Stacey Hoaglund
ADVOCATE, LIFE COACH, CONSULTANT, SPEAKER, AUTHOR
Blog
Articles of Stuff You NEED to know
Not All Accommodations Are Allowed on Standardized Tests
Each year when you have your child’s annual IEP meeting, there’s a place that you need to sign that you understand that not all accommodations that your child might have on their IEP are allowable during standardized testing. Did you know that? This reminds me of Procedural Safeguards. Every year you sign a paper that
Read More
It’s a Fidget Time of Year!
It’s December. The Poem, The Night Before Christmas, says that “visions of sugar plums danced in their heads,” but it’s not just sweets that keep kids up at night, or amped up during the day. This month is filled with excitement – parties, school shows, presents, visits from relatives, or trips out of town –
Read More
Insights on How to Create a Happy Thanksgiving
People tell us that the holidays are supposed to be a time of rest and rejuvenation, but for many families within the disability community it’s a time of anxiety, stress, overload, and sensory challenges. This anxiety can be triggered by: Even though you might be spending time in new and different environments this week, each
Read More
What Makes for a Good Guest?
Our schools spend so much time and energy teaching kids, all kids, a significant amount of information that they’ll never use. I totally understand the concept of exposing kids to different fields of study to help them identify their unique abilities or interests, but as we know, there are only so many hours in a
Read More
IT’S NEVER TOO LATE – NO MATTER WHAT ANYONE ELSE SAYS
Unfortunately, far too often, I find both parents and teachers seem to think that by the time a kid gets to high school, they are who they are and that they don’t have the same potential for growth as they once did. DON’T THINK THAT! I have literally seen students come out of segregated “special”
Read More
A Dozen Red Flags of a Hot Mess IEP Meeting :o
For many parents, the annual IEP meeting is something that incites a great sense of overwhelm, frustration and doom. This is probably one of the reasons that tons of parents don’t even show up. Most of you might find this really hard to believe (because you’re passionately involved in your child’s education), but it’s true,
Read More
I wish this was around when my son was young :o
Don’t you just hate it when someone doubts that you can do something or places limitations on you before they even know who you are? Or worse yet, when we place limitations on ourselves. Now, imagine being your child who has a disability. They’re already told in school that they are “special” and perhaps go
Read More
Explaining Specially Designed Instruction
According to the Council for Exceptional Children, “specially designed instruction (SDI) is instruction that is tailored to a particular student. It addresses their Individualized Program (IEP) goals; accounts for their disability; provides modifications or adaptations to content; and encourages access to the general education curriculum. SDI is defined in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) as
Read More
Evaluation Time…Yes or No?
For some reason, I seem to be getting more calls this year from parents who are seeking answers in relation to their right to request a psychoeducational evaluation from their school. Yes, parents do have that right. Quite often, whether a student has an IEP already or not, the school will say that they have
Read More
Yes, High Schools Have to Follow IEPs Too
When kids transition to high school especially, teachers (general education teachers mostly, but certainly not all) have a tendency to try to convince parents that if their kids are going to be in general education classes, that they are expected to all of a sudden behave independently. It’s hard to tell sometimes if they themselves
Read More