Pierce Advocacy

DOJ, others investigating Michigan school district over use of seclusion and restraint The federal investigations come after a 2022 Free Press investigation exposed the rampant use of practices lawmakers deemed largely banned in 2016.

Awesome news!

Doug C. v Hawaii Analysis by Pete Wright, Esq. and Pamela Wright, MA, MSW In Doug C. v Hawaii, the Ninth Circuit issued an important decision about parental participation at IEP meetings and clarified the approach used to determine the proper response when procedural rules appear to conflict with each other.

June 7th: School Board Budgets & Advocacy 101 Does your school district need more mental health services? Updated & inclusive curriculum? More reliable bus service? Our kids need all of these priorities address, and all of these priorities require funding. Join Michigan Education Justice Coalition on June 7th for a virtual training on how t...

It just takes practice...

By the time you ask, "Are they allowed to (switch classrooms, make them sit in the hall, make your pea pod "earn" sensory breaks...) it's already happened. What you need to be asking is how to undo that. When you ask the school, "can you do that?" it's like asking the fox if it's allowed to go in the hen house. Look for resources outside of the school. MESSAGE ME AND ASK, IM HAPPY TO ANSWER

One of the best things that ever happened for child #3, was that a teacher wrote a "Welcome to Prickly Pear" letter for his next year's teacher. It explained HIM. What is his eligibility category, what does that look like IN HIM, what has NEVER worked with him, EVER. Helpful tips like, "he talks a lot. Like, SO much. He likes to read books to his class. He likes to be a helper. " Sometimes knowing what doesn't work can be just as helpful as knowing what does.

"Our IEP is tomorrow and I'm so excited!" says NO parent ever. They're hard. Sometimes they break your heart. If you are not understanding something, ASK THEM TO SLOW DOWN. I always use the phrase, "Help me understand..."
-how you chose that goal
-why he can't have that support
-she doesn't do that activity in general ed
-why we can't use push in services
EXPLAIN IT TO ME UNTIL I UNDERSTAND. You have the right to ask. If it doesn't make sense to you, then it doesn't make sense period.

With practice you can train your brain to do this, and what a HUGE difference that could make ❤️

Two sides, same coin...perspective makes the difference!

Image credit: Dani Donovan

Image description: Black background with white text that reads, "Two sides, same coin." Two side-by-side Venn diagrams feature the words inattentive, hyperactive and impulsive. On the left side, these intersections are represented by the descriptors "distracted, impatient, fidgety, loud, low self-control, procrastinates, hates being bored." On the right, these intersections are represented by descriptors "dreamer, go-getter, energetic, enthusiastic, risk-taker, idea machine, fun loving." Dani Donovan

I'll have more to share tomorrow. Really, until the end of forever. I love fighting for what's right, what's just, and what's true. I hope you share this information far and wide. I want so much to help make the world a better place, and this is my spot to do that. ❤️❤️❤️

This may be the single most important thing to determine - is your student unwilling or are they unable? More often than not, schools default to unwilling.

How do you determine which one it is? You ask questions - "How often has peach pit followed directions and completed (whatever) to your specifications without prompting, reminders, or support?" When you get that information, ask how that compares with typical peers.

I ALWAYS (100% of the time) default to UNABLE if there is not data (grades, etc) that shows otherwise. Words like unwilling, refuses to, won't, doesn't bother to, assume an INTENT on the part of the student.

Please hear this loud and clear:

👏🏻A👏🏻STUDENT👏🏻REPEATING👏🏻THE👏🏻DIRECTIONS👏🏻DOES👏🏻NOT👏🏻INDICATE👏🏻THE👏🏻ABILITY👏🏻TO👏🏻DO👏🏻THE👏🏻WORK👏🏻IT👏🏻INDICATES👏🏻THAT👏🏻THEY👏🏻CAN👏🏻REMEMBER👏🏻AND👏🏻REPEAT👏🏻INFORMATION👏🏻

This is true at home or work as well as at school. Today is the 2nd best day to learn this, for real.

This is where I would normally say, "Thank you for coming to my TED talk" but I won't. I'm done minimizing my passion for these learners - regardless of their age.

Then you reply, "Wow. You have a lot of information about them! I'm so excited to hear about the supports you've tried and how well those worked! Can I get a copy of the data so we can review it together?" *crickets chirping*

I hope they have it. I hope it's complete. That it was collected with fidelity across settings. My experience, in meetings with over 100 families, is that they likely don't.

They will likely use phrases like "it happens everywhere, all the time, at random - there's no rhyme or reason to it" 99.5% of the time that is not true. This is where you have to keep asking, "Why?". I really mean keep asking. Not just 2 or 3 times, but over and over until you get to the only answer left. My next post is a really critical question to answer - it can mean the difference between setting your learner up for success, or not.

Be an ACTIVE participant in the meeting - you know your student better than anyone. Certainly everyone at that table. What are your biggest worries, questions, concerns about your student and their school environment? Make a list so you don't get sidetracked at the beginning when the school staff are saying things like, "doesn't listen, refuses to do work, won't follow directions, is unmotivated..." blah blah blah.
KEEP YOUR COOL and just listen.... let them finish their reports. Then you....

We are knee deep in IEP season. It doesn't have to be something you dread! I'll be making regular posts with tips, tricks, and strategies that you may find helpful! Stay tuned 😉

Mother's Day can be so complicated for so many reasons. I hope everyone who cares for a child has EXACTLY the Mother's Day they hope for. We see you. We hear you. We love you. ❤️

Yes, always

This is a great way to keep track of self-advocacy skills!

Self-determination means making your own choices, learning to solve problems, and taking control and responsibility for your own life.

More on our website, including this checklist from I'm Determined, attending your own IEP meetings, and supporting self-determination at home.

https://www.michiganallianceforfamilies.org/self-determination/

12 IEP Questions Parents and Teachers Need to Ask Special Education Teachers and Parents, These 12 questions are critical to building an IEP that works!