Melinda Taylor, LLC

I wanted to share a blog I wrote about "Surviving the Summer with your Kids that need Routine." I hope you find it useful! Give yourself some grace out there mommas!

Summer Fun… or Survival Competition?

If you're the parent of a child who thrives on routine during the school year, summer can feel like an episode of Survivor. Except instead of trying to win immunity and stay in the fight, you're begging Jeff Probst to s***f your torch so you can go sit at base camp and chill. Leave the challenge to someone else — I'll take the Applebee's!

I'm in several parent groups, and one week into summer, I'm already seeing a common thread: "How are you surviving the summer with your kids?" A repeated response? "Have a daily schedule or routine for them." Okay, Supermom! Great if that works for you — but I live in the real world, where life is unpredictable and a schedule lasts about an hour before all hell breaks loose.

Most of you who've followed me know I'm a seasoned special education teacher and advocate with a special interest in early childhood and classroom management. Trust me — I know about schedules and routines and how important they are for all kids, especially those navigating learning differences. I'm in no way mocking the importance of routine; I wouldn't have been successful in my classroom without a structured (and fun) approach. What I am saying is this: trying to force real life into a specific routine isn't functional, and you'll drive yourself crazy trying to live that way.

So what's the solution? I've developed what I call the "Not a Schedule" Schedule. Let me explain.

Every day, give your kids options — both verbally and visually — for things they could do that day. Let them pick at least one thing they'd like to do, so they have some control over how their day goes. Some fun, free-choice options: play a board game, go to the park or the pool, build a pillow fort, do an art project or an experiment, watch a movie, play a video game together. Not every option has to be fun, though. Some can simply read: clean your room, empty the dishwasher, play by yourself, rest, practice an instrument, do a school workbook. It's important that kids keep up with their responsibilities over the summer, too.

Now that they know the day's options, what do you do with them? Let's be real: mapping out your entire day is nearly impossible. But you can almost always say what you're doing right now and what you're doing next — kind of like a first-then chart. Tell and show your kids, with a visual: "Right now we are doing ___. Next we will ___." If you have a child who constantly needs to know but WHEEEN is next?, add a timer or a picture of a clock to the visual.

As you finish each activity, move "Next" into the "Right Now" spot, then choose what comes after that. Include your child in the choosing whenever you can — it makes them feel important, and it lets them decide when to tackle the less pleasant tasks of the day. When kids have ownership over their day, they're far more likely to comply when it's time to give Mom a break or get their chores done.

If you have a child who struggles with independent play — or who announces "I'm bored" on repeat — keep a list of things they can always access during those times. When they complain, redirect them to the list. If they say they don't want to do anything on it, my go-to response is usually, "Well, then figure something out on your own. If you can't, there's some dog p**p in the backyard that needs picking up." That tends to end the boredom the moment I start threatening chores.

Ultimately, kids need to learn how to be bored. I know for a fact my mother didn't entertain me every second of every day. With today's technology, kids have gotten used to instant gratification, and teaching patience has almost become a thing of the past. Trust me, I know this can cause behaviors — but it's worth it for the life skills it builds.

Beyond just being clear about right now and next, I do think certain routines help during the summer. Build a consistent "getting ready" routine. It doesn't have to happen first thing every morning, but when you tell your kids, "Okay, it's time to get ready," they have a routine to follow. Same goes for bedtime. Be flexible on the timing, but keep the routines built into your daily activities.

Bottom line: give yourself a break. You don't have to be perfect this summer, Mom. Your kid doesn't have to be happy and entertained 24/7. You'll both survive the tantrums and meltdowns when things don't go their way. Involve your kids in the planning and the choices — give them ownership, and their compliance goes up. You don't have to be Supermom to survive the summer. You just have to find what works for you and provide consistency where you can. It's just as important for kids to learn that life isn't always predictable — and a little adaptability will serve both of you well in the long run.

Sometimes advocacy looks like going to a comedy show!

If you've never watched Ahren Belisle Comedy.... you should! I've followed him for a while now. He is an absolutely brilliant comic with impeccable timing. He is a former software engineer, and as impressive as that field is, he has definitely made a good choice moving into comedy...we all left in stitches last night! 

Some of his comedy touches on the fact that he is constantly underestimated because of his cerebral palsy and the fact that he uses an AAC app on his phone to communicate.  Parents and teachers, don't underestimate your kids.  If your child is nonverbal that doesn't mean they don't have things to communicate. It's just finding what works for them to find their voice!

