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You wrote the book. So why isn't anyone reading it? Karen Mayer Cunningham sits down with Nick Hutchison, founder and CEO of BookThinkers, the author growth agency that played a big part in the launch of The Epic IEP™. They met in a mastermind, where Karen gave a stranded Nick a ride back to his hotel. Good traffic meant she got to pick his brain the whole way. Today, you get to listen in. Nick started reading to get better at his sales job. The books worked, he started sharing them online, and authors started knocking on his door. Today BookThinkers helps mission-driven authors get their message in front of the readers who need it. If you are an advocate, an educator, or a parent with a story to tell (or a book already sitting in boxes in your garage), this one is for you. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN The biggest mistake authors make: surprising their audience instead of inviting them inWhy "you don't write a book, you launch a business"It's never too late: the first time someone reads your book is the first timePlanting trees: how one reader who implements becomes word of mouthClear beats clever, and why a confused customer always says noWhy the QR code belongs in the front of your bookHow podcast guesting builds trust with listeners, and with AI search toolsResonance over reach: the right room beats the biggest roomThe book that changed Karen's life in the third gradeABOUT THE GUEST Nick Hutchison is a best-selling author, keynote speaker, and founder of BookThinkers, a 7-figure author growth agency helping mission-driven authors reach more readers. He is the author of Rise of the Reader, host of the BookThinkers: Life-Changing Books podcast, and host of the BookThinkers Book Club on Skool. His signature philosophy: Read Less. Apply More. BookThinkers: https://bookthinkers.com Join the BookThinkers Book Club: https://www.skool.com/bookthinkers/about READY TO SIT AT THE TABLE PREPARED? You don't know what you don't know, but you need to. Get The Epic IEP™ in print, Kindle, or audiobook: https://theepiciep.com Join us inside the Academy for the training, the community, and the walkthrough of every page of the IEP: https://specialeducationacademy.com/training Need an advocate or a consultation? [email protected] This is educational training, not legal advice. "When we get it right for the child, we get it right for everyone™." — Karen Mayer Cunningham Support the show ✨ When we get it right for the child, we get it right for everybody. ✨ 👩‍⚖️ Hosted by Karen Mayer Cunningham, Advocate & Special Education Boss® Each week, Karen shares real stories, legal insights, and no-nonsense strategies to help you navigate special education with clarity and confidence. 👉 Subscribe & never miss an episode — new episodes drop every week! 🎓 Join The Academy: Weekly live trainings + 250+ hours of advocacy tools & expert resources 🔗 Learn more at The Epic IEP™ Academy First month free, after that, cancel anytime.  📱 Follow Karen on: TikTok & Instagram: @specialeducationbossYouTube: Special Education Academy🧠 Want to level up your advocacy game? Check out the Advocate's Bookshelf — a curated collection of must-have tools, guides, and legal references every special education advocate should own. From federal code to diagnostic manuals, these are the essentials that help you advocate with clarity and confidence. 📚 Browse now: https://amzn.to/3RiQPLl (As an Amazon Associate, Karen may earn a small commission if you make a purchase — at no extra cost to you.) Because when...

Your child is not lazy. Your child is not unmotivated. And ADHD is not an attention disorder. Karen Mayer Cunningham sits down with Michael McLeod, MA, CCC-SLP, ADHD and executive functioning specialist and founder of GrowNOW ADHD, for the conversation most families never get in the IEP meeting. Michael started out as a speech-language pathologist and watched parents spend thousands of dollars and thousands of hours on services that never made the skills stick. So he went to the research, built the GrowNOW internal skills model, and has spent the years since training students, parents, and school staff in the one thing that actually predicts outcomes: executive function. Karen brings every piece of it back to the table. What does this look like during the instructional day? What goes in the document? And what are you agreeing to that is quietly working against your child? WHAT YOU'LL LEARN - Why ADHD is a disorder of executive function and emotional regulation, not attention - "Pills don't teach skills." Why medication is a family decision, and what it can and cannot fix - The one-to-one Chromebook problem, and how to push back on a district technology directive - Why extended time backfires for a student who is time blind - How 23 accommodations became normal, and how to lean the document back out - Grades are not the gate. Educational impact is. - What to say when the school implies homework is required (no state requires it) - Boys, girls, masking, and the three zones of executive function: school, home, and social - ADHD vs. autism, ADHD and dyslexia, and why characteristics matter more than labels - The 90 percent rule for parents: use less language, remove the audience Plus close to an hour of live listener questions, answered on the spot. ABOUT THE GUEST Michael McLeod, MA, CCC-SLP, is an ADHD and executive functioning specialist and the founder of GrowNOW ADHD, which has worked with close to 3,000 families worldwide since 2016. He began his career as a speech-language pathologist and now trains school staff across the country and internationally. Website: https://grownowadhd.com Instagram: @grownowadhd Podcast: the ADHD Parenting Podcast, on Spotify READY TO SIT AT THE TABLE PREPARED? You don't know what you don't know, but you need to. Join us inside the Academy for the training, the community, and the walkthrough of every page of the IEP: https://specialeducationacademy.com/training Need an advocate or a consultation? [email protected] Follow along: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/specialeducationboss/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SpecialEducationBoss/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SpecialEducationAcademy This is educational training, not legal advice. Support the show ✨ When we get it right for the child, we get it right for everybody. ✨ 👩‍⚖️ Hosted by Karen Mayer Cunningham, Advocate & Special Education Boss® Each week, Karen shares real stories, legal insights, and no-nonsense strategies to help you navigate special education with clarity and confidence. 👉 Subscribe & never miss an episode — new episodes drop every week! 🎓 Join The Academy: Weekly live trainings + 250+ hours of advocacy tools & expert resources 🔗 Learn more at The Epic IEP™ Academy First month free, after that, cancel anytime.  📱 Follow Karen on: TikTok & Instagram: @specialeducationbossYouTube: Special Education Academy🧠 Want to level up your advocacy game? Check out the Advocate's Bookshelf — a curated collection of must-have tools, guides, and legal references every special education advocate should own. From federal code to diagnostic manuals, these are the essentials that help you advocate with clarity and confidence. 📚 Browse now: https://amzn.to/3RiQPLl (As an Amazon Associate, Karen may earn a small commission if you make a purchase — at no extra cost to you.) Because when...

