Around the Spectrum – Inside the IEP: What Schools Are Responsible For (with Leila Farshchian)

Walking into an IEP meeting can feel confusing, especially when you’re unsure what’s required, what’s flexible, and how decisions are made. In this episode, Leila Farshchian, a special educator and Board Certified Behavior Analyst, breaks down what parents can realistically expect from the IEP process.

We cover the basics: who should be in the room, how outside diagnoses interact with school evaluations, and the legal timelines that protect families. We also talk about goal setting and service intensity — what meaningful instruction looks like, how to spot inconsistencies across ABA, speech, and OT, and why collaboration matters when progress feels slow.

We address common pressure points, including fading supports, protecting unstructured times like lunch and assemblies, and deciding when inclusion is appropriate. You’ll also hear how to approach transitions between grades or schools to protect continuity of services and preserve hard-earned progress.

This is a practical, steady conversation designed to help parents navigate the IEP process with more clarity and confidence.

Transcript

Welcome And Guest Introduction

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hi everyone, it's Wendy from Around the Spectrum, where parents, pros, and those in between pull up the chair for honest conversations, grounded guidance, and real stories about raising and supporting autistic kids. I'm your host, Wendy Manganero. As a parent, marketing leader, and longtime autism ally, I know how overwhelming and isolating this journey can feel. That's why we're here, because when we sit at the same table, we understand more and judge less. Let's get into today's episode. Today we're joined by Professor Layla Farcian, who isn't here to talk at us, but to talk with us. Layla is a certified special educator and board certified behavior analyst with over 30 years of experience to bring children on the spectrum across school, home, and community settings. She holds a master's degree in applied behavior analysis from Columbia University and has led public school autism programs among the top in New Jersey. Layla is the founder and CEO of CircaTera and has built educational systems and data-driven programs that support children, families, and professionals nationwide.

SPEAKER_01 1:09

Welcome, Layla. Thank you, Wendy. Thank you for having me on and grateful to be in conversation with you and with everybody listening.

SPEAKER_00 1:17

Yes, just

Layla’s Path From Homes To Schools

SPEAKER_00 1:18

gonna be great. So today we are discussing what parents can actually expect in an IEP from the inside of the system because I know there's so much confusion. I realize that where you are in the world or where you are in the US or Canada may look a little different, but I think that there are some top expectations that parents can have and reciprocal communication. And so we're gonna dive into that. So the first thing I'd love to know is like a little bit about your background, because you say you've worked in autism education and ABA since the late 90s in both school and home settings. So can you share a little about your path and what you've seen change over the years and how schools support children on the spectrum?

SPEAKER_01 1:57

Absolutely, sure. So I started off my applied behavior analytic interventions journey in home programs and really witnessed firsthand what families deal with. What happens behind closed doors of a therapy session, the tension behind siblings, spouses, families not being able to attend birthday parties and social events due to the challenges that were presented to them with the diagnosis. Also, the day-to-day being able to handle anything from going shopping or just hygiene challenges or getting a haircut because it was super scary for the child. So I started in the homes, and I think that was something that when all of us, when we reflect back on our journey, we think, you know, what brought us to this point? And I would say that was a gift to start in the homes, really be part of the family's day-to-day. I even went on vacation with a family once and had to do therapy sessions because we wanted to avoid regression, which is a challenging factor when spend so much time and energy helping a child. One week on vacation should be relief from life. But for a family who's dealing with autism, it's scary. It could result in a loss. It's almost like a sacrifice. So, you know, having witnessed all those things, and then I went into the schools. And so I went into the schools with a sensitivity of who's on the other side picking up the child every day. What do they expect? And how do we communicate? And I started my first program in New Jersey and then went on to my fifth program now is Learner's Compass, which is my private practice. So built five programs in the top three, the third one won top three because we were highly collaborative. And so being in schools and also going into homes, it's been a journey. And I would say being on the school side, there's a lot I can I can share and talk about as we're talking about IEPs.

