Tag: special education

Tune in to Focus Point Episode 7 while Kelly and Lara discuss the benefits that social media for professional growth. What benefits have you experienced using online forums? SUBSCRIBE TO VIEW OUR FREE WEBINAR "HOW TO SAVE TIME AND DEVELOP LEGALLY COMPLIANT IEP GOALS" “How to Save Time and Develop Legally Compliant IEP Goals” is […]

Kelly Ott and Lara Wakefield, from SMARTER Steps discuss a growing concern they have in the field of special education and related services: the lack of quality mentoring available to new practitioners. Kelly and Lara have noticed a trend with new special educators and related services providers. These new practitioners are expressing concern that they […]

SMARTER Steps IEP Goal Development:  The SMARTER method for IEP goal development was developed by Kelly Ott and Lara Wakefield and published in 2016. The SMART acronym was first coined by George Doran, Arthur Miller, and James Cunningham in 1981.  The November 1981 issue of Management Review included an article titled, "There's a S.M.A.R.T. way […]

Building A S.M.A.R.T.E.R. Future for Students with Disabilities. Building a name and reputation as a caring and compassionate educator occurs spontaneously when you are truly client centered. This involves so much more than developing IEP goals or providing therapy services to students. It means, providing the therapy or instruction, ongoing analysis of student’s needs, counseling […]

            Breaking Down 5 Barriers to Student Led IEPs Schools often have difficulty breaking down 5 barriers to student led IEPs. While evidence suggests that conducting student led IEPs can be beneficial, it has not become a mainstream practice across the nation.  In fact, many schools do not routinely involve […]

Student Led IEP Meetings 2 Essential Benefits of Student Led IEP Meetings The concept of student led IEP meetings is growing momentum. There has been a growing discussion about including students and allowing them to lead the development of their Individualized Education Plan (IEP). While it seems sensible enough to include the student in his […]

Sculpting Special Needs Students When Designing the IEP We can sculpt our students by designing an IEP with the end result as our vision. How does an artist develop a sculpture? The three dimensional figures can be constructed by adding material (modelling), removing material (carving) or intermediate techniques such as molding, casting or stamping. While […]

40 Years of The Least Restrictive Environment: Where Are We Now? The 2015-2016 school year will mark the 40th anniversary of the "Least Restrictive Environment" (LRE). One of the original guiding principles in the education of students with disabilities was Wolfensberger’s (1972) concept of normalization (Fisher, Frey, & Thousand, 2003). The normalization movement was sparked […]