As parents, we’re full of knowledge, know-how, wisdom, and solutions, and when our kids are   infants and toddlers, we respond in a compassionately curious way, trying to understand what   they need or how to help them. As our kids get older, our expectations increase in line with   their age but even more so with their verbal abilities: the higher their verbal abilities, the   higher our expectations.   When they aren’t meeting those expectations, we don’t naturally respond

As parents and educators, we have traditionally been trained to look at our neurodivergent  children through a deficits-based lens, focusing more on what they struggle with than on the  unique strengths and cognitive abilities that can contribute to their personal growth and success.  In part, that’s because it’s easier to see what’s difficult. We know when reading or focus is hard  for our children. We see the frustration that comes with having difficulty managing transition

Meet Caleb. He’s gifted, with extremely high verbal comprehension, while at the same time, his dyslexia, dysgraphia, and ADHD means he struggles to read, write, and act like everyone else. This results in an interesting mix - he is fiercely independent, creative, and inquisitive. He’s always coming at things from a different angle, and putting disparate things together - both physical things and abstract concepts. He loves to think, talk, and make connections, but resists put

TL;DR An IEE is a parent-requested second opinion when they disagree with a school evaluation. The school must either fund the IEE or file for due process. IEEs are especially important for twice-exceptional students whose needs are often masked by strong grades. Families are not limited to a district’s preferred evaluator list. Schools must consider IEE findings, even if they do not adopt every recommendation. One of the most important protections available to families navig