SPEAKER_00 3:49

Thank you for that. And the other day I went to go get my hair done. And my son's 20 now. And but there was a time when leaving the house was just so overwhelming to me. And a parent came in and they were sitting behind me, but the child was not having it. I and I don't know if there was a diagnosis or not, but the mom was so upset she had to leave. And I think education around like those fears of like going on vacation or aggression and or just taking your child out to be able to do something. I've really felt for this mother because they were not equipped. They were just not equipped on how to handle it. And so I quietly said something, but I understand that as another parent because that's the most awful feeling in the world. If you're not expecting it and your new parent to it is the reactions from everybody else. So I appreciate you saying that because sometimes parents think they have to hide at home because of the way their child reacts.

First IEP: Who’s There And Why It Matters

SPEAKER_00 4:42

Let's talk about like if you're new into the IAP system, because a lot of times, especially if you come into early intervention, you may just have had a diagnosis, your child may be going into pre-K or kindergarten. What should they really realistically expect? Who should be in the room? What's the purpose? And what tends to surprise families in that first one? Sure.

SPEAKER_01 5:07

To empower families, I just I think empowering is really key. Ask a couple of simple questions. One of them would be: if I make a request, how many days do you legally have to respond to me? In New Jersey, it's 30 days. A written request to the director of special services requires a written response within 30 days. It has to be in writing. I, you know, many families just don't know that. So I would say when a child is newly diagnosed and the system begins, and then the call is made to the school to find the appropriate program and support by age three, because now I assume the early intervention path has been taken, the state has been involved, but now it's time for the school to take over. What do their programs look like? Are they equipped to do autism treatment? Do they have a BCBA on board? How does that BCBA collaborate with OTPT and speech and school psychology? Who will be doing the evaluation? Will they do it at home? Will they do it in the daycare? And then once the determinations are made, does the child need one-to-one or do they need an inclusive environment? So there's just of these questions, but basically taking a look to see the infrastructure that's already in place in the schools. Some of them have one-to-one programs, some of them have 12 children in a room, some of them have six children in a room. What's the ratio of providers in the room and educators to the children? Is it an inclusive environment? So it really is very important. But what I would highly recommend is going into those kinds of meetings with the physician and the medical diagnosis and the report. Because if it's level one, two, or three, the questions are going to have to be directed as is the school equipped in its current structure? And if not, what will it do to welcome the child? How will it shift things around to make those accommodations?

SPEAKER_00 7:24

I love those questions because parents don't know what to ask, and it seems all very overwhelming when you're getting all sorts of information and you don't know what is the right thing to kind of respond with. And I like the idea that the expectation of the 30 days, because it if the school has 30 days, depending on the school district, that doesn't mean they're ignoring you. They're just allotting themselves the time to be able to answer and kind of get things together on the back side of that. So when it when it comes to obviously, there's a lot of confusion sometimes of what an what an IEP can actually do. So from your perspective, what are the common misunderstandings parents have about what the school is actually responsible for and what it's not?

SPEAKER_01 8:09

I mean, the IEP is a legal document. So if it says speech three times a week, OT four times a week, ECBA four hours a week, all of those are binding types of expectations

What The IEP Legally Guarantees

SPEAKER_01 8:20

that are set for the school year. Oftentimes, parents will take it home and review it with a professional before signing it, which is always a great idea. So it has great information in it because the people have evaluated the child and have proposed plans. However, a parent knows their child for many, many years before the professionals see them for the half hour or 45 minutes. So the assessment should be reviewed too, because this is the first time they're getting to know the child. And some children are just not responsive to strangers testing them, whether they're neurotypical or neurodivergent. Right. So I think really just making sure reading those documents very clearly at home and is the assessment true to the child's capabilities? Is it reflective of it? And is it going to result in the right amount of services and the right amount of support for the full school year? One thing I want to emphasize with autism and IDD is that every moment should be a teaching opportunity and neuroplasticity, because the brain has plastic from age two to three to four to five, most plastic before age five. That's when we want to be most intensive.

SPEAKER_00 9:36

So one of the things that I have a this is a follow-up question for you is that my son was diagnosed years ago. I had the diagnosis, I brought him to the pre-K, and they didn't want to see that back then. They literally took his diagnosis and put it in the drawer and went, we don't go by that. So what can a parent expect if they are already bringing their diagnosis to the school system as opposed to asking the school system to kind of make that diagnosis? I know that there's still a plan, but how much are they supposed to work together with the diagnosis the parent brings in themselves?

