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You helped clarify my concern. It is that there is no backup accommodation when such books are not available. Also a great tip about language for the quality of the voices. Thanks!

1. Carolyn, good suggestions. I’ll ask to have my notes about errors on the evaluation added to the IEP and look up a score conversion chart. 2. To clarify, my (2e) son had a private speech and language evaluation focusing on reading, writing, and speech and language last year (almost 3 years after the previously mentioned private testing), which diagnosed expressive language, reading (spelling, comprehension, prosody, accuracy, and fluency), and written expression disorders. (This is the second private diagnosis of written expression disorder.) We presented this newer testing to the school IEP team which prompted another school evaluation. The resulting TOWL-IV and reading scores from the school testing differed considerably from the private evaluation, and I am not sure why except that maybe he wrote more for the private testing leading to more chances for errors. The school evaluation concluded no SLD and average, but even so writing support and a goal were added to the IEP to edit with autocorrect and add more content. The goal was just recently met and removed indicating there's no longer a need for writing support. I do plan to ask for data showing that he's doing 3. Another point of disagreement with the school is about on-demand versus edited longer-form writing. His written essays are fairly good when typed, written over multiple days/weeks, edited with autocorrect, and incorporate suggestions from teacher conferencing. Any writing that is by hand or not edited has many issues and is very different than how he’d answer verbally or type with auto correct. Would a “No peer editing or sharing of on-demand writing with peers” SDI at least be something to help my son feel more comfortable (In the same vein of not being expected to read aloud at school)? I feel this may not work, because there is a fair amount of group work and sharing in class, though. Do I just continue to bring samples to the IEP team showing evidence that he's not independently showing skills in conventions and written expression and ask for services and another goal? I don’t think asking for an IEE would help, because the school has already mostly disagreed with our private evaluation. Thanks!

You are actually "lucky" in the sense that the school even showed you the writing your son did for the evaluation. Many districts take the "copyright" infringement a little too far and won't even show the parent that. If they let you view and take notes, that's probably all you're going to get. Here's what you can do: 1. You can ask that a parent concern be added to the IEP regarding what you saw on the evaluation (be as specific as you like with all the errors, etc. - heck, if you can remember it, you could put in the whole thing), as well as the fact that he only wrote for 5 of the 15 minutes. Also, speak to your son's behavior when it comes to writing and reading tasks throughout the years. 2. I was thinking of suggesting a request for an IEE, but it looks like a private evaluation was already done? (Albeit, one you paid for, I'm assuming, so you could technically still ask for an IEE. I think one reason for disagreeing with the school's eval would be the 5 minutes - what would the writing have looked like if he had to write for the entire 15 minutes? But you don't necessarily have to give a reason for wanting an IEP other than you disagree with the school's.) What did the private evaluation show in terms of qualifying for written expression? If you have both a private eval and a school eval with average scores, you may be out of luck. (And thus, yet, may be looking at outside help.) Scaled scores and standard scores can be converted to the other. You could ask the school for a conversion chart or find one online.

You can get a BIP without an FBA, but it's not best practice. More here: https://adayinourshoes.com/behavior-iep-special-education/ And, more here (sorry I'm on my way out the door): https://adayinourshoes.com/one-on-one-aide-paraprofessional-iep-special-education/

Hi! We just had our annual IEP meeting where we requested a 1:1 for our son for the next school year. They said no and instead presented us with a Behavioral Intervention Program. No FBA was done (to my knowledge) and it seems like this was hastily thrown together. I would like to think that I have a good relationship with his team but this was the first time we really asked for something and the whole vibe was tense during the meeting. Looking for any insight! BIP without an FBA- positive/negative? * my son will be in 4th grade. He has Autism and currently has “supplemental support for transitions” listed in his IEP. He has had an aide the entire year that has been in the role of a 1:1 without being an official 1:1. We were requesting it be made official for next year. *His current SpEd teacher recommended the 1:1. It wasn’t really on our radar. She asked me to meet and told me he has done so well with the support of the aide and thinks he should continue to have that support next year. In the IEP meeting, radio silence from the teacher. She did not advocate for the 1:1.

I don't really have a problem with the "when available digitally" language. But if you're concerned about different interpretations, ask the team what is meant by "when available digitally"? And what are your concerns as to how it might be interpreted? Maybe those concerns could be addressed with clarifying language. Regardless, they need to have a backup accommodation for when such books are not available, such as human reader or a C-pen. Totally agree with you regarding the quality. If he won't listen to computer voices (many kids won't), then it's the same as not providing him with the accommodation. You could add language to the accommodation along the lines of "such books will either have text-to-speech capabilities or a voice pattern that the student responds to/engages with." Can't answer your question regarding specific programs.