Seriously, check him out. He is in Addison today and tomorrow! I truly think he's one of the best comics out there right now Disability or not. 

Some exciting news to share: I’ve just finished the first draft of my book — and it’s all about something close to my heart and central to my work: communication between teachers and parents.

Anyone who’s sat at an ARD table or navigated an IEP knows that strong, clear communication between home and school changes everything for a child. This book is my way of putting years of that work into something families and educators can hold onto.

It’s still early — editing and publishing come next — so I’m keeping the details under wraps for now. But I couldn’t wait to let you know it’s on its way.
Stay tuned. I can’t wait to share more. 💛

Back from vacation and ready to help clients get what they need for their kiddos!

Helping a client...and I was so disappointed by a response from a school principal, that I felt I needed to share some information for all parents out there!

House Bill 6-What it is...and is NOT!!

I'm currently beyond annoyed by teachers and administrators using Texas HB-6 as an excuse to remove students with disabilities from class. Again, before anyone jumps me, I am NOT saying that student behavior should interfere with the learning of others. All students, including those with and without disabilities, are entitled to a Free Appropriate Public Education.

WHAT I AM saying is that State law does NOT supersede FEDERAL I.D.E.A. LAW!!!

Let me back up...In case you were unaware, Texas passed a legislative bill this year making it easier for teachers to remove students exhibiting behavior that impedes the learning of others from the classroom:
Here is a link to a very informative documents that TEA has put out for parents:
https://tea.texas.gov/academics/special-student-populations/special-education/overview-school-discipline-parents.pdf

Here is the basic premise of the new law as defined in this document:

Under Texas law, a teacher has broad authority to remove a student from their classroom, which can carry significant consequences to a student. A teacher can remove a student from class who:

◆ Repeatedly disrupts teaching and learning;
◆ Acts in a way that is unruly, disruptive, or abusive to others; or
◆ Engages in bullying behavior.

Teachers have the legal authority to remove a student from class if a student does any of the above even if it only occurs once.* You will be notified if a teacher removes your child from class for one of these reasons.

HERE's the RUB, some teachers and Administrators are only reading PART of the law. They seem to be missing the part where they are required to use positive behavior support interventions for ALL students (even those without an IEP) that can reasonably be expected to improve the student's behavior.
https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/89R/analysis/html/HB00006H.htm

What about students with a 504 or IEP?

Students with disabilities can typically be removed from class if they misbehave under the same rules as students without disabilities. However, when a student is removed from their typical classroom and doesn’t receive their required services for a certain number of days, the student’s Section 504 committee
or admission, review, and dismissal (ARD) committee must review whether the misconduct was caused by the student’s disability or the school’s failure to follow the student’s plan or program.

So CAN they be removed? Yes.

However, if the school removes a student with a disability without following their 504 or IEP plan, the school district is denying that student a Free Appropriate Public Education.

Here is a Flowchart provided by TEA for students with IEPs or 504 plans:
https://spedsupport.tea.texas.gov/sites/default/files/2023-10/discipline-flowchart-students-identified-suspected-disability-under-idea_1.pdf

Here is some legal jargon you can use if you feel like your school is abusing the HB 6 policies:

Under Texas House Bill 6 (89th Legislature, amending Texas Education Code §§ 37.002 and 37.115):

A student who receives special education services may not have their placement changed without ARD committee involvement.
If a threat assessment or removal involves a student with a disability, the team must include a member knowledgeable about the student’s disability and how it manifests.

Discipline decisions must align with existing state and federal protections for students receiving special education services.

Additionally, TEA guidance on HB 6 implementation makes clear that federal special education requirements remain fully in effect, including manifestation determination procedures and continued provision of services during disciplinary removals.

Most importantly, under IDEA (20 U.S.C. § 1415(k)):
A school must conduct a Manifestation Determination Review (MDR) if disciplinary removal constitutes a change of placement (generally more than 10 cumulative school days or a pattern of removals).

A student must continue to receive Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) even during disciplinary removals.
If behavior is a manifestation of the student’s disability, the ARD committee must:

*Conduct or review a Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA), and
*Implement or modify a Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP).

Further, under 34 C.F.R. § 300.323(c), the district is required to ensure that the IEP is implemented with consistency and fidelity, including all behavioral supports, accommodations, and modifications. Removals that occur due to behaviors addressed within the IEP must be evaluated in light of whether the IEP and BIP were implemented as written.