SPEAKER_01 10:16

The school really responds to the diagnosis that's been brought in. And in addition to that, then you had asked the question about what is the school responsible for? What are we responsible for now? Insurance covers ABA at home and it covers speech OT and PT at home. And I know it's challenging to put together a program, like a it's like a whole other business for the child at home, like a homeschool. But what if they go to school till three and they need support at home, or if we can get something from the state as well to support in New Jersey, we have perform care. Every state has something where they support at home. Maximize the support, especially in the early years. Maximize what's available and find out what is available. I think that's really key. The school is responsible for if there's an outside diagnosis really adhering to what will support progress. If they have to make the determinations themselves, if they have the experience, if they have the team that's specializes in IDD and autism, well, then great. But that's something to look out for.

SPEAKER_00 11:29

Yeah, I think that's important. I appreciate you because I'm telling you, it was a different world 20 years ago when I brought my son in. I look at the support families can get now, and I'm so grateful for them to be able to get what they do. It makes all the difference in the world for a parent who already is thinking, am I doing enough? IEPs, they're filled with, you know, for those that don't know, an IEP is an individualized education plan because there's a lot of different alphabet soup when it comes to getting services. And so they're kind of filled with benchmarks and goals and data language. How should parents think about goals in a way that feels practical and meaningful, not just technical, and kind of educate themselves on the alphabet soup so that they know what they're actually reading?

SPEAKER_01 12:20

So we live now in an AI available world. I would take that IEP, maybe scrub it over the personal information and upload it and find out what it all means

Using AI And Questions To Decode Goals

SPEAKER_01 12:30

and how it all helps. I would leverage AI because I wouldn't have said that a year ago, but I would leverage AI at this juncture. Advocacy for the child takes a lot of effort, but also feeling comfort that there's a lot of resources available. Connecting with your child study team and saying, you know, just explain to me what is OT proposing, occupational therapy, what is speech proposing? And do they see that my child can't ask for their needs, you know, or they can't ask me to open a jar or get a cookie, or they get frustrated, just basic things that I have reported that I'm having trouble with on the day-to-day. Is this reflected in here? The developmental milestones when it comes to anything from communication to social to behavior. Where are these addressed within here? And the child study team lead really they're obligated to sit down and I would make that request. They're there for you. Make that request, sit down and go through it. These are my daily struggles, these are the challenges I'm seeing. Are they addressed? Sometimes it's a hundred-page document. It's a or a 50-page, or it's a big document to be able to sort through it can be overwhelming. So ask for that support and just read through each section to see what is occupational therapy doing, what is speech doing. And look for consistencies and inconsistencies. So if the applied behavior analysis team and the board certified behavior analyst from ABA, they're teaching the child bunny and speech is teaching the child rabbit, and the child has 10 words in their lexicon, well, maybe your child won't want to show up to work because they're just confused. It's just the nuances of inconsistencies. I think that's why we've developed Circothera, which is our platform for disabilities, care providers, and those who scenes so families don't have to. It flags and pinpoints those kinds of inconsistencies. However, that document should outline some of them. But one thing that we were very successful at in the program that won in the state was very simple. We met with the families once a month and we talked about these things and we shared our data across providers. OT, speech, ABA, they coordinated care more than once a month. We coordinated care on a regular basis. So ask about that. Ask about, you know, when you're reading that document, look for consistencies, inconsistencies, duplications that are not necessary or sometimes very necessary. Yeah, I think looking for those things, just consistency and consistency, duplication, and then following up on a regular basis with the team throughout the year. So that you can be consistent at home too. That's that's gonna help.

SPEAKER_00 15:29

That's really important. What I like about all of this is that the first letter of that is individualized, is that making sure it works for your family and your child, and not going, well, this is what works for everybody else, but really being able to kind of hone into that. Because I think that's one of the most important pieces that sometimes is forgotten is that it's supposed to be individualized to your child. So on the opposite side, though, because not look, there's the fact of the matter is that there's some really great school districts to do this and some other ones that are not, you know, we have a wild ride through the US of like what what schools do. If parents, and I've led parent groups where they feel frustrated at their IEP, they feel like they're not being heard, they feel like they're kind of doing an uphill battle with the school of what they see the need is compared to what the school sees the need as. So if they feel like they're outnumbered or intimidated or unsure of themselves in the IEP, what would you want them to understand about their role as a parent in the room?