I love Tera Sumpter at Seeds of Learning

I know I will be teaching a couple sections of Executive Functioning next school year. Yes, I know what that is. Does anyone have any great resources they can recommend to use? They have just decided this is something they want in the schedule. I teach at a high school in the midwest. Appreciate any and all suggestions!

Hi all! I am looking for clarification on standardized test answers for written expression. My son's initial school evaluation about 4 years ago in 4th grade included testing of written expression using the TOWL-IV. That evaluation report included the spontaneous writing story/paragraph my son wrote along with a description of his written expression skills being weak and below expectations on contrived sentence writing and spontaneous essay pieces (contextual conventions, spelling in context, punctuation, capitalization, sentence structure, and grammar). Private testing from around the same time indicated my son "stopped to think" often and breathed heavily while writing his essay. His reevaluation focusing on reading, writing, and language last year included the TOWL-IV again. My concern is that my son's daily writing clearly shows issues, and no examples of his actual writing were included in the reevaluation which included scores in the average range and suggestions for my son to use organizers, edit his work, and add more content (He only wrote for 5 of the allotted 15 minutes.) I also noticed that standard scores were provided for the composite Story Writing but only scaled scores for subtests of Contextual Conventions and Story Composition. (Percentile rank included for both). I understand that the test questions are copyrighted and of the need to maintain test integrity. However, is my son's own creative story or essay that he writes in response to the test prompt copyrighted? I want a copy of what he wrote, and while the school will let me view and take notes, they will not provide a copy of what he wrote. I plan to provide my own examples of his writing, but they are not "normed and standardized". My data does not seem to equal or agree with their data from their perspective. I am making a case that my son needs specific instruction and not only accommodations and also want the SLD category for written expression checked on his IEP. In first and second grades, when asked to read or write at home he shut down, became angry, and refused to do either. He also refused to go to school on time for parts of 5th and 6th. Reading and writing are still issues. Alternatively, we are remediating reading outside of school. Should we seriously consider also do this for writing and view school accommodations as getting my son to a place mentally and emotionally that he can do this work outside of school? Thanks!

Hi everyone! I have a question about an SDI on my son's IEP for audiobooks that says classroom textbook eBooks and relevant audiobooks will be provided for use during homework and in-class assignments when available digitally. I have a problem with this wording, because this leaves it up to teachers and interpretation as to what "available" means. The school should provide what he needs and it shouldn't be based on whether it's available, right? Also, he will not listen to poor quality "computer voices" read extended text to him. How can I show he needs a premium, human-like text-to-speech reader or human-read audiobooks? I have seen some of the standard/free voices in apps/programs are improving, does anyone know if quality human-like voices are currently built into Word, OneNote, or Edge? (We are not a Google/Chrome school.) Thanks!

My daughter is a sophomore and did not have any issues last year with undefined time on tests and assignments. She rarely need extra time as long as she had access to read aloud and small group testing even in AP Human Geo. This year has been a different story since her concussion requiring her to miss a lot of school and amplifying her noise sensitivity. Simple tasks take longer especially if reading is involved or there are graphs. I need suggestions to prepare her for her best junior year possible. She needs a quiet environment, read aloud, and extra time testing and assignments due to her dyslexia, adhd, and concussion. Any other suggestions are appreciated. She needs extra time for assignments and tests especially when everything is due at once

I feel an eval is needed. Reading should be assessed so she can have access to audiobooks in college. (Are audiobooks a current accommodation?) Let them do the RR (likely what they have time to do & be in compliance for triennial eval timelines) and then the full eval over the summer. She seems more like SDL Reading than OHI but dyslexia and ADHD & EF issues as well as anxiety can be comorbid. If you do college visits this summer, pop into the disabilities office and ask them what they want in order to provide accommodations. I have an advocate friend who suggests a disabled child stay within a 2-3 hour radius of home in case parents need to stop by and help them during the course of their college career.

I'm all for specifying this in the IEP/504. My child had 2X time for tests and my other child was given 2 extra days to hand in assignments & get full credit. (The teachers tended to give full credit no matter when things got handed in.) My child who needed extra time for assignments didn't need extra time for tests. IMO, you should ask your child what they feel they need. This way it's individualized for their situation. My kids have ADHD and this is what worked for them. What your child needs could be different since they are dealing with a different mix of challenges.