Therefore, before any removal of a student with a disability from the classroom:

1. All IEP accommodations and behavioral supports must be implemented with fidelity.

2. Staff responsible for implementation must be informed of their specific obligations under the child's IEP.

3. Any removal must be documented and tracked to determine whether cumulative days approach a change of placement threshold.

4. If behavior is recurring, the ARD committee should convene to review supports, not rely solely on removal.

Okay, now that we've got the legal stuff out of the way.... how do we protect our kids????

Step ONE:
Have SPECIFIC and well written accommodations tailored to your child's specific needs.

For example:

Instead of:
“Student will be allowed breaks.”

Write:
“Student may request up to 2 five-minute regulation breaks per class period using a nonverbal cue. Breaks may be taken in the designated calm area and will not result in loss of instructional access.”

Instead of:
“Positive behavior supports .”

Write:
“Teacher will provide pre-correction of behavioral expectations using the student's specific reinforcement visuals prior to task demands and will give at least 3 instances of specific positive feedback per instructional block.”

The more specific...the better! Write out exactly how many opportunities your child should have to correct their behavior. What do their specific visuals look like? How long will breaks be? If your accommodations are specific, there should be no question as to what procedures should be taking place prior to your child being removed from the classroom.

STEP 2: Document, Document, Document! Get everything in writing. Request teacher data that shows what strategies were used prior to removal. Then get documentation of what they intend to do as positive behavior supports to help change the behavior.

Make sure documentation has:
The Date of the incident
The Duration of the time away from instruction
The Description of the incident including antecedents leading up to removal

If they don't include which IEP/504 accommodations they used to try to deescalate or prevent behavior, they are denying your child FAPE.

STEP 3: Try to work with the school and see how you can help. Call an ARD to discuss new strategies. Suggest a new Functional Behavior Assessment. Make Changes to the Behavior Intervention Plan or accommodations and goals.

STEP 4: If they are denying your child FAPE and refuse to work with you to improve the situation- File a TEA Complaint.
https://tea.texas.gov/academics/special-student-populations/special-education/dispute-resolution/special-education-complaints-process

I hope you find this blog helpful. Please reach out to me Melinda Taylor, LLC if you would like help creating specific accommodations, strategies, and goals that will help improve your child's behavior and protect your child from being removed from the classroom without the proper supports.

Learn a little more about my style of advocacy and what FAPE truly means for your child! Check out and share my latest Blog!

FAPE and Advocating for your Child

I have sat at the ARD (IEP Meeting) table as a parent, a teacher, and as an advocate. I have had to advocate for my personal child when his 504 was not being followed. I have created a classroom of fun and learning for my students while creating bonds with all their parents to promote collaboration and communication. More recently, I have helped parents understand all that is said at these intimidating meetings to help them find out-of-the-box solutions, collaborate with schools, and make sure student IEPs are being followed with fidelity and consistency.

I feel I have a unique perspective when it comes to the ARD process. I am currently writing a book about communication for both parents and educators to help bridge the gap and help avoid misunderstandings. I think so many disagreements could be solved by better communication between both sides. I have noticed a trend lately that there seems to be a misunderstanding among both parents and schools as to what a "Free Appropriate Public Education" is......and what it is not. This can lead to disputes, arguments and confusion when advocating for your child. Let's take a second to break it down:

✅ What FAPE IS

FAPE (Free Appropriate Public Education) means a school district must provide:

1. Free: Provided at no cost to parents including instruction and required related services (speech, OT, counseling, transportation, etc.)

2. Appropriate:
-Individually designed to meet the child’s unique disability-related needs
-Based on evaluations, not convenience or budget
-Must enable the student to make meaningful educational progress
(not just minimal or trivial progress)

3. Public:
-Provided by the public school system
-Can include special education, general education with supports, or a combination

4. IEP-Driven
-Delivered through a legally compliant IEP that includes: Measurable annual goals, Services and supports, Accommodations/modifications, Placement and LRE considerations

5. Progress-Focused:
Must allow the student to:
-Access the general curriculum or
-Receive an appropriate alternate curriculum
-Progress is measured and monitored

6. In the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)
-Educated with nondisabled peers to the maximum extent appropriate
-Removal from general education happens only when necessary

🚫 What FAPE IS NOT

This is where misunderstandings (and disputes) happen.

