empowering_better

Baseline data can be really helpful.
It is important for creating solid, measurable goals and it should be easy to see how the baseline goes with the goal.

Does your team spend time discussing the baselines or do they tend to get skipped over?

🌱 I was listening to an interview yesterday, and the guest on , Christina Greer, was on to rate and review 2021. She began by describing her realistic, yet optimistic outlook by calling herself a plant.
As in, she generally leans towards the light.

It resonated with me especially at this time of year. There’s so much swirling around about setting goals, new beginnings, intentions, etc. and at the same time, trying to take stock of what even took place over the previous year. And 2021 was quite a year. One that was unpredictable, frustrating, and sad at times, and also one with plenty of moments of joy and hope. A roller coaster to say the least.

I too find myself plant-like, in that my outlook is generally optimistic, and I tend to see and gravitate towards positivity and hoping for the best. I’m grateful for the year behind me and am really looking forward to what is ahead.
I’ve been reflecting on intentions etc. just like the rest of us but instead of rushing into restarting! Or resetting!! Or transforming! Or any of the other big exciting words that get thrown around, I’m looking forward to continuing to grow bit by bit, while staying optimistic, and seeing the possibilities around me.

🌿 we're 4 days in - how are you feeling about the beginning of this new year?

🎁 Are you ready to wrap up this year?

Do you or does your family reflect on the previous year and set goals for the months ahead?

Before setting new goals or creating ambitious resolutions, it can be impactful to pause and reflect.

Keep it simple and start with a few reflection questions like:
❄What was the best part of this year?
❄What worked well?
❄What could have gone better?
❄What did I learn that I’m bringing into the new year?

💕I’m so grateful for this past year. It’s brought A LOT and I’ve continued to learn and grow in a bunch of new ways.
I think two of the things I am bringing with me into the new year are to keep trying new things and to ask questions to keep learning more!

Do you or does your family or team have a routine for the end of the year? I’d love to hear about it!

🎄The holidays can be fun AND sometimes we all need a reminder that it’s ok to do a little bit less.

🍬Go easy on yourself - whatever you can do is enough for your family. Try to let go of pressure or expectations to do more than feels do-able for your household.

❄️Prepare- think through what’s coming up and go over it with your household. What can you do before or after an event to create calm and space to reset?

🤶Give yourself permission - do what you can and want to. Give yourself permission to take care of yourself and your family.

☃️Keep your routines* - part of the fun this time of year can be that things are totally different from normal! It can help to find one or two things to keep consistent - maybe it’s bed time routine or rest times during the day, it can help to keep a couple things the same amidst everything that’s different.

🎉Celebrate the fun - focus on the fun! Find moments of joy and celebrate them

Whether your household includes little ones experiencing the magic of the season or you have adults and family members you're gathering with to celebrate this season, you can thrive throughout this time of year ❄️

💕 Save this and come back to it when you need it or share it with a friend!

Extended School Year (ESY) services are often something we think about for over the summer break ☀ and right now ❄ is actually an important time to be thinking about your learner’s needs!

When a team determines if a student needs (is eligible for) ESY, two of the primary things they consider are

Regression - the loss of skills
Recoupment - how long does it take for skills to be relearned

📝Eligibility decisions need to be based on data and the time before and after winter break is a great time for updated data collection for your learner!!

You can check in with your school team and ask for an update on your student’s current skill levels.

During the break and as you start to go back into regular routines in January, pay attention to and take note of any
-new behaviors
-developing skills
-regression of skills
-also note how long it takes for your learner to get back into the swing of things

And if you have experienced your child going through significant learning loss or it taking them a long time to regain skills, they may be eligible for ESY.
Having data recorded is really important to demonstrate their needs and can help your team plan for the best IEP and services for your child.

ESY isn’t guaranteed for all students who have IEPs and not all kids with IEPs need it.
IDEA does let each state or district set its own rules for eligibility, so standards vary from place to place. It’s important to check with your state’s department of education or your school district to learn the specific criteria for your district.