My child's school is suggesting that we do a review of records for her last evaluation before graduation (summer before 11th). Will this be okay when she self declares her disability in college or will they need an Evaluation done within 3 years? When I asked her case manager she said they would not do an evaluation for the purpose of college transition but if we asked for an eval they would do one this summer. Also, the last eval the school did 3 years ago for some reason they decided to no longer include reading (she's had since 2nd grade) even though her fluency scores were in the 1 to 8%tile. (We agreed to it so we wouldn't hold up her services and we were not willing/able to go to court to fight for it at the time) They listed Gifted and OHI for EF and Anxiety as her disability categories for the 1st time and without reading. I just want to make sure she has what she needs when she goes to college to be covered for any accommodations (extra time, notes etc.) under ADA. Anything else I should be thinking about along with this? Thanks in advance!!!

I would send any document that you may refer to during the meeting, in full, to the school team ahead of the meeting. Concurrently, I would request in writing a draft IEP (if you have not already done so) three school days prior to the meeting (you might land on two days, which is fine - whatever is enough time for you to review before the meeting). I would additionally state that if the team cannot provide a draft IEP before the meeting (with sufficient time for review), that the meeting be postponed until they can.

Thank you! I knew that we could not request a specific person in the IEP (which is impractical for all the reasons you and others have noted) but I wasn't sure how to approach the request given that limitation. Now I have a direction to move in! We are in Virginia, which is a right-to-work state where public employees are prohibited from collective bargaining, so unions may not come into play. The liability concern would be the main issue, is my guess. I will definitely ask about our options to continue to employ our caregiver through medicaid at the very least to support the transition. Would you suggest submitting this information and the letters/reports from providers as an executive summary style document ahead of the meeting, or bringing it to the meeting and presenting it then? For context, the team at the school has not sent a draft IEP yet - the meeting is tentatively scheduled for next Friday. Thanks again!

I agree with Carolyn and Judi on this one. It’s tricky because, legally, parents can’t dictate who the school hires—only that the person is qualified and trained to meet the child’s needs. That’s where you have the strongest footing. If they name a person as a 1:1 in an IEP, if that person quits tomorrow, they're instantly out of compliance. So yes, lean hard into specific training requirements in the IEP. Get your doctor or therapist to spell out exactly what skills, experience, or training the 1:1 must have—position it as a service requirement, not a staffing preference.—things like: Supporting eye gaze communication systems Physical positioning and mobility assistance Recognizing signs of medical distress related to his condition Supporting non-verbal social interaction Managing transitions with low stress and predictability That shifts the conversation from “we want this person” to “we need someone with these skills.” I also love the idea of asking for your current attendant to support the transition alongside the school’s staff. Frame it as a transition support, not a permanent placement. You already have medical backing for that, and it helps your child and the school. As for Medicaid, every state handles that a little differently, but you can absolutely ask the school if they’d allow your current attendant to be on-site, even if you’re the one paying or using Medicaid to do so. Some schools are open to that, others have union or liability barriers—but you won’t know unless you ask.

First—great job pushing to get this clarified in the IEP. Vague accommodations are basically useless when every teacher gets to “interpret” them differently. A few tips to consider: Define It in Plain Language Example: “Student will receive two additional school days, not calendar days, beyond the original due date for all assignments, unless otherwise mutually agreed upon in writing.” Add Clarification for When Teachers Are Absent Example: “If the teacher is absent on the original or extended due date, the due date will automatically extend by the number of days the teacher is unavailable.” Include a Communication Expectation Example: “Teachers will communicate any adjusted due dates in writing (email or learning management system) so the student and parent have clear documentation.” Specify for Tests and Quizzes Example: “Student will receive time and a half for all in-class tests and quizzes, consistent with College Board-approved accommodations.” Request Staff Training or Clarification Ask that teachers be given written instructions from the case manager or IEP team about how this is supposed to work across all classes. You’re definitely on the right track. Tightening up the language now will save you a ton of headaches later.

Thanks for these suggestions! I am waiting on a call back from our case worker about the Medicaid funding question so that will definitely be critical information to inform next steps. I will definitely request a list of trainings from my son’s therapists and check that against the education/ background of the aide they are considering for him. Very helpful thank you!

My child's school is suggesting that we do a review of records for her last evaluation before graduation. Will this be okay when she self declares her disability in college or will they need an Evaluation done within 3 years? Also, the last eval the school did 3 years ago for some reason decided to no longer include reading (she's had since 2nd grade) even though her fluency scores were 1 to 8%. (We agreed to it so we wouldn't hold up her services and we were not willing to go to court to fight for it at the time) She is currently listed as EF and anxiety as her disability catagory.

