Don't IEP Alone.

You can be right. You can even prove you’re right. That doesn’t mean you’ll get what your child needs. Read instead of listen: Why “Gotcha” Doesn’t Win IEP Meetings. related content: Is My Child Receiving FAPE? What It Actually Looks Like in Real Life. Take the online special education advocacy training (what DOES win IEP meetings!) Don't IEP Alone with Lisa Lightner, Special Education Advocate Thank you for listening to this episode of Don't IEP Alone. See you next time! Support the show Other ways I can help you with IEPs: 📚 Order my book

In this episode of Don't IEP Alone, Lisa Lightner shares why February can be a stressful month for IEP parents, what causes the annual "February freakout," and proactive steps you can take now to better advocate for your child. Get essential advice on IEP renewals, kindergarten and transition webinars, progress monitoring, and how to avoid last-minute panic as spring approaches. All the tools and resources you need are in the show notes! 🔴 Is Your Child's IEP Working?: 👉https://dontiepalone.com/iep-progress/ ℹ️ IEP Present Levels for Teachers: https://dontiepalone.com/sale-iep-present-levels/ 🧰 IEP Meeting Toolkit: https://dontiepalone.com/iep-meeting-preparation-toolkit/ 🚀 Sign Up for Special Education Advocacy Training: https://access.dontiepalone.com/dont-iep-alone-sale/ ⚠️More on IEP Progress Monitoring: https://adayinourshoes.com/how-to-monitor-iep-progress-for-parents/ 🎯 Free IEP Goal Tracker: https://adayinourshoes.com/iep-goal-tracker/ 🧑🏼‍🤝‍🧑🏼 Join A Community of Parents and Advocates who "get it": https://village.adayinourshoes.com Facebook.com/ADayInOurShoesIEP Instagram: @DontIEPalone Free Webinar: Middle & High School IEPs https://dontiepalone.com/free-webinar-middle-high-school-ieps/ Free Webinar: The Preschool to Kindergarten IEP Transition: https://dontiepalone.com/free-webinar-kindergarten-iep-transition/ Don't IEP Alone with Lisa Lightner, Special Education Advocate Thank you for listening to this episode of Don't IEP Alone. See you next time! Support the show Other ways I can help you with IEPs: 📚 Order my book

In this special episode of "Don't IEP Alone," Lisa Lightner shares her personal journey of setting boundaries with family amid political and social divides, especially as a special needs parent and advocate. She discusses the grief of lost relationships, the importance of protecting your energy, and how the disability community can find support and understanding—even when it means creating your own village. An honest conversation about family, advocacy, and staying strong when facing adversity. 🔴 Is Your Child's IEP Working?: 👉https://dontiepalone.com/iep-progress/ ℹ️ IEP Present Levels for Teachers: https://dontiepalone.com/sale-iep-present-levels/ 🧰 IEP Meeting Toolkit: https://dontiepalone.com/iep-meeting-preparation-toolkit/ 🚀 Sign Up for Special Education Advocacy Training: https://access.dontiepalone.com/dont-iep-alone-sale/ ⚠️More on IEP Progress Monitoring: https://adayinourshoes.com/how-to-monitor-iep-progress-for-parents/ 🎯 Free IEP Goal Tracker: https://adayinourshoes.com/iep-goal-tracker/ 🧑🏼‍🤝‍🧑🏼 Join A Community of Parents and Advocates who "get it": https://village.adayinourshoes.com Facebook.com/ADayInOurShoesIEP Instagram: @DontIEPalone Don't IEP Alone with Lisa Lightner, Special Education Advocate The IEP process never gets easier. YOU get better. How? With specific action steps and training. Visit ADayInOurShoes.org for more information. Thank you for listening to this episode of Don't IEP Alone. See you next time! Support the show Other ways I can help you with IEPs: 📚 Order my book

