For many families and parents, there are a few things you hear that may trigger anxiety instantly and one of those may be “Your child has a substitute teacher.” Your immediate wonderings may be: Will my child still receive their special education services? If their provider is absent, what happens with the service minutes in their IEP? How will a substitute who doesn’t know my child’s needs or accommodations support them?

General education teachers are often the first line of support for students with disabilities. They implement accommodations, collect data, manage classroom behavior, and support students with IEPs and 504 plans—often while teaching full classrooms with widely varying needs. When teachers lack sufficient training, however, students are the ones who feel the impact.

As a formal special education teacher and now parent educational advocate, a question I hear often, especially on consultation calls with parents is, “Should my child have a 504 Plan or an IEP?”. Often parents know that both offer support but aren’t exactly sure what the difference is and which they should advocate for. If you’ve ever sat in a school meeting feeling overwhelmed by acronyms, vague explanations, or pressure to “try a 504 first,” you are not alone. While both 504 Plans and IEPs are designed to support students with disabilities, they are not the same, and the level of protection they offer is very different. So let’s start by breaking them down…

Many parents notice the same pattern every year: January arrives, school resumes after winter break, and suddenly behavior concerns spike. Phone calls increase, behavior charts reappear, and teams begin talking about discipline, shortened days, or “regression.” While this can feel sudden or alarming, January behavior spikes are common—and often predictable.

Communication with your child’s school, especially a child with special needs when their education and rights under law are at stake so to speak, shouldn’t be an uphill battle. As a parent advocate, I have worked with and currently work with families who have felt ignored, stonewalled, or simply not listened to by their child’s school. Remember that you are not alone and the law is on your side.

As a parent of a child with an Individualized Education Program (IEP), you expect transparency and legally, you are entitled to be a part of every decision made. You attend IEP meetings, are an active participant in discussions and provide your input on decisions that directly impact your child’s education. You may leave your child’s IEP meeting feeling optimistic where the team just discussed goals, services, and support. You gave input and you thought decisions were made together as a team. Then the “final” IEP arrives and it’s different. It can be alarming, if not confusing and even infuriating, to discover that changes were made to your child’s IEP after the meeting, without your knowledge or consent.

When a child is struggling in school, parents often hear phrases like “There’s no educational impact” or “They’re not far enough behind to qualify.” These statements can be confusing and discouraging—especially when you know your child is working twice as hard for half the results. Understanding what “educational impact” really means empowers you to advocate confidently and push back when needed.

Parents often hear the terms private evaluation and IEE used as if they mean the same thing, but under special education law they are different. Understanding how they differ, and when each makes sense, can help families advocate more confidently and effectively for their child.

Whether you are a parent, caregiver, or guardian navigating special education for the first time, or have been navigating the system for years, you’ve likely had experiences where you walk into a meeting feeling hopeful for the support your child will receive and leave feeling overwhelmed, confused, and even buried under the language used. When working with my client families and throughout many complimentary consultation calls I do, something I often hear is how dense and confusing the language surrounding special education can be. There’s countless acronyms, jargon, and legal terminology that can make the process that much more confusing for families.

A lack of progress does not mean that is the end all be all. It does however provide information that can help you as parents or guardians, as well as teachers, adjust your child’s supports, dig in to better understand your child’s needs, and make a plan for the months moving forward. In this blog we’re going to talk about what near-zero progress means and how you can proactively respond. 

It’s a situation many families don’t discover until progress reports come home or the school year is already well underway: your child’s IEP or 504 plan includes specific service minutes, but those services were not fully delivered during the first semester. Whether it was speech therapy, occupational therapy, specialized instruction, or related supports, missed minutes are not a minor issue—they can have real educational impact.

Whether you are a parent, caregiver, or guardian navigating special education for the first time, or have been navigating the system for years, you’ve likely had experiences where you walk into a meeting feeling hopeful for the support your child will receive and leave feeling overwhelmed, confused, and even buried under the language used. When working with my client families and throughout many complimentary consultation calls I do, something I often hear is how dense and confusing the language surrounding special education can be. There’s countless acronyms, jargon, and legal terminology that can make the process that much more confusing for families.