SPEAKER_01 16:37

I remember walking into one of the IEP meetings. It was 15 of us and then the mom and the dad.

Consistency Across Teams And Settings

SPEAKER_01 16:45

How difficult. And some of the educators are tired and they've been there for too long, and they're just maybe don't have this, they've been it's almost normalized. But for the family, this is brand new and there it's overwhelming and it's challenging. You have some compassionate educators and some who are another day of the job and been doing this for 30 years, and they they're faced with all these different types of people in the same room. Just know that you know your child best. And it's it's a one and a half or two hour meeting, sometimes one. And the greatest thing that you can do is listen and hear what everyone's doing, have your list of questions ready, but take that document home. You're not under pressure. Okay? And everybody in special education at some point or another went into it because they care. Establishing those relationships from the very beginning with them, the ones who are ready to answer your questions or gonna hold your hand through it. Find the one or two or three or four in that room, and your child study team members should really be setting up some time to one-on-one go over those questions with you as well after the meeting. So go into that meeting, just know that this is not the final meeting. You don't have to sign then and there. Listen, ask your questions, take your documents, review them at home, ask for a follow-up meeting. You know, really take time to digest it, leverage the tools that we have in our technology world, maybe even bring in another professional to look at it with you. Because ultimately, if we know what is available to us, we don't have to feel overwhelmed or scared because it is a new world to navigate. And I would say I don't want to reduce how important it is. It is a very important document because it determines a whole year. So don't sign it quickly. Take that time because you wanted to address all the things. And if you feel like it's not enough OT or not enough ABN, not enough oversight, ask.

SPEAKER_00 18:55

And the other, I guess this is going to be a follow-up, and it's based on kind of what I've seen and heard again, the going to parent support groups, that type of thing, is for the families who have children who are higher functioning, just for different different functions at them. And because children meet different milestones at different times, and then suddenly, like mid-year, they do the review and they go, Yep, we're good. We don't this child doesn't need that anymore. How does the parent address that? That it that's fine, but it to step it down as opposed to like, nope, they're not going to get an aid last. That's kind of what happened to me. But I'm certainly not the only parent who's gone through that, is like they've met whatever milestone they are, because the school system's a little bit different. And going from having whatever the support is to none can cause regression too. So, how do families navigate like a step-down approach when the school is saying, nope, they've met all these milestones?

SPEAKER_01 19:53

I would want documentation. I would request to come in and visit and maybe even bring in a specialist to do a review. Because we used to invite parents in once a month. They would come in and see our data, they would come in and see what's going on in the classroom, they would come in and meet with us, and all those questions were answered. So ask the questions and ask for a transition that makes sense. So sometimes it's good news. However, it can, you know, if you take away resources

When You Feel Outnumbered In Meetings

SPEAKER_01 20:24

too quickly, it confuses the child and it confuses everybody around the child and even their social groups, and it's just support. And those are supports that are in there. It's almost like taking away the crutches too soon when the leg hasn't healed. Well, the healing doesn't happen then, right? Then you have to go back and get surgery. We don't want that. So it's good news. So maybe it should be approached from a positive standpoint, but a very strategic plan. Instead of doing it right away, can we do this over the next six to 18 months? You're saying my child doesn't need a para and he's in second grade. Well, what's the harm in having it taken away at third grade when he's got the rest until 12th grade to be independent? Why do it in such a way? And why not do it in the morning or the afternoon when he is maybe in the afternoons he's more successful? The morning is more academic and he needs support. Whatever it might be, take a look at the day with them. Find out why they're proposing this. Ask the questions is it strategic? Is it a fading plan? Or is it a rip and replace type of situation? I don't ever recommend a rip and replace. I really never do. So just hone in on that and take your time. Again, you have 30 days to for New Jersey's 30 days. I don't want to say to blanket 30, but find out in your state how much time, what's the communication channel? What's expected? So if they're going to propose this, you have time to respond. They can't just do it without your consent, especially if it's in the IEP. That's your legal dog. You can say, I'm not consenting to this until I learn more, or thank you for. The great news. But before I consent, I'd like to ask some questions, really review if you're fading the para what time of day? Does he still need support at lunch? Is there going to be lunch buddies? Will the speech come in and support some of that?

