Meeting with the school to plan your child’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) can be intimidating. This is true for any parent or guardian. But you may feel an extra layer of unease if you’re the only Black or brown person in the room.  

Listen to this episode of The Opportunity Gap to get IEP meeting tips for parents of kids of color. Learn from Taína Coleman, a mom of two and an education specialist at the Child Mind Institute. See how she uses her experience in special education to explain:  

• Which documents you have the right to see before the meeting
• How to ask if the IEP’s annual goals are aiming high enough
• What to do if you don’t feel ready to sign the IEP

Visit the episode page for a transcript and links to helpful resources.  

We’d love to hear from you. Write to us at [email protected].   

• How to tell if your child’s IEP goals are SMART (Explainer with lots of examples)
• IEP goal tracker (Printable worksheet)
• 10 tips for a better IEP meeting (Video)
• How to organize your child’s IEP binder (Includes video and printable checklist)

Understood is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give

What is growth mindset? How can you shift your thinking from “I can’t do it” to “I can’t do it yet?” And why is mindset extra important for kids who learn and think differently?  

This episode explains key concepts through the life experiences of Savannah Treviño-Casias, a young adult who was diagnosed with dyscalculia in sixth grade. Find out how she went from believing she could never do math to powering her way through a college statistics course so she could become a psychologist.  

Learn about the intersection of growth mindset, learning disabilities, and kids of color. And get tips to help struggling students: 

• Understand the power of “yet”
• Set specific goals that they want to reach
• Visualize their mindsets by drawing and naming them

Visit the episode page for a transcript and links to growth mindset worksheets and other helpful resources. 

We’d love to hear from you. Write to us at [email protected]. 

• What is growth mindset?
• Growth mindset activities for kids
• Meet Savannah Treviño-Casias, college student with dyscalculia

• Developing a growth mindset with Carol Dweck
• Mindset, by Carol Dweck
• The Magical Yet, by Angela DiTerlizzi
• Teaching students of color: Looking race in the face
• SDSU professor challenges concept widely embraced by educators

Understood is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give

Is ADHD more likely to be overlooked in Black kids? Or is it overdiagnosed?  

In this episode, pediatrician Dr. Tumaini Coker shares insights on ADHD and race. Learn about Dr. Coker’s research into health equity and how clinics can help reduce the racial disparities in diagnosing and treating ADHD in children of color.  

You’ll also get practical tips for parents from an expert who has a personal connection to ADHD. Listen as Dr. Coker talks about stigma and other challenges her family faced when her twin boys showed signs of ADHD in grade school. 

Get a transcript for this episode and check out more Opportunity Gap episodes at u.org/opportunitygap.  

Comments? Email us at [email protected].  

• Diagnostic and Medication Treatment Disparities in African American Children with ADHD: A Literature Review
• Racial and Ethnic Disparities in ADHD Diagnosis and Treatment

• Common signs of ADHD at different ages
• What an in-depth ADHD evaluation should look like
• How can I find out if my child was misdiagnosed with ADHD?

Understood is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give

It’s an all too familiar situation for many families of color. The phone rings. It’s the school calling to say your child has been “acting out” in class. Again.  

In this episode about bias in school discipline, host Julian Saavedra talks with Busola Saka, a parent and creator of Instagram’s @BlackBoyThrive, and Jolie Battista, a former special education teacher who’s an expert on positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS).  

Listen as they discuss key terms like implicit bias, significant disproportionality, and manifestation determination. Find out why these terms are extra important to know if you’re the parent of a child of color. And get actionable tips to help advocate for kids who have learning and thinking differences like ADHD and dyslexia.

Get a transcript for this episode and check out more Opportunity Gap episodes at u.org/opportunitygap. 

Comments? Email us at [email protected]. 

• Why kids act out and how to help
• Why some kids play the “class clown”
• Understanding your child’s behavior as communication (podcast)
• What is PBIS (positive behavioral interventions and supports)?
• School discipline: What are the rights of kids with IEPs and 504 plans?

• Bias isn’t just a police problem — it’s a preschool problem (NPR)
• Why, really, are so many Black kids suspended? (Education Week)
• Pandemic-era civil rights data is essential to inform special education equity (K–12 Dive)
• Significant disproportionality in special education: Trends among Black students (National Center for Learning Disabilities)
• New guidance helps schools support students with disabilities and avoid discriminatory use of discipline (U.S. Department of Education)

Understood is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give

Debunked! Learn five common myths about special education that can keep kids from getting the support they deserve. Host Julian Saavedra and expert guest Christina Gutierrez explain common misconceptions and offer tips on how to help your child thrive. 

Christina is the mom of a child with an IEP. She is also a former special educator. Find out which of the five top myths “gets under her skin” the most and which one crept into her own thinking when her son was struggling. 

Get a transcript for this episode and check out more Opportunity Gap episodes at u.org/opportunitygap. 

