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Hannah Educational Advocacy and Consultation

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Hannah Educational Advocacy and Consultation

I absolutely love learning! So what else could I do but join the field of education. But my journey has been one filled with surprises.

Helping parents of children with disabilities move from feeling overwhelmed, unheard & unsure what to do next—to confidently participating in their child’s team, advocating for their unique needs & proactively planning for meaningful progress. As a child, I loved school, but often struggled through, sometimes taking up to 4 hours to do homework, and struggling to grasp abstract concepts. Then in c

ollege, I transitioned from being a career struggling writer, to being nominated to being a writing tutor... thus introducing me to the world of being an educator. It only took one Childhood Behavior Disorders class, to help me find my niche in the world of special education. My journey after college started as a paraprofessional at an outplacement school for children with Autism. Feeling unprepared as a Psychology and Music major to educate this population, I quickly expanded my horizons by working on my Masters in Special Education and then taking an Advanced Training Program in Behavior Analysis to ensure I truly had the skills to work with and understand individuals in a neurodiverse population. As I gained my degrees, I moved from teacher to special education administrator, to curriculum specialist and consultant. Each role more intriguing than the next, allowing me to expand my repertoire to include:

* Special Education across primary/secondary education from moderate to severe populations
* Working in a variety of educational environments: Private, public, specialty programs (ABA, TLC)
* Training staff and parents in Educational Rights and Responsibilities
* Resolving Team conflicts through Negotiation
* State Testing Regulations & Training for multiple states (MA, NY, NJ, NH, IL)
* Program Development and Staff Training
* Curriculum Development
* Practicum Supervision and Teacher Training
* Behavior Management, Training, and Supervision of individuals for their BCBA
* Observation and Analysis of Students Behavior in their Learning Environment.
* And experience with a wide variety of Learning Disorders, including: Autism Spectrum Disorders, ADHD, Specific Learning Disorders (Dyslexia, Written Expression, Math), Mental Health Disorders, and Intellectual Disabilities. And with all that knowledge, I learned that just teaching wasn't enough. While I learned from my students daily, I wanted to ensure that all students, no matter the disability had an opportunity to enjoy learning and to be taught the way they learned. So I joined the world of educational advocacy, where I now am blessed with the opportunity to train and education parents in 1-on-1 or group setting to help resolve difficult cases and rebuild teams.

09/07/2026

“𝘈𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘬𝘦𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴.” — Pablo Picasso

Over the past few weeks, we've covered a lot of skills.

We've talked about preparing for an IEP meeting.
We've talked about communicating effectively.
We've talked about building partnerships.

And we've talked about problem solving—not only when something isn't working for your child, but when the team itself isn't working effectively.

All of those skills help you advocate for your child, make thoughtful decisions, and work toward meaningful progress.

But the process doesn't end with a IEP development.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝗘𝗣 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱.

And to be honest, this is where the bulk of your work starts.

A beautifully written IEP isn't going to make a difference if what was agreed upon doesn't actually happen.

Services need to be provided.
Accommodations need to be used.
Strategies the team discussed need to make their way across your child's day.

And we need to know whether your child is making effective progress.

Are the supports helping in the way everyone expected?
Are you seeing changes at home or hearing something different from your child?
Is the team seeing something different at school?

And if something isn't working, what needs to change?

That's follow through.

It may seem like a simple piece of the puzzle, but it's how we know whether those decisions are making a difference.

𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗮𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘂𝗽𝗼𝗻.

This week, we'll talk about how you stay connected to what's happening after the IEP is written.

We'll look at observations, communication, and progress reports—and how to recognize when it's time to come back to the table.

Because a well-written IEP is just the starting line.

What happens next tells you whether it's actually helping your child.

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗮 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱, 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲?

09/06/2026

𝗣𝗥𝗜𝗢𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗭𝗘 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗕𝗟𝗘𝗠𝗦 𝗧𝗢 𝗚𝗘𝗧 𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗨𝗟𝗧𝗦

If you've been around for a while, you've probably heard this story before.

But I'm going to share it again because it brings together so many of the pieces of problem solving we've talked about this week.

Several years ago, I started working with the family of a seventh-grade boy who was really struggling in school.

He was constantly being removed from the classroom and missing significant amounts of instruction for what the school viewed as behavior problems.

His mother saw something different.

She believed much of what they were seeing was connected to his ADHD and needs that weren't being appropriately addressed.

But that wasn't the only problem.

There had been other incidents at school that had caused her child harm, and his parents no longer trusted the school.