In this episode of Don't IEP Alone, host Lisa Lightner shares actionable tips for parents on IEP data collection after the holiday break. Learn how to track skills at home, compare school reports, and use documentation to advocate for your child’s needs. Plus, discover new IEP toolkits and resources to start your year empowered! 🔴 Is Your Child's IEP Working?: 👉https://dontiepalone.com/iep-progress/ ℹ️ IEP Present Levels for Teachers: https://dontiepalone.com/sale-iep-present-levels/ 🧰 IEP Meeting Toolkit: https://dontiepalone.com/iep-meeting-preparation-toolkit/ 🚀 Sign Up for Special Education Advocacy Training: https://access.dontiepalone.com/dont-iep-alone-sale/ ⚠️More on IEP Progress Monitoring: https://adayinourshoes.com/how-to-monitor-iep-progress-for-parents/ 🎯 Free IEP Goal Tracker: https://adayinourshoes.com/iep-goal-tracker/ 🧑🏼‍🤝‍🧑🏼 Join A Community of Parents and Advocates who "get it": https://village.adayinourshoes.com Facebook.com/ADayInOurShoesIEP Instagram: @DontIEPalone Don't IEP Alone with Lisa Lightner, Special Education Advocate Thank you for listening to this episode of Don't IEP Alone. See you next time! Support the show Other ways I can help you with IEPs: 📚 Order my book

🧑🏼‍🤝‍🧑🏼 Every question is answered by an advocate--Join A Community of Parents and Advocates who "get it": https://village.adayinourshoes.com 🔴 IEP Transition Workshop Series: adayinourshoes.com/iep-transition-workshops/ 🚀 Sign Up for Special Education Advocacy Training: 👉 dontiepalone.com/online-special-education-... ⚠️More on IEP Transition Planning: adayinourshoes.com/iep-transition/ 🎯 Free IEP Binder for Parents: adayinourshoes.com/free-iep-binder/ Your IEP Playbook: https://adayinourshoes/book/ Don't IEP Alone with Lisa Lightner, Special Education Advocate Thank you for listening to this episode of Don't IEP Alone. See you next time! Support the show Other ways I can help you with IEPs: 📚 Preorder my book 🧰 IEP Toolkit for Parents 💻 Online Advocacy Training 👉 Ask an Advocate your IEP Question ⭐How to Write IEP Present Levels

No, the School Isn’t Going to Offer Training (Unless You Demand It) 🔴 Is Your Child's IEP Working?: 👉https://dontiepalone.com/iep-progress/ 🚀 Sign Up for Special Education Advocacy Training: 👉 https://dontiepalone.com/online-special-education-advocacy-training/ ⚠️More on IEP Progress Monitoring: https://adayinourshoes.com/how-to-monitor-iep-progress-for-parents/ 🎯 Free IEP Goal Tracker: https://adayinourshoes.com/iep-goal-tracker/ Facebook.com/ADayInOurShoesIEP Instagram: @DontIEPalone 🧑🏼‍🤝‍🧑🏼 Join A Community of Parents and Advocates who "get it": https://village.adayinourshoes.com 🧑🏼‍🤝‍🧑🏼 Don't IEP Alone with Lisa Lightner, Special Education Advocate Thank you for listening to this episode of Don't IEP Alone. See you next time! Support the show Other ways I can help you with IEPs: 📚 Preorder my book 🧰 IEP Toolkit for Parents 💻 Online Advocacy Training 👉 Ask an Advocate your IEP Question ⭐How to Write IEP Present Levels

How to Prepare for an IEP Manifestation Determination Hearing at School. 🔴 Is Your Child's IEP Working?: 👉https://dontiepalone.com/iep-progress/ 🚀 Sign Up for Special Education Advocacy Training: 👉 https://dontiepalone.com/online-special-education-advocacy-training/ ⚠️More on FAPE: https://adayinourshoes.com/fape/ 🎯 Free IEP Binder for Parents: https://adayinourshoes.com/free-iep-binder/ https://Facebook.com/ADayInOurShoesIEP https://Instagram.com/DontIEPalone 🧑🏼‍🤝‍🧑🏼 Every question is answered by an advocate--Join A Community of Parents and Advocates who "get it": https://village.adayinourshoes.com Don't IEP Alone with Lisa Lightner, Special Education Advocate Thank you for listening to this episode of Don't IEP Alone. See you next time! Support the show Other ways I can help you with IEPs: 📚 Preorder my book 🧰 IEP Toolkit for Parents 💻 Online Advocacy Training 👉 Ask an Advocate your IEP Question ⭐How to Write IEP Present Levels

