomy of a school behavior contract
- FAQs about the GED
- Paraprofessionals: What you need to know
- What RTI should and shouldn’t include
- IEP roadmap: How kids get special education
- Video: Inside a reading intervention
- Who’s on the RTI team
- Getting an IEP for your teen