School is back, and so are the questions. In this back-to-school Ask the Advocate, Karen Mayer Cunningham takes them live from parents, advocates, and educators sitting at the IEP and 504 table. You don't know what you don't know, but you need to. This episode helps you close that gap and walk into your next meeting prepared. In this episode: Modifications vs. accommodations, and what to do when a modification isn't written anywhere in the IEPWhy doing anything outside the IEP is a violation, and how "codified" means it is the lawResource rooms and the continuum of placements: what a school is actually required to offerThe three phrases that govern paraprofessionals: direct supervision, close proximity, and frequent contactWhen a one-to-one para is warranted, and when it sets up learned dependencyHow to file a complaint the right way when you are a district employeeRemoving your child for safety, the written notice reimbursement requires, and where homeschool fitsEligibility questions: IEP goals, OHI vs. Orthopedic Impairment, and communication supportsThe back-to-school mindset: speak the promise, not the problem, and assume competencyDo you know your rights? This is why we sit at the table prepared. Resources and next steps: Join the Special Education AcademyThe Two-Day Special Education Advocacy Intensive (live virtual, Saturday and Sunday, August 22 and 23, 2026, 9:00 to 5:00; also available on demand)The Fall Mastermind (begins September 10; the Two-Day Intensive is the prerequisite)The Epic IEP™ book family (playbook, law book, workbook, and PARA book)Listen and subscribe: Apple Podcasts • Spotify • Buzzsprout • iHeart Radio • Amazon Music Connect: Instagram • Facebook • TikTok This is educational training, not legal advice. Special Education Boss® educates and prepares parents, advocates, and professionals. It does not provide legal representation. "When we get it right for the child, we get it right for everybody." — Karen Mayer Cunningham Support the show ✨ When we get it right for the child, we get it right for everybody. ✨ 👩‍⚖️ Hosted by Karen Mayer Cunningham, Advocate & Special Education Boss® Each week, Karen shares real stories, legal insights, and no-nonsense strategies to help you navigate special education with clarity and confidence. 👉 Subscribe & never miss an episode — new episodes drop every week! 🎓 Join The Academy: Weekly live trainings + 250+ hours of advocacy tools & expert resources 🔗 Learn more at The Epic IEP™ Academy First month free, after that, cancel anytime.  📱 Follow Karen on: TikTok & Instagram: @specialeducationbossYouTube: Special Education Academy🧠 Want to level up your advocacy game? Check out the Advocate's Bookshelf — a curated collection of must-have tools, guides, and legal references every special education advocate should own. From federal code to diagnostic manuals, these are the essentials that help you advocate with clarity and confidence. 📚 Browse now: https://amzn.to/3RiQPLl (As an Amazon Associate, Karen may earn a small commission if you make a purchase — at no extra cost to you.) Because when...

Rachel Irizarry studied for every test and prepared for every quiz, and her grades still would not move. Around fifth grade, her mom trusted her gut, asked the school to evaluate her, and everything changed. Today Rachel is a titleholder in the Miss Volunteer America system, is on track for a doctorate in physical therapy, and uses her SERVE initiative, Learning Disabilities Endless Possibilities, to tell students one thing: a learning disability is part of your story, not your whole story. In this episode, Karen Mayer Cunningham and Rachel walk through what actually helped in the classroom, where the system dropped the ball, and what every parent can do about it. In this episode: - Why a parent's gut check ("something isn't right") is often the start of getting help - The supports that moved Rachel's scores: in-class support, extended time, and fewer answer choices - Staying in general education while getting what she needed - How the handoff into high school failed when her records did not transfer, and how a freshman had to advocate for herself - What Rachel saw when she finally read her full high school IEP, ten years later - Karen's do-it-now move for parents: print the full IEP, add a one-page summary, and hand it to every adult who teaches your child - Why the IEP is a best informed guess, and why meetings happen as needed - "Packages have labels, children have eligibility" Do you know your rights? You don't know what you don't know, but you need to. This is why we sit at the table prepared. Follow Rachel's SERVE initiative, Learning Disabilities Endless Possibilities, on Instagram at @ld_endlesspossibilities, and her titleholder journey at @missgardenstatevol. She competes in the Miss Volunteer America system this November in Ocean City, New Jersey. Want to sit at the table prepared? Special Education Academy is where parents, advocates, and professionals learn to navigate and negotiate successful student outcomes. Learn with us at specialeducationacademy.com. Listen and subscribe: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/special-education-boss-with-karen-mayer-cunningham/id1805933912 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/03I43tikXlYvR6xIe3F24w Buzzsprout: https://specialeducationboss.buzzsprout.com iHeart Radio: https://iheart.com/podcast/271518986/ Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/d75378a3-0f8b-4fd1-989b-67a5723b5377/special-education-boss%C2%AE-with-karen-mayer-cunningham This is educational training, not legal advice. "When we get it right for the child, we get it right for everybody." — Karen Mayer Cunningham Support the show ✨ When we get it right for the child, we get it right for everybody. ✨ 👩‍⚖️ Hosted by Karen Mayer Cunningham, Advocate & Special Education Boss® Each week, Karen shares real stories, legal insights, and no-nonsense strategies to help you navigate special education with clarity and confidence. 👉 Subscribe & never miss an episode — new episodes drop every week! 🎓 Join The Academy: Weekly live trainings + 250+ hours of advocacy tools & expert resources 🔗 Learn more at The Epic IEP™ Academy First month free, after that, cancel anytime.  📱 Follow Karen on: TikTok & Instagram: @specialeducationbossYouTube: Special Education Academy🧠 Want to level up your advocacy game? Check out the Advocate's Bookshelf — a curated collection of must-have tools, guides, and legal references every special education advocate should own. From federal code to diagnostic manuals, these are the essentials that help you advocate with clarity and confidence. 📚 Browse now: https://amzn.to/3RiQPLl (As an Amazon Associate, Karen may earn a small commission if you make a purchase — at no extra cost to you.) Because when...