Comments? Email us at [email protected].

• Common myths about special education
• What to do when people don’t believe your child has a learning or thinking difference
• How to get past parenting guilt
• Wunder, the first community app for parents of kids with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia

Understood is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give

Listen to the trailer for Season 2 of The Opportunity Gap, a podcast for parents of kids of color who learn and think differently. Season 2 digs deeper into ADHD and other learning differences and offers tips on how to advocate for your child. 

Host Julian Saavedra is a father of two. He’s also an assistant principal who has spent nearly 20 years working in public schools. 

Get a transcript for this episode and check out more Opportunity Gap episodes at u.org/opportunitygap.

Comments? Email us at [email protected].  

Understood.org is a resource dedicated to shaping the world so the 70 million people in the U.S. with learning and thinking differences can thrive. Learn more about The Opportunity Gap and all our podcasts at u.org/podcasts.  

Copyright © 2022 Understood for All, Inc. All rights reserved.

Understood is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give

Melissa is a single mom from Philadelphia. She faced many challenges while raising her son Abdullah, who has ADHD and other learning differences. A second-generation Puerto Rican and a high school graduate, Melissa faced stigma, limited resources, and a knowledge barrier. But she dedicated herself to making sure her son could learn and self-advocate — all while juggling seven other kids.  

This week, Julian Saavedra and Marissa Wallace welcome Melissa, who they’ve been friends with ever since they taught her son. Listen in to hear how this mom beat the odds by being her son’s best advocate. Hear the advice she has for parents like herself. And find out what Abdullah is up to now.  

To find a transcript for this episode and more resources, visit the episode page at Understood. You can also download Wunder by Understood. This free app includes exercises that can help you track your child's behavior, look for patterns, and get personalized tips along the way.

We love hearing from our listeners. Email us at [email protected].

• 8 steps to advocating for your child at school
• How to find more support when you have kids who learn and think differently
• Perspectives: How to make sure families of color are heard by the school

Understood is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give

Has your child ever been called names because they struggle to read? Do you worry that your child’s learning differences are your fault? This episode features three audio stories from the Understood family about bullying, shame, and parenting guilt around learning differences and ADHD. 

Hosts Julian Saavedra and Marissa Wallace react to each story, and offer their thoughts and advice for parents and caretakers. Listen in for practical strategies from our teacher hosts on how to respond. Find out what a “lunch bunch” is and how it can help kids gain friends and confidence, even in virtual settings. And feel less alone by hearing what you might share in common with others. 

To find a transcript for this episode and more resources, visit the episode page at Understood. You can also download Wunder by Understood. This free app includes exercises that can help you track your child's behavior, look for patterns, and get personalized tips along the way.

We love hearing from our listeners. Email us at [email protected].

Related resources

• Video: Jade, an eighth grader, talks about how it feels to have reading challenges
• Manju Banerjee on how stigma impacts the Asian American community
• Video: Collin Diedrich on imposter syndrome and learning differences

Understood is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give

LeDerick Horne is a Black man, poet, activist, and person with dyslexia. He’s spoken at the White House. And he wrote a definitive book on hidden disabilities. But his life could have all turned out differently. 

As a child, LeDerick couldn’t read. He was labeled “neurologically impaired” and was put in separate special education classes. And he struggled to find his place as a Black man in America with learning differences. He says one mistake could have led him to prison or worse, like many of his classmates. 

In this episode of The Opportunity Gap, hosts Julian Saavedra and Marissa Wallace talk with LeDerick about all the people who made a difference in his life. LeDerick shares his advice on how to help kids of color with learning differences thrive. Stay tuned until the end of the episode for a special reading by LeDerick of a poem that will inspire your family. 

To find a transcript for this episode and more resources, visit the episode page at Understood. 

We love hearing from our listeners. Email us at [email protected]. 

• Video: The challenges of being an African American who learns and thinks differently
• Video: LeDerick Horne, poet and activist with learning disabilities
• To be Black in America with a learning disability

Understood is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give

As in-person learning gets underway across the country, schools are seeing an increase in disengagement and even disrespect from some students. After two years of learning online and often alone, socializing and sitting still in the classroom can be challenging for kids. Add in learning and thinking differences like ADHD, and it’s a recipe for behavior issues. 

This week on The Opportunity Gap, hosts Julian Saavedra and Marissa Wallace challenge listeners to think of “misbehavior” as a form of communication. They share their experiences as educators and parents, and they offer their advice on how to help kids with their behavior. 

Julian and Marissa also talk about how culture can determine which behaviors are seen as “good” or “bad.” And they discuss why so many kids of color are misunderstood by white teachers. 

To find a transcript for this episode and more resources, visit the episode page at Understood. 

We love hearing from our listeners. Email us at [email protected]. 

Related resources

• The difference between discipline and punishment
• How to help young kids with behavior challenges
• Understanding behavior as communication: A teacher’s guide

Understood is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give