SPEAKER_00 22:18

Yeah. Especially for those who have sensory issues, because like they may not need the classroom support, but what if they still need support when they do everything in the auditorium together? Like those type of little things where if you just yank that IEP, it's not that they may just need support in special areas where that could be part of the step-down program, too, which is really an important piece because kids function in different different crowds, different noise levels, all of that.

SPEAKER_01 22:43

I do want to say one thing before we move on. I have to say it takes a seasoned professional to work with children who are less severely impacted and have more nuances in their social skills and then their behaviors. Just because when the diagnosis is severe, well, we have a formula and we follow it. But when there's those children who are outside of the box, they're on the other side of the spectrum. And to the naked eye, they might look just a little not typical and they could be subject to bullying. They could be subject to isolation, depression, anxiety. How is that differentiated from the normal child who nor a typical child is subject to anxiety and all of those things? Because yeah, to the untrained eye, it can kind of just get lost. But I think parents have the best instincts. We've been given this, I believe, God given instinct to know our child, to take care of our child and really be there to understand our child. So if they're giving you the news that services to be faded, okay, so there's good news, but you brought up a really good point. Like, what about the auditorium? What about the social skills? What about the playground? Faded, okay, to what extent? How and where? That's the questions to ask. How and where, I think, and and and and what's the pace we're gonna go in.

SPEAKER_00 24:07

And that's all important. And I ended up actually taking my child out of public stool and bringing him into private so that he could have those special nuances because he needed them. Like, you know, more breaks during the day, don't sit them near a window. We had all of that built in because he wanted to be there, but these little things kept him have the ability to actually succeed better as opposed to being lost. And I think that's the thing is like because you know your child, as you're saying, when you're able to advocate for those little things,

Fading Supports Without Causing Regression

SPEAKER_00 24:36

which to the naked eye, because I've trust me, I've had plenty of people go, he's just a boy. I can't tell you the most I have heard he's just a boy. And I'm like, well, yes, but as a parent, I can see some of the things that other people may not. And so I think that that's really important to be kind of your own child detective to know what is really going to support them so that they're successful in wherever they can go. So that kind of brings us to this next question of this collaboration from the school side, because you've worked for the school district and you've worked in schools from the school sides. What looks like a collaborative parent as opposed to one that they feel like we want to be able to help, but it doesn't feel like there's collaboration on both sides? It's a very good question.

SPEAKER_01 25:23

It's a very good question because it takes both. Sometimes schools are not equipped for those whose diagnoses are severe. And so they may be defensive, it might be difficult for them, they have to find outside placement. A parent has to advocate for their child, they know their child well, and they come in with most likely a diagnosis or receiving a diagnosis. A collaborative parent is someone who the school team will see as has the questions, has the documentations, asks the fair amount of questions, and asks follow-up questions. I would say that's expected. Don't shy away from asking all the questions and wanting clarity. However, it becomes contentious sometimes in situations where recommendations are made and other children are getting hurt. That's when I think school personnel start to get their back is up against the wall. Because in a classroom of maybe 20 children or even 15, if a child elopes, if a child has aggressions, that's not an environment where they can learn. Inclusion is being pushed too quickly. That's one area where I've seen a lot of contention work. Inclusion is pushed too quickly by either the parent or the educators. When inclusion is just becomes like a one-on-one where the child's in the back of the classroom at one point, and now it looks like an invisible cubby, but they're just in the classroom because someone has requested too strongly that they stay there. But the child is already so frustrated. So they're eloping, they're aggressive, and other children are affected by it. One of the greatest things that I find that's a point of contention is when is inclusion appropriate, and when is a more structured nurturing environment appropriate? And agreement on that seems to be challenging. So, what we did to solve for that in that program that I mentioned to you is we brought the parents in. So they saw the data. We shared data with them, we sent data home. So for educators, if there are any educators listening to this, I would say share information before you get questions. Share goals, share progress along the way because parents celebrate in that progress. But if there's challenges, share those too because they can help problem solve. Maybe they can tell you that look, I changed the diet, I tried a new medication, you know, we've had difficulty at home with going to bed. And that's why he's like, so just sharing information along the way before it becomes contentious, being proactive really helps us not get into this reactive, cyclic, contentious because now the child is really just left of center at that point.