Do you know your rights at the IEP table? In this live Q&A, Karen Mayer Cunningham (Special Education Boss®) answers real questions from parents, paraprofessionals, and educators on the issues that actually show up in meetings — no fluff, no legal jargon, just clear preparation. Karen breaks down what really happens after a young child makes a threat (hello, MDR and FBA), why an IEP is written for the full instructional day, and why agreeing to a half-day can quietly release the district from its obligation to deliver FAPE. She tackles ESY denials and the second prong nobody talks about, pull-out vs. push-in and the two questions that decide it, missed services and compensatory packages, and how to write a robust state complaint when your child has been denied a free appropriate public education. She also clears up the alphabet soup — OI, ED, ECSE, LRE — and reminds every para in the room why the book on paraprofessionals exists. Plus a little pot-stirring on where IDEA money actually goes. In this episode: How schools must respond (not punish) when a student with an IEP makes a threat — MDR + FBAWhy an IEP is written for the full instructional day — and the half-day trapESY: the two prongs, and the one they almost never bring upPull-out vs. push-in — meaningful benefit and harmful effectMissed services, compensatory education, and outside-provider reimbursementWriting a robust state complaint when FAPE has been deniedEligibility clarified: OI, ED, ECSE, and "we don't make up names"Progress reporting is a right — not a summer to-doGet The Epic IEP™ — the seven-part framework Karen uses to write an IEP anywhere in the country. Find it in the TikTok shop or at theepiciep.com, along with The Epic IEP Workbook, The Epic IEP Paraprofessional, and The Epic IEP Federal Law & State Guidelines. Join Special Education Academy — Mondays at 8:00 PM. 250+ hours of training, updated weekly. New: Epic Educator Academy — for school-based educators only. $27/month, and it stays $27. Coming up: 2-Day Live Virtual Intensive, August 22–23. Catch Karen in person: Innovative School Summit, Nashville (Gaylord), July 25–29 · ASHA National Conference, Indianapolis, November 18. "When we get it right for the child, we get it right for everybody." — Karen Mayer Cunningham Support the show ✨ When we get it right for the child, we get it right for everybody. ✨ 👩‍⚖️ Hosted by Karen Mayer Cunningham, Advocate & Special Education Boss® Each week, Karen shares real stories, legal insights, and no-nonsense strategies to help you navigate special education with clarity and confidence. 👉 Subscribe & never miss an episode — new episodes drop every week! 🎓 Join The Academy: Weekly live trainings + 250+ hours of advocacy tools & expert resources 🔗 Learn more at The Epic IEP™ Academy First month free, after that, cancel anytime.  📱 Follow Karen on: TikTok & Instagram: @specialeducationbossYouTube: Special Education Academy🧠 Want to level up your advocacy game? Check out the Advocate's Bookshelf — a curated collection of must-have tools, guides, and legal references every special education advocate should own. From federal code to diagnostic manuals, these are the essentials that help you advocate with clarity and confidence. 📚 Browse now: https://amzn.to/3RiQPLl (As an Amazon Associate, Karen may earn a small commission if you make a purchase — at no extra cost to you.) Because when...

