A Special Education Teacher, Administrator and Lawyer walk into a bar....all you ever wanted to know about special education
In this podcast, we hope to share information, lessons learned, interviews with VIPs in the field of special education. Join Robin Fabiano, Abby Hanscom and Angela Smagula as they bring diverse viewpoints and some humor to an otherwise serious topic.
Episodes
157 episodes
Location, Location, Location
Listen in as Angela breaks down a very recent Massachusetts Appeals Court ruling (linked below) clarifying the "place regulation". This regulation informs how the location of services is determined for students who do not attend public school.<...
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Season 6
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Episode 23
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34:48
The Great Homework Debate
Listen in as Robin and Abby jump into the Homework Debate! The article below is a great resource for the research referenced in their convo!Is Homework Necessa...
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Season 6
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Episode 22
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38:20
There's More to Heated Rivalry Than Cute Butts
During this podcast, Robin and Angela talk about the nuanced depiction of Shane's autism in the hit show Heated Rivalry (HBO). Time article
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Season 6
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Episode 21
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27:11
Charter School Chatter
Listen in as Angela leads us through the confusing world of Charter School special education compliance. This may end up being a two-parter!!!References:MADESE Charter School In...
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Season 6
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Episode 20
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45:45
Snow Day Throwback: Movie Episode
We are burried in snow so resharing an episode from 2024 during which Robin and Angela discuss the TLC show Braylen Out Loud. This is timely because Tourette Syndrome is in the news this week... Read about it here:
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Season 6
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Episode 19
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37:24
An overarching Umbrella (?) of Topics for 2026
5 key stories to follow in 2026
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Season 6
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Episode 18
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30:45
My Brother's Keeper: Interview with David Tynes
Listen in as Robin and Abby interview David Tynes, the Director of the City of Cambridge, Massachusetts' Saturday Program (and many other things). David is also the Head Coach of the Cambridge Special Olympics Men's Basketball team, The Warrior...
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Season 6
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Episode 17
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41:41
What the F?
There's a different way of thinking about child development and how special education services fit in that turns the medical model upside down. Listen in as Robin and Abby discuss the Five F-Words and the model they represent. In 2011, Rosenbau...
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Season 6
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Episode 16
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35:32
Manifesting Inclusion
Listen in as Robin, Angela and Abby take a spin in the way back machine all the way to 2002.That's when Cheryl Jorgensen and her colleagues at UNH wrote the Essential Best Practices in Inclusive Schools, Rappaport et. al 2002 (r...
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48:48
There’s always another factor…
Join Angela, Robin and Abby as they take a look at the factors courts and schools consider when determining effective progress. Spoiler: they are usually not the same!
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Season 6
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Episode 14
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33:06
Angela Learns What Her IPhone Can Do
Have you seen this apple accessibility video? In our 1st episode back in season 6, Abby, Robin and Angela talk about the cool tools out there supporting students at the colleg...
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Season 6
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Episode 13
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34:28
Holiday Hoopla (and Advocacy)
Listen in as Angela, Robin and Abby discuss two big dates in November and December - the actual 50th Birthday of the IDEA and National Inclusive Schools Week 2025. Here are some links related to both events and a link to help you identify who y...
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Season 6
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Episode 12
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28:11
We're Thankful for YOU....and so is NASET!
Last week Robin, Abby and Angela were live on NASET (National Association of Special Education Teachers)'s monthly webinar for a mini pod and Q&A. Here is the recording of that episode- enjoy...
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Season 6
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Episode 11
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1:34:37
Rethinking Time Out
Listen in as Angela, Robin and Abby discuss the new Massachusetts regulations redefining Time Out and Seclusion. For documents related to the discussion see the
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Season 6
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Episode 10
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28:46
Team Meetings Gone Wild!!!
Sometimes, people lose their cool in Team meetings!! Listen in while Angela, Robin and Abby discuss strategies you can use to manage these moments in real time, intervene beforehand so they don't happen at all and follow up if they do.&n...
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Season 6
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Episode 9
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35:20
Throw Back episode!
Sorry! We couldn't record this week, so please enjoy a repeat episode in which Robin and Angela discuss steps that can be taken when a student case starts to get litigous. We'll be back next week!
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Season 6
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Episode 8
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30:07
Out of District Monitoring
Listen in as Robin, Angela and Abby discuss Massachusetts' new Out of District Placement monitoring process and form. Here is a link to the
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Season 6
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Episode 7
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34:17
Thinking About Behavior
XListen in as Robin and Abby discuss common misconceptions about classroom management and behavioral support. These great ideas are based on a recent Eduptopia article "7 Classroom management mistakes and the research on how to fix...
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Season 6
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Episode 6
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31:28
That's a Big Adjustment!
Starting this September, Massachusetts has changed how it calculates the required days for the provision of an IEP. Join Abby, Robin and Angela as they discuss the recent changes to the 30/45 and annual IEP timelines.
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Season 6
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Episode 5
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41:06
Students Earn More Than Money With Class Jobs
Join Robin, Abby and Angela as they discuss the importance of Class Jobs! Here are some traditional and unique ideas from this Ed...
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Season 6
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Episode 4
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37:59
Math Matters
The IDEA requires that specially designed instruction be informed by research based methodologies. (E) supporting high-quality, intensive preservice preparation and professional development for all personnel...
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Season 6
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Episode 3
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39:39
Angela Loves a Good Handbook
Join Robin and Angela as they discuss the importance of the school handbook!
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Season 6
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Episode 2
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37:34
Happy 50th Birthday IDEA
Welcome to Season 6! Join Abby, Angela and Robin as they kick off season 6 by celebrating the upcoming 50th birthday of the IDEA (Nov. 2025!)
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Season 6
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Episode 1
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28:09
Pop-up! The Summer Scoop: IEPs and the Road to Graduation
Happy summer and best wishes to those teachers/families who are currently returning to school! Robin, Abby and Angela come together for a summer episode focusing on graduation guidance for students in MA on IEPs.
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Season 5
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Episode 30
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37:33
It's the end of Season 5!
29 episodes later, this is the last episode of Season 5! Listen up as we preview some topics we're thinking about and share some summer updates. Thanks for being such loyal listeners. Have a wonderful wrap up to your school year and we'll be ba...
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Season 5
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Episode 29
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28:18