Advocacy Resources 4 San Diego

Time Flies...and life is often filled with beautiful moments. Too all the parents and quardians awakening each day to raising a child with special needs....I can see the beauty in your hearts. I can see the exhaustion in your souls. So be kind to yourself first. You are so worthy of self-care. I support your devotion to improving your child's school day. Connect with other parents walking down the same path, and remember your option to connect with me (send a text to 619 977-3148)/

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone.....Enjoy this fall season with your family and friends! Count those blessings! Give thanks for all the devoted and loving ways you support your child with special needs....as all children are uniquely SPECIAL. I happen to think the every parent is too! I give thanks for all my advocacy clients who have graciously shared part of their life story with me.

To all those who read through their child's functional behavior analysis FBAs.....substitute connection for the word attention...it sheds light on your child's need to connect to a trusted individual, with whom they feel safe. I believe we all have this need to some degree. Do you????

Awareness AND Acceptance!
Happy Advocating

I so support the kindness movement. It is the humane way to interact. May every student find kindness in his/her daily day at a school site. May all the parents who are supporting children with special needs remember to be kind to themselves first (and then others). We often need to be reminded to treat ourselves with the sweet caring that we extend to our friends. Here's to a very KIND weekend!

I paint on rocks. The colors, the designs, the actual painting....soothes my busy soul. Happy Valentine's Day to all who read my posts.

A rose and a wish for any self-care action that you take this valentine's weekend. Make you feel comfort and pride in your ability to be KIND to yourself !

Be Positive Be Real

Dr. Kelli Sandman-Hurley, who is indeed a Dyslexia EXPERT...and a local San Diego professional, has many quotes which are worth sharing. (I am proud to say, I do know her personally, and she is wonderful!)

This is one of her quotes. When parents have a child struggling with reading in upper elementary, and middle school grades, they need to hear this message when advocating for their son or daughter. Check out her website as listed under her name.

SHOUT OUT for your dedicated work with Dyslexia, Kelli!

Yes.

For all of us trying to stay focused and calm, while doing so much each day....remember your ME TIME.....You can't carry on without some Shut Down Time. Do whatever it is that restores you...Nap, Go out for a walk, Watch a great program on Netflix/Prime, Eat a special dinner with a loved one....Be artistic..Read...Have your favorite beverage in your favorite chair....You do it Your Way.....Tomorrow's another day!

To all who work above and beyond all through the year, and year after year....to improve the special education services for their children, I wish you a very HAPPY NEW YEAR.

May the year be filled with good health for you and your family, along with many shared experiences of joyful togetherness. (of course, may your ever-so- important self-care "alone time" bring you the rest you need to reboot your energy!)

And may all your IEP meetings be proactive, collaborative, and written with the clarity required to be truly INDIVIDUALIZED !!! It is ALL ABOUT YOUR CHILD. May he or she have a year of growth!

Advocacy Resources 4 San Diego Advocacy = Adding Your VOICE. Generally, it's a life lesson. Specifically, it's adding a parents voice to all educational decisions affecting their child. Get support for creating an effective Individual Educational Program!

Are any of you aware of the information and posts from a FB Group called Trauma-Informed Practice? Very often their posts are creative and useful. I particularly love this poster, as it is very visual and allows children to point to pictures rather than use words to describe those hard to explain inner feelings. I myself have felt wibbly wobbly when anxious.

Heres to those moments of big happiness this holiday season! Hopefully your bumpy feelings smooth out when surrounded by your love ones who accept you as YOU.

Chart to help children identify feelings:

Happy "Just a few more days until BREAK!" Most of us are not thinking about school things these days. But when I saw this post, I had to share it here on my page.

I SO believe in the statement below.

I find this fact is missing when many IEP teams draft Behavior Intervention Plans, based on frequency, intensity, and duration of behaviors. The team needs to have a discussion about what lies beneath the more obvious behavior. There needs to be 2 more spaces on the BIP paperwork for writing in the underlying FEELING.....and NEED MET!

In my advocacy work, I have found that BIPs are often a weak link in the IEP process. The effort goes into writing them, rather than implementing them in the classroom, with data. Trained Staff members who can take appropriate data, as well as respond appropriately when a behavior arises, are needed to properly implement the BIP. So, at your next meeting, ask questions about who in the classroom will be responsible for implementing your child's BIP, and when you can expect to see the data collected.

Thanks for reading! Andrea