Neuro-Educational Science Supports the

Call to Social Justice

Special education advocacy, particularly for students with learning disabilities, represents a critical intersection of social justice and cutting edge research in neuro-educational science. At present, there's an alarming disconnect between research and practice, spanning decades. This chasm underscores the urgent need to understand special education not merely as a prescriptive curriculum, but as a comprehensive approach rooted...

ADVOCACY'S COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH

Education advocates recognize and understand that education is not solely about the acquisition of knowledge and skills but also about fostering a student’s holistic well-being and fulfillment. By promoting a comprehensive, interdisciplinary, and individualized approach to special education. Education advocates emphasize the development of

• Self esteem
• Character
• Inclusion
• Being valued
• Essential life skills academically, socially, and...

EDUCATION ADVOCACY IS FOR EVERYONE

IT IS AN ESSENTIAL COMMUNITY RESOURCE

When I think of education advocacy I see Batman’s utility belt, but instead of gadgets, it endows parents with superpowers to fight for their children’s education rights. You could think of it as a mix of Professor X’s telepathy and Hermione Granger’s knowledge of magic spells- empowering parents to make informed decisions, creating positive change, and the getting of functional outcomes...

Should An Education Advocate Run For The School Board?

There have been several cases where a person with special education advocacy experience has run for the school board. There was, of course, hue and cry on both sides of the issue any time it presented itself.

Some people were afraid that the advocate would favor special education students and bankrupt the district. It is not unusual for people to think that everything related to special education is exceedingly expensive when there are...

PLAYING NICE IN THE SANDBOX

MANAGING DISAGREEMENTS

Managing disagreements and ineffective interactions is a core skill of professional special education advocacy. We must choose whether we want conflict or peace. Learning peace comes from getting out of the inner conflict of attack and grievance maintenance which means getting out of the ego side of the conflict.

Parents come to us with an inner war that is going on already that they are outwardly expressing. We do not...

How to Appreciate the Eye of the Advocate

As this first day of a New Year begins, I would like to focus on what happens when someone finally develops the eye of an advocate.  What does that really mean and does that process of developing the Eye of an advocate have any impact on your life and if it does what does it look like?

We can compare the process of developing an advocate’s eye to developing an understanding and appreciation of music.  Many of us tend to prefer one...

EDUCATION ADVOCACY SKILLS

"ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTION IS OFTEN MORE IMPORTANT THAN HAVING AN ANSWER. A RIGHT QUESTION CAN LEAD TO THE RIGHT ANSWER."

Marie Lewis PhD, BCEA

The world of Special Education leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to transparency and direction.  Some of that is simply a matter of variation as the manifestation of most diagnoses are on a continuum somewhere between mild to severe. In addition there is frequently at least one or two secondary diagnoses...

Please Tell Me That You Walk on Water

This could be the entreaty of those parents who have the distinct feeling that, at the IEP table, their comments are magically heard by team members only in a foreign language. Another common perception is that all comments by parents will be met with rolling eyes, sighs, and harumphs if not another adjustment in the team member seats and a chorus of clearing throats.

While this may be an exaggeration, if you are a parent feeling this way, something...

Provocative Language provides information on the interface between psychological practice, applied behavioral analysis, and social cognition training in an area that affects the education and welfare of children with specific disabilities like Autism, ADHD, TBI, and Tourette Syndrome. It provides insights on working with schools, mental health providers, and the criminal justice system. It describes principles for best practices and recommends procedures to be followed in IEP and goal...