Nothing the school said was really reaching them.

And because the relationship had become so contentious, the school had their hackles up too.

When I took the case, I knew we weren't going to solve everything at once.

𝗪𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻.

First, we needed to get the adults working together again.

So I brought everyone back to the table and acknowledged what was happening.

We had a breakdown in trust.

I told the team that part of my job was going to be helping the parents rebuild that trust, but I needed their help.

When the parents raised a concern, I asked the team to acknowledge and validate what they were saying before rejecting it or offering a different perspective.

We needed to reopen communication before we could rebuild the partnership.

Then we could begin addressing what was happening for this child.

He was spending far too much time outside of the classroom.

Why?

If his behavior was interfering with his ability to participate that significantly, we needed more information about what was causing it and what support he actually needed.

So we requested a functional behavior assessment.

We brought his voice into the conversation as much as we could.
We looked at what was happening in the classroom, what might be contributing to it, and what needed to change.

And then we kept coming back to the table.

For the next six months to a year, we met about every six to eight weeks.

We discussed evaluations.
We looked at what was working and what wasn't.
We addressed new problems as they arose.

And we kept moving forward one problem at a time.

By eighth grade, this child was on a team that understood him very differently.

They understood the social-emotional needs associated with his ADHD.
They understood that his matter-of-fact tone needed to be understood and addressed rather than simply punished.
And they understood the educational supports he needed to stay engaged and manage distractions in his environment.

But perhaps one of my favorite parts of this story is what happened with his parents.

By then, they felt ready to take over the advocacy role themselves.

They didn't need me anymore.

It took close to a year to move from a highly contentious situation to a workable partnership.

There wasn't one meeting that fixed it.
There wasn't one solution that fixed it.

𝗪𝗲 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁, 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗶𝘁, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁.

That's sometimes what problem solving looks like.

You don't have to solve every problem at once.
You need to figure out 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗻𝗼𝘄 and keep working from there.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁?

09/05/2026

𝗦𝗛𝗢𝗪𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗨𝗣 𝗜𝗡 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗗 𝗠𝗢𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗦

Some of the hardest meetings to walk into are the ones where you already know there is going to be tension.

Maybe you and the team haven't been able to solve a problem for your child.
Maybe you don't agree about what your child needs.
Maybe you haven't felt heard, and you're walking into the room already frustrated by everything that has happened.

Those are the moments when it can become really difficult to persevere.

I've told you before that I hate confrontation.

So when I know I'm walking into a meeting where I expect there to be disagreement, I have to be aware of what that does to me.

I know I'm going to feel anxious.
I know there may be moments when I feel frustrated.
And I know I need strategies that allow me to manage those emotions so I can continue advocating effectively.

Sometimes, for me, that's as simple as taking a deep breath and giving my body a chance to come back down.

But there's something else I have to remind myself too.

𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗻𝘀.

I have information that supports what I'm saying.

And when I believe a child's needs aren't being met, I have every reason to continue asking questions, sharing information, and bringing the conversation back to what that child needs.

The same is true for you.

There may be meetings where you leave feeling like you didn't make any headway.
There may be moments when you're sitting at the table wondering whether anyone is really hearing what you're saying.
And there may be problems that take more than one conversation to resolve.

That's when I want you to remind yourself:

𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝘆 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀, 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗜 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

You don't have to resolve everything today.

Take the breath.
Ask the question.
Bring the information back to the table.

And when the problem still isn't resolved, be willing to come back and continue the conversation.

Sometimes problem solving takes time.

And sometimes advocating for your child means continuing to show up, even when doing so feels really hard.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗱?

09/04/2026

It is in the moments of tension that questions can become your best friend.

Because when a situation is tense and frustrating, it can be incredibly difficult to keep your emotions at bay.

This is your child, after all.

And I'll be honest—even as an advocate, I feel it.
I love what I do. I absolutely live to see the progress children make.
And when I see the opposite happening, I feel that too.

The longer I've been on a case, the more I've watched the progress—or the heartache—the more difficult some of those challenging meetings can become.

So when I walk into them, I go in armed with 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀, 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗼𝗰𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

Because the data and documentation help me formulate questions that keep the conversation focused on the problem we're trying to solve.

Let's say the team is proposing a plan that you're not convinced will work.
Instead of immediately saying no, you might ask:

“𝗜𝗳 𝘄𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻, 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗯𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗱, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗺𝗲?”

That question does several things.

You're showing that you're willing to consider what the team is proposing.
You're also making it clear that you expect to know whether it's working.