Times are different, and challenging. Here's what I'm doing a little bit differently. Don't IEP Alone with Lisa Lightner, Special Education Advocate Thank you for listening to this episode of Don't IEP Alone. See you next time! Support the show Other ways I can help you with IEPs: 📚 Preorder my book 🧰 IEP Toolkit for Parents 💻 Online Advocacy Training 👉 Ask an Advocate your IEP Question ⭐How to Write IEP Present Levels

When one door closes, another opens. Don't IEP Alone with Lisa Lightner, Special Education Advocate Thank you for listening to this episode of Don't IEP Alone. See you next time! Support the show Other ways I can help you with IEPs: 📚 Preorder my book 🧰 IEP Toolkit for Parents 💻 Online Advocacy Training 👉 Ask an Advocate your IEP Question ⭐How to Write IEP Present Levels

Executive functioning-- always a popular topic. 🔴 Is Your Child's IEP Working?: 👉https://dontiepalone.com/iep-progress/ 🚀 Sign Up for Special Education Advocacy Training: 👉 https://dontiepalone.com/online-special-education-advocacy-training/ ⚠️More on FAPE: https://adayinourshoes.com/fape/ 🎯 Free IEP Binder for Parents: https://adayinourshoes.com/free-iep-binder/ https://Facebook.com/ADayInOurShoesIEP https://Instagram.com/DontIEPalone 🧑🏼‍🤝‍🧑🏼 Every question is answered by an advocate--Join A Community of Parents and Advocates who "get it": https://village.adayinourshoes.com 🧑🏼‍🤝‍🧑🏼 Don't IEP Alone with Lisa Lightner, Special Education Advocate Thank you for listening to this episode of Don't IEP Alone. See you next time! Support the show Other ways I can help you with IEPs: 📚 Preorder my book 🧰 IEP Toolkit for Parents 💻 Online Advocacy Training 👉 Ask an Advocate your IEP Question ⭐How to Write IEP Present Levels

Mentioned in Episode: OSERS Has Been Dismantled: What This Means for Disabled Adults and Their Families. OSEP Is Gone: What It Means for Your Child’s IEP and What Parents Must Do Now. 🔴 Is Your Child's IEP Working?: 👉https://dontiepalone.com/iep-progress/ 🚀 Sign Up for Special Education Advocacy Training: 👉 https://dontiepalone.com/online-special-education-advocacy-training/ ⚠️More on FAPE: https://adayinourshoes.com/fape/ 🎯 Free IEP Binder for Parents: https://adayinourshoes.com/free-iep-binder/ https://Facebook.com/ADayInOurShoesIEP https://Instagram.com/DontIEPalone 🧑🏼‍🤝‍🧑🏼 Every question is answered by an advocate--Join A Community of Parents and Advocates who "get it": https://village.adayinourshoes.com Don't IEP Alone with Lisa Lightner, Special Education Advocate Thank you for listening to this episode of Don't IEP Alone. See you next time! Support the show Other ways I can help you with IEPs: 📚 Preorder my book 🧰 IEP Toolkit for Parents 💻 Online Advocacy Training 👉 Ask an Advocate your IEP Question ⭐How to Write IEP Present Levels

Going off topic for a moment... but trust matters! 🔴 Is Your Child's IEP Working?: 👉https://dontiepalone.com/iep-progress/ 🚀 Sign Up for Special Education Advocacy Training: 👉 https://dontiepalone.com/online-special-education-advocacy-training/ ⚠️More on FAPE: https://adayinourshoes.com/fape/ 🎯 Free IEP Binder for Parents: https://adayinourshoes.com/free-iep-binder/ https://Facebook.com/ADayInOurShoesIEP https://Instagram.com/DontIEPalone 🧑🏼‍🤝‍🧑🏼 Every question is answered by an advocate--Join A Community of Parents and Advocates who "get it": https://village.adayinourshoes.com 🧑🏼‍🤝‍🧑🏼 Don't IEP Alone with Lisa Lightner, Special Education Advocate Thank you for listening to this episode of Don't IEP Alone. See you next time! Support the show Other ways I can help you with IEPs: 📚 Preorder my book 🧰 IEP Toolkit for Parents 💻 Online Advocacy Training 👉 Ask an Advocate your IEP Question ⭐How to Write IEP Present Levels