SPEAKER_00 28:09

Absolutely. And it's interesting you said that. So for my son, we really didn't do medication, but as he got older, it was apparent we needed to try it. And it at the one, the first one we put him on did not work. And I think that that's important because parents, if you are trying at like different medications, bedtimes, any of that stuff, when if you tell the school they can be proactive about what they're saying, because we noticed it at home, and I'm like, well, like I have to notice. I mean, it was such a profound change of like this kid who's usually somewhat happy go lucky to like ready to like rage on everybody. And so I think that that's important because it helps the parent, helps the school system to understand as opposed to putting other kids at risk. The other thing I was gonna ask you, and and I think that this it kind of goes along with this question where the school's

Inclusion Versus Structured Classrooms

SPEAKER_00 29:00

coming to the parent going, we really would like to have some testing so that that becomes more of a collaborative because they're noticing things that the parent, because now the parent the child is out in school and public at the school and doing activities.

SPEAKER_01 29:15

If they're flagging there's something different, that's an opportunity to support that child. Whether you're flagging something is off or they're flagging something as off, that's an opportunity to find help. And pushing away help doesn't make the problem go away. And I'm gonna go back to the neuroplasticity of the brain. We can't miss time, we can't lose time because things only get worse, they never just resolve on their own. So if something's being flagged, it's because they're noticing it and they're noticing it because they have other children to compare against, they have experience to compare against. So if they're noticing and they're flagging it, what solutions are they also offering? They have access to solutions. The child study team members, the school psychologists, social workers, they have access to state resources, they have access to school resources, they have access to community resources. Those are things that parents may not readily know. And yes, it's heartbreaking and it's so hard to hear. The child is not performing well, but it's an opportunity to help. And it's an opportunity to gain access to all their knowledge that they're willing to share. And hopefully that's where it's coming from, is that they're not just presenting the problem.

SPEAKER_00 30:40

Yeah. And this kind of like to what you just said about getting help and in our plastic plasticity, is when progress kind of feels slow to the parent. And this is this is common in ABA. This is not common just to schools. I need to say this. This is common in ABA. And so how does that work when the progress feels slow? And how should families think about progress, especially in the realm of like areas like communication or regulation or social skills? Every child is different. I know this. But again, like when it feels slow to the parent, how do you express that there may be a lot of progress, but it doesn't feel like it sometimes in the parent eye?

SPEAKER_01 31:20

I have so much to say about that. So we were responsible to do 1,000 learning units or repetitions when we were doing our internship at Columbia University. 1,000 a day. That's 5,000 a week. I've gone into schools where they're doing 150 a week of repetition. Sometimes progress is slow because the system's slow. Sometimes progress is slow because we're moving at the child's pace. Find out how many goals are they working on actively? How many hours a day are they actively working on those goals? Who's working on those goals? Is it somebody without experience? Are they overseen by somebody who has experience? And then what's the north star of every goal? Because goals are broken down into very small steps. And sometimes those small steps have to be celebrated. They just have to be celebrated, and that's the child's pace. There's nothing we can do about that except put in tactics and motivations and partner up to get them moving faster. It's a complex process. But if OTPT and speech and ABA work together, things should move faster. So look for collaboration. Do they have the right number of goals? And do they have the right people doing those goals?

SPEAKER_00 32:32

I think those are key things that you said, because again, every child is different. But if the IEP is like they get 30 minutes a day of somebody for ABA and they require more than that, or they require somebody 30 hours a week. So I think that that's those key things is asking those questions is really important. And to kind of further this conversation, because every child starts with if you get a diagnosis early, you go through early intervention, but then eventually your child is going to go to middle school and high school. And those are significant changes for a child on the spectrum because it could have suddenly they have to switch classes or you know, even if it's like lunch more than they were in elementary school. So, how does a parent prepare as they are leaving

Slow Progress: What To Ask And Measure

SPEAKER_00 33:20

one school to another to make sure that that IP transitions the services when they go, because it could be very drastic for some of our children?