What happens when the people responsible for carrying out your child's IEP were never trained, supported, or backed up to do it right? This week, Karen Mayer Cunningham sits down with Michelle Williams, a 26-year veteran classroom teacher who has taught elementary and mathematics in rural, urban, and suburban schools. Michelle has watched teacher support erode from the inside, and she is not staying quiet about it.  This is a conversation every parent, advocate, and educator needs to hear. Michelle pulls back the curtain on what is really happening in schools, and Karen connects it straight to your rights and your child's education. Here is some of what we get into: - Why sit-and-get professional development fails teachers and the students who count on them - The greening of education, and what happens when new teachers are left to train new teachers - What the law actually expects when a child is suspected of having a disability, before an IEP is even in place - Why signing an IEP is a legally binding commitment, not a formality - How IDEA works as a federal grant program, and the assurances your state signs every single year - What least restrictive environment means, and why quietly relaxed standards should concern every family - How to find out what your district actually spends on special education using open records - What Michelle learned filing two state complaints that were both substantiated Then we do the thing most people only talk about doing. We walk through how to fill out a state complaint, step by step. You don't know what you don't know, but you need to. This is why we sit at the table prepared. Want to go deeper? Inside Special Education Academy we break down every page of the IEP, your procedural rights, and how to navigate and negotiate successful student outcomes. Start at specialeducationacademy.com. About our guest: Michelle Williams is a 26-year veteran educator who is taking her fight for public education and students with disabilities to the policy level as a candidate for Texas State Representative. To learn more about her campaign or support her work, visit https://michelleforstaterep.com. This episode is educational training, not legal advice. Support the show ✨ When we get it right for the child, we get it right for everybody. ✨ 👩‍⚖️ Hosted by Karen Mayer Cunningham, Advocate & Special Education Boss® Each week, Karen shares real stories, legal insights, and no-nonsense strategies to help you navigate special education with clarity and confidence. 👉 Subscribe & never miss an episode — new episodes drop every week! 🎓 Join The Academy: Weekly live trainings + 250+ hours of advocacy tools & expert resources 🔗 Learn more at The Epic IEP™ Academy First month free, after that, cancel anytime.  📱 Follow Karen on: TikTok & Instagram: @specialeducationbossYouTube: Special Education Academy🧠 Want to level up your advocacy game? Check out the Advocate's Bookshelf — a curated collection of must-have tools, guides, and legal references every special education advocate should own. From federal code to diagnostic manuals, these are the essentials that help you advocate with clarity and confidence. 📚 Browse now: https://amzn.to/3RiQPLl (As an Amazon Associate, Karen may earn a small commission if you make a purchase — at no extra cost to you.) Because when...

There's no shortage of information when you're raising a child with a disability. There's a shortage of trusted information you can actually use. In this episode, Karen Mayer Cunningham talks with Lauren Hasz and Brodie Simmons about Uniquely You, a free magazine launching in North Houston that celebrates the disability community and connects families to real, vetted resources. They get into what makes this different: it's free, it's opt-in, it comes in print and digital, and every cover celebrates an individual or family navigating disability, birth to 100+. Karen, Lauren, and Brodie talk about the resources families actually need, the businesses that serve this community in person and virtually, and why the adult and transition "capacity stories" we never hear are some of the most important ones to tell. Whether you're a parent, an advocate, a provider, or a business owner who wants to reach and support this community, this conversation shows you where to start. WATCH THE FULL EPISODE https://youtu.be/FIx0zHzRPxY GET INVOLVED WITH UNIQUELY YOU NORTH HOUSTON (launching 2026) Subscribe FREE to the magazine: https://forms.gle/ePkhizd7aT7tY15A8 Nominate a story or refer a business: https://forms.gle/jEncgnc6cfpzXvxW8 Learn more: https://www.uniquelyyoumag.com/ Reach Lauren directly: [email protected] New episodes of Special Education Boss drop every Tuesday. Follow, rate, and share with a family who needs it. Questions for the show? [email protected] Learn with us: https://specialeducationacademy.com When we get it right for the child, we get it right for everybody. - Karen Mayer Cunningham Support the show ✨ When we get it right for the child, we get it right for everybody. ✨ 👩‍⚖️ Hosted by Karen Mayer Cunningham, Advocate & Special Education Boss® Each week, Karen shares real stories, legal insights, and no-nonsense strategies to help you navigate special education with clarity and confidence. 👉 Subscribe & never miss an episode — new episodes drop every week! 🎓 Join The Academy: Weekly live trainings + 250+ hours of advocacy tools & expert resources 🔗 Learn more at The Epic IEP™ Academy First month free, after that, cancel anytime.  📱 Follow Karen on: TikTok & Instagram: @specialeducationbossYouTube: Special Education Academy🧠 Want to level up your advocacy game? Check out the Advocate's Bookshelf — a curated collection of must-have tools, guides, and legal references every special education advocate should own. From federal code to diagnostic manuals, these are the essentials that help you advocate with clarity and confidence. 📚 Browse now: https://amzn.to/3RiQPLl (As an Amazon Associate, Karen may earn a small commission if you make a purchase — at no extra cost to you.) Because when...

