Decoding Learning Differences with Kimberlynn Lavelle

Parents assume that their kids have learned something and will still know it next week.

They won’t, unless they’ve been practicing.  

This is probably obvious to you when you stop to think about it, but it’s just so common for parents to also be surprised when our kids have forgotten something they TOTALLY knew!

And this learning-requires-practice truth is exponentially more true for kids with learning disabilities!

If you have a “great”, “good”, or even “okay” IEP in place for your kiddo, don’t assume all is going well and you don’t need to check in until the next annual IEP.

Check NOW!  We’re approximately ⅓ of the way through the school year (depending on your school’s calendar).  

We need to be sure that everything in place still makes sense and is benefiting your kiddo.  

We need to be sure the goals are appropriate and progress is being made.

And we need to be sure progress is being made in all the areas that don’t have IEP goals too!

Unfortunately, education has become increasingly political lately and I feel like I’m not doing anyone any favors by keeping quiet about it.

I will not tell you who or what to vote for, but I would love the opportunity to let you know about a few things that can impact your child’s education.

I’m intentionally releasing this episode well ahead of Election Day because I want everyone to have time to research fully, and never to act out of fear.

Today is Christmas in September!  I’ve got a gift for you!

I’ve just created an IEP checklist to help you do what I do for my clients!  When working with clients, I go through every part of an IEP to ensure it is well-written, accurate, and is working toward reasonably ambitious goals.

With this PDF, you can now do the same thing!  The PDF links to videos that go deeper into some of these topics to help you better determine how to support your kiddo and how to best evaluate your kiddo’s IEP.

In this week’s podcast, I’m going over this PDF and how to use it most effectively.

Click here to see the video and get the letters!

https://decodinglearningdifferences.com/Letters

See the video at: https://decodinglearningdifferences.com/StartingtheSchoolYear 

• Stay in frequent contact with all general education and special education teachers working with your kiddo, as well as any other service providers (Speech, OT, counseling, etc)

Video version available at:

In this episode, I take a look at this IEP for the first time and give feedback on what I’m seeing and noticing and what I would write differently, if anything.

I was watching a sweet video the other day of a toddler trying to figure out a puzzle and looking frustrated but determined.  Finally, the child figured it out and their face lit up!  So sweet!

Links to Sherrika Myers's resources:

https://www.lilherbieseries.org/

Hi, *|FNAME|*! Happy Monday!

I wanted to provide every student with a really great education that would meet their needs and see them excel.

A few years later, after talking to more special education teachers, receiving a little training, and writing and holding over a hundred IEP meetings….

I was still inadequate.

I still cared.  I still wanted to do what was best.  And I still felt like there was a ton I didn’t know and needed to know in order to best serve my students.

Eventually, I got A LOT more training and feedback from experts on how to actually write effective IEP goals.

I had someone over my shoulder showing me what was right and what I needed to change to write effective goals.

I will forever be grateful to that person and the training I received which allowed me to finally be better at that aspect of my career.

Check out the video for this week’s episode: “IEP Goals: Let's Fix One!​” by clicking here!

I so often hear from parents frustrated by the school system and specifically the school they are fighting with to get their child what they need.

Send IEP documents you want free feedback on to: [email protected]