A lack of progress does not mean that is the end all be all. It does however provide information that can help you as parents or guardians, as well as teachers, adjust your child’s supports, dig in to better understand your child’s needs, and make a plan for the months moving forward. In this blog we’re going to talk about what near-zero progress means and how you can proactively respond. 

When a school suggests a shortened day—or tells you it’s “best” for your child—it can feel overwhelming and even alarming. A reduced schedule often signals that the school is struggling to support your child’s needs during the full instructional day. While sometimes appropriate as a time-limited intervention, shortened days are frequently misused, leading to lost instruction, segregation, and a denial of FAPE. The good news: parents have rights, and you have options.

January is the perfect time for families to revisit their child’s IEP with fresh eyes. The school year is halfway over—meaning you now have real data, lived experiences, and new insights into what is (and isn’t) working. Whether things feel smooth or rocky, asking the right questions now can set your child up for meaningful progress in the months ahead.

Here are the top questions parents should ask the IEP team in January to make sure supports, goals, and services are aligned with your child’s current needs.

When students return from winter break, teams often adjust routines, schedules, and expectations. This is also the time of year when misunderstandings about parent rights tend to surface. January is a great opportunity to review what parents are legally entitled to so the rest of the school year starts on a strong and compliant foundation.

Below are the most common parent rights that schools misunderstand or overlook after break, along with clear guidance on what you can ask for.

As we turn the page into a new year, many families set resolutions focused on health, organization, or personal growth. But for parents navigating IEPs, 504 plans, or ongoing school challenges, this season is also the perfect time to reset, refocus, and re-energize your advocacy efforts.

At Education Advocates of America, we believe the new year is more than a date on the calendar—it’s an opportunity to build momentum, strengthen communication with the school team, and ensure your child’s supports truly align with their needs. Whether you’re a seasoned advocate or just beginning the journey, intentional resolutions can make the road ahead clearer and more empowering.

As a prior special education teacher myself who has worked with and taught many students with dyslexia over the years and am Orton Gillingham trained myself, here are some really important and key early literacy warning signs that parents should not ignore in their children. If you’re wondering whether your child’s reading development is on track, or if something doesn’t quite feel right, take some time to read through this blog and don’t ignore that gut feeling you have. 

Early literacy struggles do not mean that your child isn’t smart, motivated, or capable, but it does mean your child may need explicit, structured support earlier rather than later. The earlier we can act and intervene, the easier it is to close the gap. Dyslexia is a neurobiological condition, thus it stems from differences in brain structure and function, particularly affecting language processing regions. It does not have any reflection on a child’s intelligence.

For parents, they want to see their children make growth and for teachers, they want to see those children who are their students make growth; growth academically, socially, and emotionally. However, in the instance your child's first semester report card shows little or near-zero progress, it will understandably raise concerns and you may find yourself asking questions like: Is this normal? Is my child struggling and why? Did I miss something? Did the school miss something? What do I do next to support my child?

A lack of progress does not mean that is the end all be all. It does however provide information that can help you as parents or guardians, as well as teachers, adjust your child’s supports, dig in to better understand your child’s needs, and make a plan for the months moving forward. In this blog we’re going to talk about what near-zero progress means and how you can proactively respond. 

When a child struggles at school or at home, adults often focus on what the child is doing: refusing work, shutting down, arguing, acting silly, melting down, or trying to control every detail. But in special education—and child development in general—behavior is never random. Behavior is communication, and understanding that message is the key to supporting a child effectively.

Winter break gives families a much-needed reset. But once January rolls around, many students with IEPs struggle with the transition back to routines, expectations, and learning demands. Schools sometimes also experience gaps in implementation as everyone gets back into the swing of things.

A mid-year check-in is one of the most effective ways to make sure your child’s IEP is being implemented correctly and that their supports align with their needs.

Here is your Winter Break IEP Check-In Checklist to help you start the second half of the year with clarity and confidence.

Progress monitoring can feel overwhelming—lines, dots, colors, percentages, acronyms—but these graphs are one of the most powerful tools for understanding whether your child’s interventions or IEP services are actually working. When you know how to read them, you can quickly spot trends, ask informed questions, and advocate with confidence.

Below is a simple guide to understanding what you’re looking at and how to interpret it like an expert.