Where Are All the Special Education Attorneys? The Truth About Reading, IEPs, and Enforcement — with Diane Dragan There are millions of children in this country with an IEP. And by attorney Diane Dragan's count, maybe a thousand lawyers nationwide are willing to take these cases to court. Sit with that. In this episode, Karen Mayer Cunningham sits down with Diane Dragan — special education attorney, founder of Dragan Law Firm in St. Louis, and host of the Litigating Literacy podcast. Diane didn't set out to do this work. She was a federal public defender until her own three children were diagnosed with dyslexia and she ran into the same wall every parent hits: "Your diagnosis means nothing. He's doing good enough." So she became the attorney she couldn't find. This is a straight-talk conversation about how special education actually works — and why so many families feel like the system is built to exhaust them before they can hold it accountable. WHAT WE GET INTO - Why there are almost no special education attorneys, and the financial reality that keeps it that way - The reading crisis: why 40%+ of kids need explicit, systematic phonics — and why so many schools stopped teaching it - Balanced literacy vs. structured literacy, and the "just right book" myth - The teacher-training gap: how educators are sent in as generalists without the specialized instruction their students need - Poorly written IEP goals — sight words before phonics, missing oral reading fluency norms, and goals that don't match need - Enforcement: why schools only follow the law when it becomes more expensive not to — and who actually enforces a due process win (often, no one) - Independent Educational Evaluations: your right to a free second opinion, and why current data changes everything - How to build a "suspicion of disability" using your own state's learning standards - The tutoring trap: how tutoring at home can skew the data and let the school take credit - When a family needs an advocate vs. an attorney - Why "fixing" a bad IEP can wreck a case before it starts - The "good relationship" myth, and what the internal emails actually say Whether you're a parent, an advocate, or an educator at the table, this one will change how you read every IEP that lands in front of you. You don't know what you don't know — but you need to. This is why we sit at the table prepared. A note: This conversation is educational. We're not giving legal advice — we're educating you. For advice about your specific situation, talk to a qualified attorney in your state. More on Diane: Dragan Law Firm, LLC (St. Louis, MO) — https://www.draganlawfirm.com — or find her Litigating Literacy podcast. LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE Special Education Boss with Karen Mayer Cunningham — new episodes weekly. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/special-education-boss-with-karen-mayer-cunningham/id1805933912 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/03I43tikXlYvR6xIe3F24w Buzzsprout: https://specialeducationboss.buzzsprout.com iHeart Radio: https://iheart.com/podcast/271518986/ Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/d75378a3-0f8b-4fd1-989b-67a5723b5377 Learn with us at Special Education Academy: https://specialeducationacademy.com Support the show ✨ When we get it right for the child, we get it right for everybody. ✨ 👩‍⚖️ Hosted by Karen Mayer Cunningham, Advocate & Special Education Boss® Each week, Karen shares real stories, legal insights, and no-nonsense strategies to help you navigate special education with clarity and confidence. 👉 Subscribe & never miss an episode — new episodes drop every week! 🎓 Join The Academy: Weekly live trainings + 250+ hours of advocacy tools & expert resources 🔗 Learn more at The Epic IEP™ Academy First month free, after that, cancel anytime.  📱 Follow Karen on: TikTok & Instagram: @specialeducationbossYouTube: Special Education Academy🧠 Want to level up your advocacy game? Check out the Advocate's Bookshelf — a curated collection of must-have tools, guides, and legal references every special education advocate should own. From federal code to diagnostic manuals, these are the essentials that help you advocate with clarity and confidence. 📚 Browse now: https://amzn.to/3RiQPLl (As an Amazon Associate, Karen may earn a small commission if you make a purchase — at no extra cost to you.) Because when...

No parent sits down at the IEP table hoping for a fight. And no family ever says, "I cannot wait to go to due process." But when advocacy alone is not getting your child what they need, you deserve to understand what comes next. In this episode of Special Education Boss® with Karen Mayer Cunningham, Karen sits down with special education attorney Maria McGinley for an honest, practical look at special education dispute resolution: mediation, state complaints, and due process. Maria brings a rare perspective to the table. She is a former special education teacher, a practicing attorney, and a parent who has navigated the IEP process for her own child. Together they unpack what every parent and advocate should understand before a dispute escalates, including: - Why advocacy always comes first, and due process is the last resort - What due process actually is, an administrative trial, not Law and Order, and the emotional and financial toll it carries - Why your paper trail is your evidence, and your memory is not - How to respond to your IEP and the district's deliberations in writing - What the Endrew F. decision means for "meaningful progress" - Burden of proof, and why it matters which state you are in - Independent Educational Evaluations, recording IEP meetings, and knowing when it is time to bring in an attorney This is educational training, not legal advice. The goal, as always, is to help you sit at the table prepared. Have a question for our team? Email [email protected]. Explore the Academy at specialeducationacademy.com. Guest: Maria McGinley, Esq. — mlgsped.com When we get it right for the child, we get it right for everyone. Support the show ✨ When we get it right for the child, we get it right for everybody. ✨ 👩‍⚖️ Hosted by Karen Mayer Cunningham, Advocate & Special Education Boss® Each week, Karen shares real stories, legal insights, and no-nonsense strategies to help you navigate special education with clarity and confidence. 👉 Subscribe & never miss an episode — new episodes drop every week! 🎓 Join The Academy: Weekly live trainings + 250+ hours of advocacy tools & expert resources 🔗 Learn more at The Epic IEP™ Academy First month free, after that, cancel anytime.  📱 Follow Karen on: TikTok & Instagram: @specialeducationbossYouTube: Special Education Academy🧠 Want to level up your advocacy game? Check out the Advocate's Bookshelf — a curated collection of must-have tools, guides, and legal references every special education advocate should own. From federal code to diagnostic manuals, these are the essentials that help you advocate with clarity and confidence. 📚 Browse now: https://amzn.to/3RiQPLl (As an Amazon Associate, Karen may earn a small commission if you make a purchase — at no extra cost to you.) Because when...

