Catherine Whitcher, M.Ed

Dear Special Needs Moms,

You've been to the support groups and you've researched for hours upon hours on how to make things better for your family.

You sit in the room, listening to other moms, the expert doctor or the IEP team and you think "there has to be more".

You go home to your family and there's still a little piece of you thinking "nobody gets us".

Until now... WE GET YOU!

You are EXTRAORDINARY!

You refuse to settle for yourself and your family, no matter how many labels or limitations others try to put on you.

You are determined to not live less fully just because you're a special needs family.

You just found your people, here, in the EXTRAORDINARY Moms Mastermind.

You don't have be isolated. You don't have to be broke. You don't have to miss out on building the life you've been dreaming of, but have been almost too afraid to share.

I grew up as a special needs sibling and became a special needs mom. I've broken the boundaries of "average" and built a life that makes...

Chances are either Valentine's day is a huge deal for you and your family or you really don't care. It's ok either way. No judgement here!

No matter what your feeling are about the day, it's always fun to find new ways to connect with your kids (and students)... this week is the perfect chance to play Kindness Bingo! 

I've attached a PDF (Download now)
or you can screen shot this pic and play on your phone. 

Finish all the tasks with your kids and then TREAT YOURSELF to something special to celebrate.

Remember, kindness isn't just about doing for others, it's also about taking care of yourself. You'll see acts of kindness for both yourself and others... YOU are important!

Have fun!

With Love, Hope & Determination Always,

Catherine 

Founder of the Become an IEP Coach Mentorship, Online IEP Help Center & EXTRAORDINARY Moms Mastermind

P.S. If you jumped to the bottom for the good stuff. The EXTRAORDINARY Moms Mastermind is 60% OFF for...

Dangerous situations haunt special needs parents, but is there something we can do in the IEP to help?

YES!

Sign up here for the free IEP Goal Writing Webinar and find out how!

Heather's son, Elijah, struggled for 3 years to make progress on his IEP goals. 

She knew something needed to change.

She took the leap and decided to Become an IEP Coach for her family and for her community.

You have to watch this video to see what has happened!

Now it's YOUR TURN to BECOME AN IEP COACH!

Enrollment is CLOSING - Sign Up Here

See you in the mentorship!

-Catherine

There's a common theme happening in Special Education and it's nothing new, but it needs to change. 

Listen to the video and then choose which one is right for you...

1. Become an IEP Coach Mentorship
2. Online IEP Help Center for Parents

Special Education can get sticky for everyone involved. Teachers, parents, therapists, and admins all struggle at some point to navigate and negotiate their way through rules and regulations that don't always make sense.

However, sometimes it's not the system that is stopping us from moving forward with what is better for a child. It's us, getting in our own way because we've been burned before or we think we've tried everything.

The next time you're feeling frustrated (or better yet, before you get to that point)... make sure you've tried these 5 strategies:

1. Make Eye Contact - Don't just rely on notes and emails to make sure the team is understanding what you are trying to communicate. Whether you're part of the school team or you're a parent, we know everything has to be in writing, but face to face contact is critical for working together as a team.
   
   
2. Know the Rules - Don't assume something can or can't be done. Always look for policies in writing and ask for them when necessary....

It's that time of year again! Too many parents are going to be posting on FB how their child was NOT included in the holiday celebrations at school this year.

Many parents will not even post about it. They will keep it to themselves and push down the feelings of being excluded.

Here's the real deal - 99.99999% of the time, this does not happen on purpose.

Teachers and special education teams are working hard just to hold it together through the chaos of December in school and organizing the supports needed for ALL students to participate in holiday celebrations gets forgotten.

This doesn't mean it's right. It's just the reality.

Good thing there's an easy solution!

Start the conversation, TODAY, with your child's team on how your child can be part of the school community through holiday celebrations.

Make sure the team knows you aren't asking for your child to be plopped on the end of the choir riser to pretend to sing jingle bells. Let them know you are open to creative solutions...