And if your child isn't making progress, you now have information that allows you to come back to the table and continue the conversation.

You can do the same thing with other roadblocks.

𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯?

H𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘸𝘦'𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘥?

W𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘸𝘦'𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨?

Questions give you a way to remain open without simply agreeing.

They help you gather information, establish expectations, and keep the conversation moving when it would be very easy for frustration to take over.

So when you're heading into a difficult conversation, don't just prepare what you want to say.

Prepare the questions you want answered.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗮 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗱𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻?

09/03/2026

Most of the time when I take on a new case, it isn't because things are going well.

There are usually several problems.

A child's needs aren't being addressed.
Communication has broken down.
The partnership isn't working.

And generally the parent and the school don't see eye to eye on what the child needs.
In those situations, problem solving may have to start somewhere completely different:

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼 𝘄𝗲 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻?

Because eventually, we have to get back to the child.

And one of the most effective tools I've found for doing that is perseverance.

Continue to clearly state the problem.
Continue to share the documentation that supports your concerns.
Continue to ask what the team is going to do to address it.
And continue to document those conversations in writing.

Sometimes that means coming back to the table more than once.

I've been in cases where we've had multiple meetings throughout the year because we still hadn't resolved the concern.

But those meetings aren't happening just for the sake of meeting again.
We're coming back because something is still unresolved.

𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲'𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴.

H𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲'𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻.

H𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝘄𝗲 𝗱𝗼 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁?

And sometimes we're also trying to understand the gap between what the school is reporting and what you're seeing.

If the school believes your child is making progress and you have concerns…

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀?

What does the data show?
Are those changes showing up consistently across settings?
And what information are you bringing that may give the team another perspective?

You may not resolve the disagreement in one meeting.
You may not resolve it in two.

But when you and the team don't see eye to eye, 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲.

Keep bringing the conversation back to what your child needs, what the information is telling you, and what still needs to be addressed.

Sometimes problem solving requires perseverance.
Keep the problem in focus and keep the conversation moving.

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱'𝘀 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗲, 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴?

09/02/2026

𝗢𝗡𝗘 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗘𝗡𝗚𝗘 𝗖𝗔𝗡 𝗛𝗔𝗩𝗘 𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗬 𝗦𝗢𝗟𝗨𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦

Once you and your child's team have a shared understanding of the problem, it's time to start talking about what intervention will help your child make effective progress.

And this is where things can get interesting.

Because we all come to the table with our own ideas about what should solve the problem.

For instance, there's almost a blanket assumption that if a child has autism, Applied Behavior Analysis should be part of the solution.

But ABA isn't necessarily the best methodology for every child on the spectrum—or every problem they're experiencing.

Sometimes a psychologist may be better suited to address what's happening. Sometimes a speech and language pathologist. Sometimes a behavior analyst.
And sometimes you need several approaches working together.

Social skills are a great example.

As a behavior analyst, I've worked with children on social skills in natural environments—at recess, during play groups, or even in a science lab—where I could help them practice and generalize those skills in real time.

But a child may also need someone to explicitly teach particular social skills.

Or anxiety may be interfering with their ability to interact with peers or maintain friendships.

Those are different pieces of the same problem that may require different expertise.

𝘚𝘰 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦?

Go back to the problem you're trying to solve.

𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥'𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘺?
W𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘱 𝘰𝘳 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘦?
W𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘴?
W𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘥𝘰?

Then put the possible solutions on the table.

𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱?

What part of the problem would it address?
What would implementation look like?
And how will you know whether it's working?

This is where having different areas of expertise at the table becomes incredibly valuable.

You bring what you know about your child. Other team members bring their knowledge and experience with different approaches.

Put those perspectives together, and you may find possibilities no one person would have identified alone.

The goal is to choose a thoughtful solution that addresses the problem you've identified and makes sense for 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱.

And if it doesn't work?

Come back to the table, look at what you learned, and decide what to try next.

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱, 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗿𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴?

09/01/2026

𝗖𝗔𝗡 𝗪𝗘 𝗔𝗚𝗥𝗘𝗘 𝗢𝗡 𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗠𝗬 𝗖𝗛𝗜𝗟𝗗 𝗜𝗦 𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗚𝗚𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛?

When advocating for your child, there are all kinds of problems you may have to work through.

How do we find the right intervention?
Why isn't my child engaging in learning?
Why isn't my child making the progress we expected?
What happens when you and the team don't even agree about what your child needs?

Each of those requires you to first understand 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗿𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲.

Yesterday, I gave you the example of a child who wasn't completing work.

