10 School Supports to Request Before an IEP

10 School Supports to Request Before an IEP It's a weekday morning and you're doing the parenting triathlon: socks, shoes, water bottle, lunch, "where is your other shoe," and your kid suddenly remembers they need a poster board due today. Then your phone buzzes: a school email with a subject line like "Reading block concerns" or "Just checking in." You open it and your stomach drops: they're falling behind, visiting the nurse during reading block, and you're seeing more avoidance or behavior. In this episode, Dr. Amy Patenaude hands you a simple "Costco map" of school supports to try on purpose before special education: one barrier, one support, one review date. You'll get the Top 10 supports parents often forget to request, plus clean, collaborative language you can copy and paste without writing a 12-paragraph novel. In this episode you'll learn Why school stuff feels impossible to keep up with (mental load is real, and you're not failing) The brain-based reframe for avoidance: avoidance is protection, not laziness The three anchor questions that make supports measurable: what are we doing, how often, and how will we measure it The Timer Rule: try a support for a set window, then review data (no support limbo) The Top 10 supports to try before an IEP conversation (from MTSS plans to nurse plans to trial accommodations) Exactly what to say: simple scripts for MTSS, trial accommodations, Tier 2 supports, and evaluation requests Tiny Wins to try this week Pick one barrier and write one sentence: "The barrier is ___ (reading stamina, decoding, avoidance, anxiety, fatigue)." Send one email using the 3 anchor questions: What are we doing? How often? How will we measure it? Choose two trial accommodations to "taste test" for 2–3 weeks (yes, two. Not ten). Ask for the review date in the same email and put it on your calendar. Start a tiny dot log: two sentences per week about what you're seeing at home. Pick one. One is enough. Free resources Boredom Buster Guide Big Feeling Decoder 50 AI Prompts for Tired Parents School Psych in Your Back Pocket: The School Testing Toolkit (K–12) Disclaimer This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not medical, psychological, or legal advice. Listening to this podcast does not create a provider-client relationship. If you're concerned about your child's mental health, safety, or development, please consult a qualified professional in your area.