You cannot punish a child into having a skill they do not have. In this episode, Karen Mayer Cunningham sits down with Doris and Rick Bowman to unpack one of the most misunderstood parts of special education: behavior. Most school plans are built to get compliance in the moment. They manage the behavior and miss what is actually driving it. And when the same kind of plan fails for the fifth or sixth time, the child is the one who walks away believing they are the problem. This conversation flips that. Here is what Karen and the Bowmans get into: Why behavior is not the problem, the nervous system isThe difference between access to the thinking brain and the capacity to meet a demandWhat a "state of protection" looks like in your classroom or at your kitchen tableWhy connection is the primary intervention, not the reward at the end of itThe trap of praise as judgment, and the neutral "I noticed" language that actually regulatesHow predictable, empathetic interactions re-pattern the stress response over timeWhy proactive regulation beats reactive regulation every single timeA one-minute regulation practice an adult can do in the middle of a full classroomThis is not about labels. ADHD, ODD, autism, trauma — the diagnosis does not change the work. The work is the nervous system and the missing skills underneath the behavior. If you have ever sat in a meeting and heard "we have tried everything," this episode is for you. We are not giving legal advice. We are educating you — so you can sit at the table prepared. When we get it right for the child, we get it right for everyone. — Karen Mayer Cunningham ABOUT OUR GUESTS — DORIS & RICK BOWMAN Doris and Rick Bowman are "Team Bowman," founders of Bowman Consulting Group and trainers, consultants, and coaches on trauma-informed, neuro-affirming practices. With a combined 50+ years working with the students schools struggle most to serve, they have sat on every side of the table — as the school, the parent, and the advocate. They are the authors of two Amazon #1 books: Your FBA Is a Fantasy! and Facing the Fantasy, Finding the Way Forward. Find their books and trainings at https://www.bowmanconsultgroup.com LISTEN TO THE PODCAST Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/special-education-boss-with-karen-mayer-cunningham/id1805933912 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/03I43tikXlYvR6xIe3F24w Buzzsprout: https://specialeducationboss.buzzsprout.com iHeart Radio: https://iheart.com/podcast/271518986/ Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/d75378a3-0f8b-4fd1-989b-67a5723b5377 CONNECT Website: https://specialeducationacademy.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SpecialEducationBoss/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/specialeducationboss/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SpecialEducationAcademy Support the show ✨ When we get it right for the child, we get it right for everybody. ✨ 👩‍⚖️ Hosted by Karen Mayer Cunningham, Advocate & Special Education Boss® Each week, Karen shares real stories, legal insights, and no-nonsense strategies to help you navigate special education with clarity and confidence. 👉 Subscribe & never miss an episode — new episodes drop every week! 🎓 Join The Academy: Weekly live trainings + 250+ hours of advocacy tools & expert resources 🔗 Learn more at The Epic IEP™ Academy First month free, after that, cancel anytime.  📱 Follow Karen on: TikTok & Instagram: @specialeducationbossYouTube: Special Education Academy🧠 Want to level up your advocacy game? Check out the Advocate's Bookshelf — a curated collection of must-have tools, guides, and legal references every special education advocate should own. From federal code to diagnostic manuals, these are the essentials that help you advocate with clarity and confidence. 📚 Browse now: https://amzn.to/3RiQPLl (As an Amazon Associate, Karen may earn a small commission if you make a purchase — at no extra cost to you.) Because when...

Karen answers summer IEP questions live - ESY eligibility and transportation, early pickups as removals, IEE limits, and how to get your child's data. Full Description (plain text, copy-paste ready) Summer is when the numbers go down and the access goes up. In this live Q&A, Karen Mayer Cunningham takes questions from parents, advocates, paras, and educators - and does not hold back. If your school called you to pick up your child early, that was a day out of placement. If they told you they do not provide ESY, that is not true - every district provides ESY under federal and state law. And if you are counting on an IEE to fix a bad evaluation, Karen explains why an IEE is like a scratch-off ticket - you can get one, but you are probably not going home with a million dollars. In this episode: Why summer is the best time to file a robust state complaint and meet with leadershipEarly pickup calls are days out of placement - a legal decision the school is makingESY: who qualifies, how to prove regression with the district's own data, and the truth about ESY transportationIEEs: what they can actually do, what districts are never required to implement, and when one is worth itWhen a school must convene an IEP meeting (eligibility and minutes) versus what can be handled by paper amendmentADHD supports: why services come before accommodationsReading mastery, dyslexia, and why you never graduate from dyslexia - you move to maintenanceTransition planning, work-based learning, and the Oregon Transition Resource HandbookThe Zack Pack: how to introduce your child and put the full IEP in every teacher's handsHow to request data in writing and what to do when the district will not provide it (34 CFR 300.613)Records after graduation: what to request and how long districts keep themKaren announces a press conference June 17 at 6:00 PM at Bellaire High School regarding Houston ISD's plan to consolidate self-contained programsResources mentioned: The Epic IEP, The Epic IEP: PARA, and the Epic IEP Federal and State law book - available in the shop and where books are soldThe Epic IEP Workbook - releasing in approximately two weeksThe 2-Day Special Education Advocacy Intensive - live virtual August 22-23, 2026The Epic Educator Academy - Mondays at 7:00 PM Central, for school-based educators only, 27 dollars a monthSpecial Education Academy - free for the first month, training every Monday at 8:00 PM CentralYou don't know what you don't know - but you need to. When we get it right for the child, we get it right for everyone. - Karen Mayer Cunningham Support the show ✨ When we get it right for the child, we get it right for everybody. ✨ 👩‍⚖️ Hosted by Karen Mayer Cunningham, Advocate & Special Education Boss® Each week, Karen shares real stories, legal insights, and no-nonsense strategies to help you navigate special education with clarity and confidence. 👉 Subscribe & never miss an episode — new episodes drop every week! 🎓 Join The Academy: Weekly live trainings + 250+ hours of advocacy tools & expert resources 🔗 Learn more at The Epic IEP™ Academy First month free, after that, cancel anytime.  📱 Follow Karen on: TikTok & Instagram: @specialeducationbossYouTube: Special Education Academy🧠 Want to level up your advocacy game? Check out the Advocate's Bookshelf — a curated collection of must-have tools, guides, and legal references every special education advocate should own. From federal code to diagnostic manuals, these are the essentials that help you advocate with clarity and confidence. 📚 Browse now: https://amzn.to/3RiQPLl (As an Amazon Associate, Karen may earn a small commission if you make a purchase — at no extra cost to you.) Because when...