Mentioned in Episode: What is Explicit Instruction? What is Specially Designed Instruction in Special Education? 50 Practical Instructional Strategies for Specially Designed Instruction in IEPs (examples) Special Education Advocacy Training Don't IEP Alone with Lisa Lightner, Special Education Advocate Thank you for listening to this episode of Don't IEP Alone. See you next time! Support the show Coming October 13: Your IEP Playbook Order yours now!

Welcome back to "Don't IEP Alone" with Lisa Lightner! In this candid episode, Lisa gets real about the behind-the-scenes struggles of podcasting, from wrestling with ADHD and perfectionism, to navigating technical hiccups and the pressure of social media. She shares her recent attempts to revamp the show, including her "5 Minutes to FAPE" experiment (and why it ended up in the digital trash bin), and reflects on the art of finding engaging content without falling into the trap of endless, one-sided rambling. Lisa also drops timely advice for the new school year, including tips on getting organized and making the IEP process more manageable for parents. It’s an honest, relatable look at both the challenges of advocacy and the reality of being a one-woman podcast team, plus a friendly invitation to share your suggestions for future episodes! Don't IEP Alone with Lisa Lightner, Special Education Advocate Thank you for listening to this episode of Don't IEP Alone. See you next time! Support the show 📣Preorder my book 📣 AmazonBooks-A-MillionBookshop.orgBarnes & Noble More IEP help for you--at home or at school-- 📊 Free IEP Data Collection Sheets (for school staff) 📒 Free IEP Binder for Parents ☑️ IEP Goal Tracking Sheets for Parents 🧰 IEP Toolkit for Parents 👩‍💻 Online Advocacy Training 🙋 Ask an Advocate your IEP Question 🧰 How to Collect IEP Data in the Classroom without losing your mind!

Accommodations vs. Modifications: Don’t Confuse Them Mixing up accommodations and modifications can cost your child progress. Online Advocacy Training: https://dontiepalone.com/special-education-advocacy-training/ Mentioned in Video: https://adayinourshoes.com/iep-accommodations-modifications/ Don't IEP Alone with Lisa Lightner, Special Education Advocate Thank you for listening to this episode of Don't IEP Alone. See you next time! Support the show 📣Preorder my book 📣 AmazonBooks-A-MillionBookshop.orgBarnes & Noble More IEP help for you--at home or at school-- 📊 Free IEP Data Collection Sheets (for school staff) 📒 Free IEP Binder for Parents ☑️ IEP Goal Tracking Sheets for Parents 🧰 IEP Toolkit for Parents 👩‍💻 Online Advocacy Training 🙋 Ask an Advocate your IEP Question 🧰 How to Collect IEP Data in the Classroom without losing your mind!

If your Present Levels are wrong, everything else in the IEP will fall like dominoes. Article mentioned in video: https://adayinourshoes.com/present-levels-iep/ IEP Toolkit for Parents: https://dontiepalone.com/my-parent-iep-toolkit/ Don't IEP Alone with Lisa Lightner, Special Education Advocate Thank you for listening to this episode of Don't IEP Alone. See you next time! Support the show 📣Preorder my book 📣 AmazonBooks-A-MillionBookshop.orgBarnes & Noble More IEP help for you--at home or at school-- 📊 Free IEP Data Collection Sheets (for school staff) 📒 Free IEP Binder for Parents ☑️ IEP Goal Tracking Sheets for Parents 🧰 IEP Toolkit for Parents 👩‍💻 Online Advocacy Training 🙋 Ask an Advocate your IEP Question 🧰 How to Collect IEP Data in the Classroom without losing your mind!

