When our son, Dylan was a few days old, the neonatologist shared the results of the genetic testing and told us Dylan had Down syndrome.
My fear in that moment wasn't about his health.
It was: kids are going to make fun of him.
And: I don't want him to live in a group home.
What it all came down to was one question.
Will he belong?

That fear is why I am so passionate about making sure your child belongs.

We filed for due process when Dylan was three years old just to get him into a community preschool. He was fully included from preschool through college classes. Not because the district offered it. Because we fought for it.

And as an advocate sitting with parents in IEP meetings, I see you living that same experience.
You share what lights your child up. How they learn best. What they can do. And then the IEP arrives and it's like none of that is there.

The IEP is the one tool you have to hold the school accountable. But if it's filled with vague language, if the goals are built around what your child can't do, if your voice is buried where no teacher will ever find it that document stops protecting your child.

That is why I built the Inclusive IEP Audit™.

We sit down together, your child's real IEP open between us on a 90-minute Zoom call. I have already done the prep work. And together we go through the sections that determine whether inclusion is built into the plan or left out of it.

You leave knowing exactly what your child's IEP is saying, exactly where the gaps are, and exactly what to ask for at your next meeting.

Sign up before Monday, June 29 at 11:59 PM Eastern and the This Is Me Custom GPT comes with it as a bonus.
Click here to find out details. 
 

And if you haven't watched Friday's replay yet, you need to see this.

This week I demoed This Is Me live, and Laura answered questions in real time about her son Shepard, a 3rd grader heading into 4th grade.

Here is some of what came out:

Shepard learns by *watching* his gen ed peers. When he sees kids reading quietly or answering questions with hands raised, he tries to do the same. That is not just a strength. That is an instructional strategy. And it belongs in his IEP.

He pushed through huge sensory hurdles in both baseball and soccer this year, the noise, the uniforms, all of it. By the end of both seasons he was fully participating. That is a persistence story. And it belongs in his IEP too.

And this question came straight out of the profile at the end:

"How will the team ensure consistent implementation of Shepard's supports even during staffing changes?"

Because that had been the thing unraveling his school year. And now it is named. And now it goes in the meeting.

Here is what parents said when it was done:

"I really appreciated the change in how I saw something as a negative, and rewording it as, if he has what he needs, he'll do great. I like how easily it gave me a sugar approach that I can use with administration."

"I feel like it helps utilize some language that could be very supportive to a family should they have to use any of their procedural safeguards in the future. It's amazing!"

"It's a great, great help, just reframing things, seeing it in a different light. I like that quick view for someone to look at, to get a picture of him."

"I like that it seems like parents can provide more input throughout."

This Is Me is the bonus you receive when you sign up for the Inclusive IEP Audit™ before 11:59 pm Eastern Time on Monday, June 29th.
 
Rewatch the video or catch the replay, right below.

Go sign up before the bonus disappears.

I have sat with so many parents who have advocated year after year and still left meetings wondering if anything is actually going to change.

This is one step that can change it. And I would be honored to take that step with you.

Until every child belongs,

P.S. The replays come down at 11:59 pm Eastern Time,  Monday, June 29th, which is also when our private Facebook group, IEPs for Belonging closes.