Were you ever actually trained on what you are expected to do at the IEP table? Most parents, advocates, and educators were not — and that is exactly why we sit at the table prepared. In this live Ask the Advocate session, Karen Mayer Cunningham answers more than 50 real questions straight from the audience. No scripts, no fluff — just clear, practical answers on the things you are responsible for but were never taught. WHAT WE COVER → How to set up next school year before summer ends — including the "Zach Pack" every educator should get on day one → Who is actually allowed to deliver special education minutes, and why "two years below grade level" does not change that → Paraprofessionals, one-on-one supports, and communication partners for SGD users → Accommodations written from a student's characteristics — not their eligibility label → Compensatory services when minutes are missed, and how to calculate frequency, duration, and location → The two prongs of Extended School Year (ESY) → Prior written notice that will not get corrected, and the seven required components → Independent educational evaluations (IEEs): data, summary, and conclusion → Transition planning and postsecondary success → Filing complaints that are actually effective → Inclusion versus proximity — and why they are not the same thing CHAPTERS 00:00 Welcome — we made it through the school year 01:30 Tonight we launch The Epic Educator Academy 02:30 Summer planning: what parents should be thinking about 04:00 The Zach Pack: prepping every educator for day one 06:00 One-on-one paras, communication partners, and SGDs 07:00 Stopping cookie-cutter accommodations 08:30 Calling the dean, field trips, and para coverage 11:00 Service minutes and who can deliver them 13:00 Manifestation determinations: the two questions 14:30 New special education director: where to start 16:00 Missed in-class support: calculate the minutes 17:30 Taking better data and present levels that do not match 19:00 IEP goal criteria and disagreements 22:00 Retention: should you hold your child back? 24:00 Compensatory services and missed minutes 26:00 ESY: the two prongs 27:00 Progress reports you never received 29:00 Prior written notice that will not get corrected 30:00 IEEs: data, summary, conclusion 34:00 Transition planning and postsecondary 36:00 Filing complaints that actually work 39:00 Monitoring accommodations and inclusion supports 44:00 How service frequencies are set 48:00 "Two years below grade level": who delivers SDI 52:00 Parent concerns and your right to be heard 53:00 Who belongs at the IEP table 55:00 Inclusion versus proximity 58:00 Continuum of placements: a senior moved to all gen ed 59:30 Closing This is educational training, not legal advice. We educate everyone at the IEP and 504 table to navigate and negotiate successful student outcomes. WANT MORE Educators — The Epic Educator Academy is live training every Monday at 7:00 PM Central, built for school-based staff. $27/month, cancel anytime: specialeducationacademy.com/educator Parents and advocates — join Special Education Academy for 250+ hours of training, updated weekly: specialeducationacademy.com/training Get the books: The Epic IEP, The Epic IEP: PARA, and The Epic IEP Guide to Federal and State Law for Special Education, wherever books are sold. When we get it right for the child, we get it right for everyone. — Karen Mayer Cunningham Support the show ✨ When we get it right for the child, we get it right for everybody. ✨ 👩‍⚖️ Hosted by Karen Mayer Cunningham, Advocate & Special Education Boss® Each week, Karen shares real stories, legal insights, and no-nonsense strategies to help you navigate special education with clarity and confidence. 👉 Subscribe & never miss an episode — new episodes drop every week! 🎓 Join The Academy: Weekly live trainings + 250+ hours of advocacy tools & expert resources 🔗 Learn more at The Epic IEP™ Academy First month free, after that, cancel anytime.  📱 Follow Karen on: TikTok & Instagram: @specialeducationbossYouTube: Special Education Academy🧠 Want to level up your advocacy game? Check out the Advocate's Bookshelf — a curated collection of must-have tools, guides, and legal references every special education advocate should own. From federal code to diagnostic manuals, these are the essentials that help you advocate with clarity and confidence. 📚 Browse now: https://amzn.to/3RiQPLl (As an Amazon Associate, Karen may earn a small commission if you make a purchase — at no extra cost to you.) Because when...

Sarah Harter trusted her gut for two years before anyone believed her. Her daughter Mia survived brain surgery at age two and has been defying expectations ever since. This is their story — and the resources that helped them get here. Some episodes stay with you. This is one of them. Karen Mayer Cunningham sits down with Sarah Harter - mom, anesthetist, and one of the most determined advocates her daughter Mia has ever had - to share a story that is honest, hard, and ultimately full of hope. Mia was born five weeks early. For two years, Sarah brought her concerns to doctor after doctor. She was told she was being a worried first-time mom. She kept showing up anyway. She was right. At two years old, Mia was diagnosed with a brain tumor the size of a baseball. Five months after a 17-hour surgery, she started school. And the systems that were supposed to support her - medical and educational - both had to be pushed before they showed up the way she needed them to. But this is not a story about what went wrong. It is a story about a family that refused to stop fighting - and the extraordinary things that happen when you do. In this episode, Sarah and Karen talk honestly about: - What it is like to be dismissed for years and then told your instincts were right all along - How Mia went from not being able to walk after surgery to dancing on a team - The difference between maintenance therapy and intensive therapy - and why that difference changed Mia's life - What the school system got wrong about LRE and what the family did about it - MNRI, vision therapy, NUCCA, and approaches that helped when standard care reached its limit - What families of medically complex children are almost never told about related services - Lighthouse Family Retreat - and why Sarah's family keeps going back to volunteer - American Printing House for the Blind, free audiobooks for life, and resources too few families ever find You do not need to have a child with a brain tumor to hear yourself in this conversation. If you have ever known something was wrong, and been told you were imagining it - this one is for you. Resources: Lighthouse Family Retreat: lighthousefamilyretreat.org American Printing House for the Blind: aph.org American Federation for the Blind: afb.org Special Education Academy: specialeducationacademy.com Epic IEP Book Bundle: theepiciep.com Email Karen's team: [email protected] Support the show ✨ When we get it right for the child, we get it right for everybody. ✨ 👩‍⚖️ Hosted by Karen Mayer Cunningham, Advocate & Special Education Boss® Each week, Karen shares real stories, legal insights, and no-nonsense strategies to help you navigate special education with clarity and confidence. 👉 Subscribe & never miss an episode — new episodes drop every week! 🎓 Join The Academy: Weekly live trainings + 250+ hours of advocacy tools & expert resources 🔗 Learn more at The Epic IEP™ Academy First month free, after that, cancel anytime.  📱 Follow Karen on: TikTok & Instagram: @specialeducationbossYouTube: Special Education Academy🧠 Want to level up your advocacy game? Check out the Advocate's Bookshelf — a curated collection of must-have tools, guides, and legal references every special education advocate should own. From federal code to diagnostic manuals, these are the essentials that help you advocate with clarity and confidence. 📚 Browse now: https://amzn.to/3RiQPLl (As an Amazon Associate, Karen may earn a small commission if you make a purchase — at no extra cost to you.) Because when...

