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Special Ed Advocacy Topics

Ninja Tactics for ARD Meetings
ARD meetings are tough in the post-Co-Vid world. You’re dealing with fewer services, less money, new or untrained teachers, new or untrained administrators who have no idea what their responsibilities are or what the law is. This talk will give you an edge when you’re outnumbered at the ARD table.

Developing SMART IEP Goals
- Specific,
- Measurable,
- Action word Oriented,
- Relevant, and
- Time Limited.
In more than 15 years of advocating in special ed, I have yet to see a set of goals presented by the school that met this criteria. The talk goes over how to spot poorly worded goals and transform them into SMART ones.

Using the Autism Supplement to Get More Services
The Autism Supplement is a list of 11 services that must be considered in the IEP for every Texas student receiving special ed services under the eligibility of autism. Yet, most parents have no idea what it is or how to use it because it’s not even mentioned at ARD meetings or the LSSP has already filled it out with a boiler plate statement that does not reflect the individual child’s needs at all. Learn how to use the Autism Supplement as it was intended to be used from someone who helped write it as one of 19 appointed family committee members.

Effectively Supporting Parents at ARD Meetings: for providers

Eating the Elephant of Transition One Bite at a Time
Transitioning from public school to adult life and services is a big process. From 20 years of experience, I will take you through the 5 core areas of transition:
- Daily Living (Including Housing)
- Medical Transition
- Education and Training Post High School
- Financial and Legal Considerations
- Building a Safe Social Network

Understanding Evaluations
Legislative & General Advocacy Topics

Effectively Telling Your Story
- bore their audience with irrelevant details or too much history
- run out of time
- speak their written testimony
- forget to submit written data to back up their story.
I’ve coached over a hundred people to testify effectively for legislature, school district and state agency hearings. Come learn what works. As one experienced advocate told me, “The person who tells the last, best story wins.”

There Outta Be a Law: Overview to How to Get a Law Passed in Texas

Winning Your Appeal
- insurance
- special education
- state social services
- Social Security
At some point, you or your child will be denied a request for services. Every denial can be appealed. This talk covers how to put together a successful appeal that gets you and your child the resources they need.
Autism Topics

Autism Risk Management

10 Things Everyone Should Know About Autism

Dietary Interventions for Autism
- 9 point IQ gain in 12 months
- 18 months of developmental age gain
- improvement in a variety of digestive issues
- improvement in general health issues
- improvement in behavior.
This talk covers why “Food matters for autism.”
Wellness Topics

Caring For Caregiver

10 Ways to Transform Stress At Work
