Ep 2: Advocating for Neurodiversity Affirming IEPS- How Christina Beta, MA-SLP Played The Long Game

In this episode, Colleen is joined by Christina Beta, MA-SLP, a neurodiversity affirming SLP with over 24 years of experience in a public school for students who need a high level of behavioral support. They discuss the realities of school SLP workload, the barriers to effective IEP meetings that she has experienced and playing the long game when it comes to advocating for systemic and cultural change in schools. Christina Beta MA-SLP is a speech-language pathologist with over 24 years of experience in special education. She works with autistic and neurodivergent students in both school settings and private practice, and is the founder of Collaborative Minds Consulting & Speech Therapy, where she provides coaching, consulting, and professional development focused on behavior, communication, and regulation from a neurodiversity-affirming perspective.Since 2001 she has worked at a specialized school for students with significant support needs; students whose home districts determined they need a more individualized and intensive educational setting.  She is deeply involved in the IEP process, helping teams create plans that reflect a student’s strengths, communication style, and academic needs.Christina says, “I focus on helping educators and families understand behavior as communication, support Gestalt Language Processors, and move away from compliance-based approaches. My goal is to make IEPs more meaningful, collaborative, and effective; so neurodivergent children can access learning in ways that truly support who they are.”Website: https://www.collaborativemindsconsulting.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CollaborativeMindsConsulting/Waitlist for GLP course for ABA providers: https://collaborativemindsconsulting.myflodesk.com/supportingglpsDISCLAIMER: Colleen is a licensed speech-language pathologist and non-attorney special education advocate, however nothing stated in The Unfiltered IEPs Podcast should be taken as medical or legal advice and is her expressed opinion.