I am having an IEP meeting next week to define what extra or extended time means for my high schooler who has dyslexia, adhd, and long term concussion symptoms. It has been open ended until now for both tests and assignments. College board gives her time 1/2. It has been proposed 2 extra days for assignments. We are running into teachers being gone and the each teacher interrupting differently. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your responses and suggested resources. We are in a suburban district north of Philadelphia. I realize, even though I forget sometimes, that we need to remediate most/all the reading skills outside of school. At home, he is currently doing an online program that teaches reading and spelling with visual phonics, and I am also working with him using a book that teaches the logical patterns and rules underlying English words using letter tiles. IEE I have thought about an IEE, but I want to try a couple more things before going that route and make sure I am prepared for likely next steps. Testing I am digging through past testing to see if underlying areas of reading and language have been tested. There are some gaps, and I see no RAN test. He has a fair amount of variability and discrepancies in his cognitive and achievement testing, but most things fall in the average range with some really high and pretty low scores mixed in. Decoding and phonemic proficiency are average, but discrepant from reading comprehension and verbal reasoning and this could be why he was able to get an accommodation for audiobooks . I am meeting with the school psychologist to look at how my son did on each part of the Phonemic Proficiency subtest to verify "average" in subskills. Are some tests of underlying reading skills better at detecting issues than others? (TILLS, WIAT, Woodcock Johnson) Documentation for college and SAT Is the documentation on the IEP of why he needs his reading and writing accommodations important for accommodations in college and on the SAT, or is a history of having and using them enough? (I.e. Do you need a certain diagnosis/identification to receive certain accommodations, and it is therefore important to keep advocating to have SLD in Reading (Basic and Fluency?) and Written Expression checked as categories on his IEP? I’m working on building a history for the need of accommodations on State testing to pave the way for the SAT/ACT. When I started this journey 6 years ago, I thought I would feel less confused and frustrated by now!

School district HR makes personnel decisions - not the family. What you can do is make sure, because of the unique needs your child has, that the paraprofessional assigned to him is trained in how he communicates and all of his other needs. The letter from his doctor is an outside assessment that the school must 'consider' - but they don't need to follow what's in the letter. If Medicaid would pay for an aide at school, you might be able to have this person continue as his aide. This is for perspective: Let's say you are an aide in a school. The school board authorized 10 aides for the district and there are 10 aides on staff. Someone comes in insisting the school hire their aide for their child. Are you OK with being let go? You can go to Google Scholar and search for cases in your state where there is legal precedence for this. I cannot do that w/o knowing what state you live in.

This is a tough one. I'm sure Lisa will chime in with some great suggestions. Here's what I'm thinking. In general, a parent cannot dictate who the staff member is - but can dictate that they be trained to provide the necessary services and accommodations to the child. So that would be one question to look into: What is the training of the person(s) the school is considering for his 1:1? If not sufficient (you'll need a report that sets out what your son needs), make that argument (which might lead to them hiring someone else). You could also ask that during the transition period (and this is a huge transition) that your son's current care attendant be allowed to be the aid in tandem with whoever will be fulling this role at the school. It might make the transition easier and you have the letter that this is recommended. You would, of course, have to pay/have Medicaid pay for the current care attendant's time to help with the transition. I don't know much about how Medicaid factors into this. Does this funding stop when a child reaches Kindergarten? Or would it be possible to continue with the same care attendant and just obtain the school's approval that this person be the 1:1? (Can't see why they would object to this - would help them out tremendously - but there could be liability issues, union issues, etc.) This is not my area of expertise so just speaking generally. Hopefully others with more experience will join the discussion.

Hi all - I am attempting to get my son’s elementary school to hire his current care attendant as his 1:1 aide for kindergarten next year. We currently employ the attendant via Medicaid funding, and he’s been with my son everyday at (private) prek for the last two years. He takes my son to all his therapies and is extremely attuned to his needs. My son is profoundly physically disabled (no independent ambulation, non verbal due to muscular weakness and dystonia). He is intellectually typical and uses an eye gaze device and non-verbal communication to indicate his needs and engage socially. The school agrees he needs a 1:1 but says they don’t have any openings to hire his (highly qualified) current aide. Do we have any recourse? I recently obtained a letter from his neurology team stating that they recommend a “familiar caregiver” to ease the transition to kindergarten. Is anyone aware of any studies or legal precedent supporting this kind of request? Anyone had success getting this kind of request integrated into an IEP?