The Secret Suspension Problem: a MUST WATCH if the school is constantly calling you to come get your kid at school. Resources mentioned in video: Behavior Info for Families: https://adayinourshoes.com/tag/behavior/ Behavior mini course: https://www.dontiepalone.academy/courses/all-things-behavior-and-your-iep/preview Don't IEP Alone with Lisa Lightner, Special Education Advocate Thank you for listening to this episode of Don't IEP Alone. See you next time! Support the show 📣Preorder my book 📣 AmazonBooks-A-MillionBookshop.orgBarnes & Noble More IEP help for you--at home or at school-- 📊 Free IEP Data Collection Sheets (for school staff) 📒 Free IEP Binder for Parents ☑️ IEP Goal Tracking Sheets for Parents 🧰 IEP Toolkit for Parents 👩‍💻 Online Advocacy Training 🙋 Ask an Advocate your IEP Question 🧰 How to Collect IEP Data in the Classroom without losing your mind!

IDEA is surprisingly non-specific about a lot of special education. Here's how to advocate when you're pretty sure you've been told something incorrect....but struggle to find proof. Get your free FAPE guide here: https://birdsend.page/forms/1628/IrX2XebqwQ Don't IEP Alone with Lisa Lightner, Special Education Advocate Thank you for listening to this episode of Don't IEP Alone. See you next time! Support the show 📣Preorder my book 📣 AmazonBooks-A-MillionBookshop.orgBarnes & Noble More IEP help for you--at home or at school-- 📊 Free IEP Data Collection Sheets (for school staff) 📒 Free IEP Binder for Parents ☑️ IEP Goal Tracking Sheets for Parents 🧰 IEP Toolkit for Parents 👩‍💻 Online Advocacy Training 🙋 Ask an Advocate your IEP Question 🧰 How to Collect IEP Data in the Classroom without losing your mind!

I'm getting a facelift! Ha, no, not me. The podcast. Details in this episode. Don't IEP Alone with Lisa Lightner, Special Education Advocate Thank you for listening to this episode of Don't IEP Alone. See you next time! Support the show 📣Preorder my book 📣 AmazonBooks-A-MillionBookshop.orgBarnes & Noble More IEP help for you--at home or at school-- 📊 Free IEP Data Collection Sheets (for school staff) 📒 Free IEP Binder for Parents ☑️ IEP Goal Tracking Sheets for Parents 🧰 IEP Toolkit for Parents 👩‍💻 Online Advocacy Training 🙋 Ask an Advocate your IEP Question 🧰 How to Collect IEP Data in the Classroom without losing your mind!

Parents, get your free IEP binder: https://adayinourshoes.com/free-iep-binder/ Get your free IEP goal tracker: https://adayinourshoes.com/iep-goal-tracker/ Welcome back to Don't IEP Alone with your host, Lisa Lightner. In this episode, Lisa dives into the rapidly changing landscape of special education and the overwhelming wave of recent changes in the Department of Education. She unpacks the intentional chaos designed to wear families thin, from high-profile firings—especially in the Office for Civil Rights—to the ongoing debate about "returning education to the states." Lisa shares practical advice for navigating this uncertainty, including the importance of understanding your state's regulations, building supportive relationships with school and community teams, staying vigilant with IEP progress monitoring, and creatively seeking out additional resources for your child. Whether you're feeling discouraged by national developments or just looking for concrete steps to better support your family, Lisa offers perspective, advocacy tips, and a reminder that you’re not alone. Tune in and get equipped for the road ahead! Don't IEP Alone with Lisa Lightner, Special Education Advocate Thank you for listening to this episode of Don't IEP Alone. See you next time! Support the show 📣Preorder my book 📣 AmazonBooks-A-MillionBookshop.orgBarnes & Noble More IEP help for you--at home or at school-- 📊 Free IEP Data Collection Sheets (for school staff) 📒 Free IEP Binder for Parents ☑️ IEP Goal Tracking Sheets for Parents 🧰 IEP Toolkit for Parents 👩‍💻 Online Advocacy Training 🙋 Ask an Advocate your IEP Question 🧰 How to Collect IEP Data in the Classroom without losing your mind!