SPEAKER_01 33:29

I am going to bring up circa therapy and why we created that, because from classroom to classroom, through the life cycle of the child, all the information's automated and it easily transitions and everybody has visibility, including the parents, to the data. So, what is their system for visibility? What is their system for transition and automation and accountability of data? Ask that from the very beginning because they will transition classroom to classroom each year. They will even transition from para to para mid-year. And then what happens when it's time to go from pre-K to kindergarten and so on? So, what is their source for accountability? Is it Google Drive? Is it an automated, sophisticated system? They're available now. There's a few other systems similar to ours. We think we've done a great job of covering all that's needed for all stakeholders. That's why we spend so much time creating the platform. Automation and documentation should be key because if a child has been in a school for four years working on something and they go on their fresh slate all of a sudden, it's not fair to that child. The first three months are lost for everybody. So, what is their system that they have in place to make sure that everybody is in the know? There should be something.

SPEAKER_00 34:59

Yeah, because a lot can be lost in transition if everybody doesn't have the same information.

SPEAKER_01 35:05

And parents should not be even really responsible for that coordination of care. That's why we have automation. It's a burden. And if there are any educators on our audience and we can reach them, it's like they there are systems available right now in our technological world that allows for these kinds of processes to be taken off so parents can be parents.

SPEAKER_00 35:28

And I do think that's important to that point. Like, even if you move, there's got to be something that at least I you could say, can you give it to me so I can move? Because that move can completely uproot your child in the sense that suddenly they were getting this, and the new school system's like, Well, we don't really offer that, whatever the case may be. But if that IEP follows it and it was written, it has to follow us to the new school. So I think that's really important to be able to have that documentation and be like, this is what my kid needs, no matter where you go.

SPEAKER_01 36:03

And if you choose and it's appropriate, they could always now have meetings between the new teachers. I mean, if they're the same school, definitely they should be meeting. The new speech therapist should meet with the old speech therapist, and you can ask that. Like, what are the transition plans? How many meetings will there be between the teachers, the therapists? And if I'm going to a new place, can we schedule a meeting? Now we're in a Zoom world.

SPEAKER_00 36:25

So that's quite easy to do. And I think parents need to hear that because sometimes they don't know to ask. And I think it's really important for them to know what they can ask. So I love this last question I call it the wisdom. See, so if you were sitting across from a parent tonight who feels overwhelmed, unsure, or even adversarial as they enter the IEP

Planning Big Transitions And Data Handoffs

SPEAKER_00 36:45

meeting because all of those feelings could happen. What would you want them to understand first about navigating the system with clarity and confidence?

SPEAKER_01 36:54

I would say information is empowering, it brings calm, it reduces anxiety. So do you know the communication channels? Do you have someone that's on the team that you feel comfortable with that answers those questions? And do you know the laws about the 30-day rule and when you make a request, what happens? Do you have a way to come observe your child and be part of their process on a regular basis? If you kind of break it down to three or four things that matter to you most, go in there with an agenda of your own. The child best. You want them to speak more, you want them to socialize more, you want them to do whatever it is to succeed, it comes from so much care. All of that overwhelm comes from just so much care. I'm a parent also, and I have two children. And sometimes when I get very overwhelmed, I stop and think, why am I? It's because I care so much about their well-being. And educators know how much parents care. So when it comes in the form of questions, clarity around a few laws. You don't have to know every law, it's overwhelming as can be, but just a few laws about communication, your right to visibility of the data along the way. It doesn't have to be one IAP meeting in April, May, or June. It could be every four to six weeks. Can we meet on Zoom? Can the educators and the specialists meet with me once a month? Just tell me what, I'll tell you what's going on at home. How can I change this or that? What is he doing in school? Set up the channels of communication and know the laws a little bit.

SPEAKER_00 38:42

Thank you so much. This has been great. I think parents will get a lot out of this. And I think just asking for what you need, asking for what your child needs, and working collaborately. And that's one of the things I heard you repeatedly is just collaboration. No matter where you bring your child, it's all about collaboration because that makes a big difference for the people who are providing the service and for you as the parent when you can get to know each other and collaborate together. So I want to thank you so much for being on the show today. Thank you very much for having me. Thanks for spending time with us today at Around the Spectrum. If the show adds value to your world, leave a review. It helps others find the show and join the conversation. Until next time, stay grounded, stay curious, and know you've got a seat at the table.