IEP meetings can go well.

And there are things teams can do that directly impact how a meeting goes. Check out these 5 things you need to have in place for better meetings!

📝Draft copies provided
👋Introductions and an agenda
💕Share strengths, successess, and positives
👍Use language that is clear and understood by each team member
🗣Create opportunities for discussion and questions

What would you add to this list?

🧐 Do you know this one?

This fact is False!

Accommodations are changes to HOW the student learns.
Modifications change what the student learns.

☑Accommodations can be available in specific settings or across education environments. They should provide your student with the best possible opportunity to learn and to show what they know.

✨There’s a sweet spot between not having enough or the right level of accommodations and a learner struggling to access learning materials and a learner being over accommodated and missing opportunities to stretch, grow, and increase their independence.

📝 What accommodations have made the biggest difference for your learner?

Curious what it would be like to work with me?

✨As a parent coach, I help you become an informed and empowered member of your child’s team.

I can help with
☑️ understanding the evaluation process
☑️ knowing what to expect during an IEP meeting
☑️ clarity around IEP target areas, goals, and services
☑️ creating your parent input statement
☑️ idenfitying unanswered questions and creating a plan for following up

I believe that the best outcomes for kids are created by teams working together and for a team to work together, everyone deserves to have a shared level of understanding and information when it comes to special education supports and services.

If this sounds like something that could help you, click the link in my bio to schedule a free call where we can get to know one another and see if we’re a good fit to work together for your learner’s success!

❄️☃️Happy December 1st!

Did you know it’s also National Christmas Lights Day? 🎄

As we welcome in this final month of the year, what are you bringing into focus and what are you ready to dim the lights on?

For me it’s:

💫 slowing down and being in the moment
💫 finding joy in the process over the perfect finished result

🌑 trying for perfection
🌑 over committing, over planning

It was touch and go for me as far as finding joy in the process last night as we wrestled this tree inside and strung the lights. The hair went up and things got serious when it was time for the star (zip ties may also have been required?) We made it through and it was overall a joy to decorate and welcome in the season.

💕 Tag someone who lights up your life and share what you're focusing on this month!

💕 tag a friend and share something kind about them!

Happy Sunday everyone ☀️

🔑 Get to know the key members of an IEP team - these five people make up the start of your team.

💕 Parents or Guardians - Parents or guardians are key team members and the expert on their child. You have valuable knowledge about your child’s strengths, struggles, and goals.

✏️ Special Education Teacher -this person may be called an Education Specialist, Intervention Specialist, Resource Specialist or other names. They have specialized training and knowledge about instruction, curriculum, and intervention for students with different learning needs and disabilities. They work to help provide specialized instruction as well as offer input on what a child needs to thrive in the general education classroom.

📓 General Education Teacher - a general education teacher provides information about how the student is performing in the general education setting and is an expert on grade-level curriculum, standards, and expectations

🖋LEA Representative or District Representative -the LEA is your Local Education Agency- a representative for the district, who has the power to approve school resources for your child and is qualified to provide or supervise special education services must attend the meeting.

🤓 an expert to interpret evaluation results- This could be a member of the team already, like the special education teacher. Or it could be another person, like a school psychologist

The best meetings involve a full team being present and able to listen and collaborate together towards the success of the student.
There may be circumstances in which a team member is unable to attend - there is a process for excusing a required team member from a meeting. If there is an unexpected absence and a required member is missing, it is actually best practice to reschedule the meeting - unless the full team feels comfortable and confident in continuing on without the missing team member.

matters - sometimes an obvious thing needs stated very clearly.
ADHD can bring strengths and people with ADHD have strengths and talents - related to their diagnosis and otherwise.

Simply thinking in a way allows us to see that characteristics of ADHD do not have to be framed as deficits.

💪 What strengths do you celebrate? 🎉