One person might look at that child and see a lack of motivation.
Someone else might see a child who doesn't understand the work.
But then another person might say:

𝘞𝘢𝘪𝘵 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥. 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘬?

Maybe executive functioning is getting in the way.
Maybe there are fine motor demands.
Maybe the amount of effort required to complete what looks like a fairly simple task is actually overwhelming for this child.

Now we have a very different picture.

But what happens when the team doesn't agree that those underlying needs even exist?

Before you start arguing about the service you think your child needs, back up.

Can we agree that the problem exists?
If the answer is no, that's where I would focus first.

What information do we already have?
What are we seeing across settings?
What does the data tell us?

And if we don't have enough information to understand what's happening, what additional evaluation or information do we need?

Because it's incredibly difficult to agree on how to address a problem when you haven't agreed on what the problem is—or whether it exists at all.

So sometimes problem solving doesn't begin with:

“𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗺𝘆 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱?”

It begins with:

“𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝘄𝗲 𝗮𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝘆 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵?”

Once you have that shared understanding, you have a much stronger place to begin discussing what comes next.

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱'𝘀 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗲, 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻—o𝗿 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆?

08/31/2026

“𝘈 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘮 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘮 𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘧 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘥.” — Charles Kettering

When something isn't working for your child, it's really easy to jump to the known solution—the one that you believe would solve the problem.

Maybe it's more services.
Maybe it's a different program.
Maybe you think they need more support in the classroom, or potentially a different placement.

And you might be completely right.

But before you start deciding what needs to change, there's another question worth asking:

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗿𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲?

And while it may seem obvious, there are often underlying causes that can change what the problem actually is.

Because you and your child's team may be looking at the exact same situation and seeing completely different causes for why something is occurring.

You may see that your child doesn't understand the work, while the teacher may see a child who isn't completing assignments and attribute it to motivation.

A provider may notice that the language demands are making it difficult for your child to participate.

Someone else might be looking at the environment and wondering whether it's contributing to what you're seeing.

Maybe it's distracting for your child.

Those different perspectives give you valuable information.

And when you slow down long enough to understand what's happening, why it's happening, and how it's affecting your child, you have a much stronger place to begin talking about what could help.

That's where we're headed this week as we explore the fourth piece of the 𝗘𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗰𝘆 𝗣𝘂𝘇𝘇𝗹𝗲: 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴.

We'll look at how you can better understand a challenge, consider different perspectives and possibilities, and make thoughtful decisions about what to try next.

Think about a challenge you're working through right now.

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝘄𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀?

08/30/2026

𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗢𝗡𝗚 𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗡𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗣𝗦 𝗖𝗔𝗡 𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗗𝗟𝗘 𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗗 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦

Want to hear something funny?

About 20–30% of my one-to-one referrals actually come from school administrators, teachers, and specialty providers working in public schools.

You might wonder why someone working for a school would recommend an educational advocate to a parent.

It isn't because I won't hold them accountable.
I absolutely will.

Years ago, I started working with a family in a pretty horrible situation.

Their child had struck another student at school.

Afterward, the school essentially separated him from the rest of his general education classroom. He was physically in the room, but spending his time apart from his peers with his one-to-one.

The parent didn't know.

She found out while sitting in a meeting listening to the results of an independent evaluation.

You can imagine how heartbreaking that was.

And in that moment, I was very clear:

𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆.

But then we had to figure out what happened next.

How do we keep everyone safe?
What skills does this child need?
What supports need to be in place?

And how do we help him participate successfully with his peers?

That's where partnership came in.

We held the team accountable for what had happened and worked alongside them to build something better for this child.

The principal continued attending meetings over the next several years.

We didn't always agree.

I challenged things.
I asked questions.
I expected follow-through.

But I also listened to what the team was seeing, remained open to their ideas, and worked with them to find ways forward.

Then, a few years later, I heard something from another parent in the district that made me laugh.

Apparently, that same principal had started telling parents:

"𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦, 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘌𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘩?"

Of all people. 😂

But I think that says something important about partnership.

𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀.

It doesn't mean agreeing with everything the team recommends.

And it doesn't mean overlooking something when your child's needs aren't being met.

You can hold people accountable 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺.
You can disagree 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲.
You can be firm about what your child needs 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲.

That's the kind of partnership I want you to think about as we finish this week.

Because sometimes the strongest working relationships aren't the ones where everyone always agrees.

They're the ones where everyone knows they can disagree, ask hard questions, and still come back to the table ready to work together.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱'𝘀 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺?

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