❌ FAPE is NOT:
❌ The best possible education
❌ Everything a parent requests
❌ Guaranteed A’s, passing grades, or success
❌ Based on what is “easier” or “cheaper” for the district
❌ A specific program, methodology, or teacher preference
❌ Automatically denied just because a student is passing classes
❌ Optional if the student has behavior challenges
❌ Satisfied by accommodations alone if services are needed
❌ The same as “doing okay” or “making some progress” if that progress is not appropriate for the child

For parents, I think the hardest part to understand is that the school does not have to provide "the best education possible." Let's face it.... nobody is getting that. Not even general education students without IEPs. Now, that is not to say that schools and teachers should not try their best to use the resources available to them to do what is right for children. In my experience, not too many educators are in the business of trying to see how badly they can watch students struggle and fail. Most teachers want the best for their students. However, "best" means using the resources they have with consistency and fidelity to ensure appropriate progress for all kids. Parents cannot expect that the district will provide a specific curriculum or program for their child alone. You can certainly ask what services available and detailed answers for how they are serving and meeting your child's unique needs. But you can't go to a school and say, "I read about this XYZ program online. I'd like to see if it works for my kid. You need to buy this program and implement it." The school is not required to agree with you. It never hurts to ask or share ideas, but you can't go in expecting that they will do everything you want. Schools have to be data driven and research based. If the data shows your child is making appropriate progress with interventions provided, the school district is meeting the burden of FAPE. That being said, if you have something that is proven to work at home, by all means share that with your child's teachers! Most teachers are more than willing to try something new to see students succeed.

****Parents- By all means petition your school board when you want to effect change- if your district is lacking in the continuum of services, get parents together and fight for change! *****

For schools, one of the biggest problems I have seen recently is student behavior being used as an excuse to place an otherwise capable child in an alternate curriculum setting. I can't stress this enough..... BEHAVIOR DOES NOT MEAN A CHILD SHOULD NOT HAVE ACCESS TO GEN ED CURRICULUM!!! Now, I wrote a blog about this previously. (Go check it out!) I am not saying that students with behavior issues should be allowed to impede the learning of their general education peers... far from it. I am merely saying that districts and schools need to do a better job of getting ahead of student behavior on the antecedent side and provide a continuum of services that allows acting-out-students access to the correct curriculum to meet their needs.

So, let's talk about advocating. Many parents hire advocates hoping that this "expert" will help them "get their way." Sadly, some advocates are happy to tell you what you want to hear and keep taking your money for a fight that is not truly a denial of FAPE under the law for your child. Here's how I see it:

A good advocate will:
1. Help you understand all the paperwork and what is said at your child's ARD answering any questions you may have.

2. Provide suggestions and solutions to help you collaborate with the school using resources currently provided by the district.

3.Create visuals and materials that could help your child be more successful in the school environment.

4. Think "outside the box" and find creative ways to get your child services/accommodations/modifications that are reasonable and within a school's power.

5. Help you rewrite goals and accommodations to better meet your child's needs.

6. Make sure the school is following your child's IEP with consistency and fidelity to make sure all elements of FAPE are being provided. Then help you fight when FAPE is not provided.

7. Listen to your concerns and help you understand what is and what is not feasible.

8. Help direct you to other resources when they don't know an answer, conduct research on your behalf, or direct you to someone to provide a service that is outside their scope of expertise. Most advocates are not legal help.... unless they have been to law school and passed the BAR exam. A good advocate will know when they need to refer you to someone else.

9. A good advocate is truly on your side...and that means telling you the truth as they see it based on their experience.....not just what you want to hear.

Being a parent of a child that learns differently is hard. You don't know....what you don't know. You rely on educators, doctors, therapists, and experts to help you learn how to do what is best for your child to help make them productive members of society. It can be isolating. Being an educator can feel similar. You want to do all the "right" things for your students, but you are limited by district policies, lack of true time, and not enough physical and mental support. This is why my model is one of collaboration first. Everyone wants the same thing-a child to be successful, but it's hard to know how to navigate all the red tape to get to the heart of the matter. Communication and collaboration are the keys to success when it comes to FAPE and making sure a child is getting all they need.
Melinda Taylor, LLC

I'll play!
Surprisingly accurate!
Thanks for all the referrals guys! I had four people reach out today alone !

Check out these awesome visuals I made for a client today!!! Using things that child finds motivating, visuals can make all the difference in the world!