Your IEP Playbook: A Parent's Guide to Confident Advocacy

by Lisa Lightner

Overview

An easy-to-understand guide to navigating and implementing your child's individualized education plan (IEP)

In Your IEP Playbook: A Parent's Guide to Confident Advocacy, disability parent and special education advocate Lisa Lightner delivers a practical guide for parents and caregivers of children with disabilities doing their best to navigate their individualized education plans (IEPs). This collection of realistic and implementable advice walks you through how to apply federal and state law in your unique situation, develop an advocacy strategy that works, and collaborate with schools and the professionals involved in your child's education.

You'll learn about common mistakes made by people advocating for a child with special education needs and how to avoid them. You'll also discover how to ensure that your child's needs and priorities aren't overlooked or under-supported. The book also contains:

• Advice on how to break down and understand the different parts of an IEP, including what they mean, how to read one, and what to document
• Guidance and reproducible exercises to determine, reach, and monitor progress of IEP goals
• Strategies for composing advocacy letters to your child's school and how to time them for maximum impact

Perfect for the parents and guardians of pre-K to grade 12 children with special needs, Your IEP Playbook is also a must-read for special education teachers, case workers, and people advocating for children in foster care.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781394294480
Publisher:	Wiley
Publication date:	10/06/2025
Sold by:	JOHN WILEY & SONS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	224
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Lisa Lightner, disability parent and special education advocate, is founder of A Day in Our Shoes. A Day in Our Shoes helps parents navigate the individualized education program (IEP) for their kids. She has testified in front of state senate committees and been featured in numerous media publications. Visit https://adayinourshoes.com to learn more about her work.

Table of Contents

Foreword xi

Preface xiii

Introduction xvii

Part 1 Welcome to the Draft 1

1 Getting Started in Advocacy 3

2 Why Things Are the Way They Are 13

3 What Is an IEP? 21

4 What Can I Ask for on an IEP? 27

5 How to Request IEP Evaluations 33

6 Understanding IEP Eligibility 41

Part 2 The IEP Starting Lineup 49

7 The IEP Basics and the Cover Page 51

8 The Signature Page and IEP Team 57

9 Procedural Safeguards and Medicaid 63

10 Special Factors 69

11 Present Levels 75

12 Transition Planning 79

13 IEP Goals and Objectives 85

14 Special Education Services and Supplementary Aids 91

15 IEP-Related Services 97

16 Supports for School Personnel 103

17 Extended School Year (ESY) 109

18 Placement and Least Restrictive Environment 115

19 Behavior Components of an IEP 119

Part 3 Advanced Game Planning 123

20 Choosing Your Next Play 125

21 Your IEP Meeting 129

22 How to Prepare for an IEP Meeting 133

23 Tips for Writing to Your IEP Team 137

24 Writing an Effective Parent Concerns Letter 143

25 Understanding Prior Written Notice (PWN) 149

26 IEP Progress Monitoring 155

27 Common Parent Mistakes in the IEP process 161

28 Independent Education Evaluations 165

29 The Handoff: Next Steps in Advocacy 171

Appendixes Practice Drills 173

Appendix A: Glossary of Special Education Terms and Acronyms 175

Appendix B: Iep Meeting: Readiness Checklist 180

Appendix C: Iep Meeting: Notes Template 181

Appendix D: Iep Meeting: Questions to Ask 182

Appendix E: Parent-teacher Conference: Questions to Ask 184

Appendix F: Goal, Specially Designed Instruction (sdi), and Progress Monitoring Example 186

Appendix G: Iep Evaluations Checklist 188

Appendix H: Iep Goal Tracker 190

Appendix I: “the List” 192

About the Author 203

Acknowledgments 204