I recently had a conversation with a family and was guiding them on their school refusal issues with their child. Their situation had progressed to the point where they found themselves in truancy ...

You’re in a school refusal crisis. Either you’re being called daily to come get your child, or their absences are now well into the double digits. Every morning is a struggle, you’re missing work and ...

School refusal is a behavior. It might seem controversial for me to state that, but I don’t think so, and here’s why. I’ve been a vocal critic of poorly done FBAs and behavior plans, and pointing out ...

School refusal is often treated as the problem to solve. But in most cases, it is a signal and not the root issue. That’s where many families and schools get stuck. The focus stays on attendance: how ...

Disabled students often encounter unique challenges that need individualized support. When that support is not received, you may encounter school avoidance or school refusal. As a result, you may find ...

Ok, so social media has been in a tizzy for the past week over this. Here’s what we know so far, as far as the possible OSEP shutdown and the Special Education Layoffs. This is longer than I had ...

When your child struggles with ADHD, dyslexia, dysgraphia, or executive functioning, the simple act of taking notes in class can become overwhelming. However, note-taking is an essential academic ...

In Your IEP Playbook: A Parent’s Guide to Confident Advocacy, disability parent and special education advocate Lisa Lightner delivers a practical guide for parents and caregivers of children with ...

Let’s talk about something that’s not often on our radar until it’s suddenly looming large: age of majority. If your child has been receiving special education services, you’ve likely been navigating ...

Social skills don’t just develop naturally for every student—especially for those with disabilities. That’s why targeted interventions are essential. Whether your child or student has autism, ADHD, ...

Advocating for your child shouldn’t feel like you’re drowning in a sea of confusing charts and numbers. Yet, for so many parents, the IEP progress monitoring reports they receive feel overwhelming.

So I know I’ve told this story 1000 times, as it’s the incident that inspired this site so many years ago. It was my first IEP meeting with my school district. I was already in training to become an ...