What happens when your child has an IEP but still isn’t getting the support they need? In this episode of Special Education Boss®, Karen Mayer Cunningham answers real-time questions from parents, educators, and advocates about the everyday issues showing up at IEP and 504 tables right now. This rapid-fire Q&A covers some of the most common — and most frustrating — special education concerns families are facing, including transportation, one-on-one paraprofessionals, behavior support, progress data, related services, accommodations, private school questions, eligibility, bullying, and what to do when the IEP does not match what was discussed in the meeting. Karen also shares an update about the launch of the Epic Educator Academy™, created specifically for school-based members who need support, resources, training, and practical tools to better serve students. In this episode, Karen discusses: • Whether IEPs and 504s apply to afterschool programs • Who decides if a student receives special education transportation • What to do when Prior Written Notice is missing important information • Whether private schools are required to follow IDEA • When a one-on-one paraprofessional may or may not be appropriate • How academic deficits differ from para support needs • What to ask when accommodations are not being followed • How healthcare plans connect to IEPs and 504s • Toileting, hygiene, and personal care goals • What to do when agreed-upon IEP items are missing from the final document • Behavior Intervention Plans, FBAs, elopement, and replacement behaviors • What to ask when related services have been missed • How to address bullying involving a student with autism • Why data should drive IEP decisions • The upcoming Epic Educator Academy for school-based staff This episode is a reminder that every IEP decision should come back to the student’s actual needs, the data, the implementation of services, and whether the plan is helping the child make meaningful progress. We’re not giving legal advice. We’re educating you. Join The Academy Inside The Academy, you’ll find 250+ hours of special education training, weekly support, and practical education for parents, advocates, and professionals who want to sit at the IEP and 504 table prepared. Get Karen’s book, The Epic IEP  If this episode helped you, please follow, like, share, and subscribe so more families, advocates, and educators can learn how to navigate the IEP and 504 process with clarity and confidence. “When we get it right for the child, we get it right for everybody.” — Karen Mayer Cunningham Support the show ✨ When we get it right for the child, we get it right for everybody. ✨ 👩‍⚖️ Hosted by Karen Mayer Cunningham, Advocate & Special Education Boss® Each week, Karen shares real stories, legal insights, and no-nonsense strategies to help you navigate special education with clarity and confidence. 👉 Subscribe & never miss an episode — new episodes drop every week! 🎓 Join The Academy: Weekly live trainings + 250+ hours of advocacy tools & expert resources 🔗 Learn more at The Epic IEP™ Academy First month free, after that, cancel anytime.  📱 Follow Karen on: TikTok & Instagram: @specialeducationbossYouTube: Special Education Academy🧠 Want to level up your advocacy game? Check out the Advocate's Bookshelf — a curated collection of must-have tools, guides, and legal references every special education advocate should own. From federal code to diagnostic manuals, these are the essentials that help you advocate with clarity and confidence. 📚 Browse now: https://amzn.to/3RiQPLl (As an Amazon Associate, Karen may earn a small commission if you make a purchase — at no extra cost to you.) Because when...

It is the last full week of IEP meetings and Karen Mayer Cunningham is answering your live questions - and none of the answers are soft. This is a fast-moving Ask the Advocate session covering some of the most important questions in special education right now. Plus - big announcements. The Epic Educator Academy launches June 1st at 7PM Central. The Two-Day Advocacy Intensive is live in Lexington, Kentucky on May 30th and 31st. And the Epic IEP workbook is almost done. Questions answered in this episode: - What happens after a school district violates a mediated agreement? (Hint: it involves going back to the state and possibly a press conference.) - What is a prior written notice and what are the seven legal components? (Also: N/A is never an acceptable answer on a federal document.) - What is the difference between dyslexia and an SLD evaluation? (Stop asking for a dyslexia evaluation. Here is what to ask for instead.) - What are the two criteria required for ESY? (You do not get ESY. You require it.) - My child's IEP was left vague on purpose. Is that legal? (No. It is a legal document. It must be specific. Full stop.) - What triggers out of district placement? What is therapeutic placement? - Can a school district delay an evaluation until next year? (No. 15 days to respond. Period.) - What is predetermination and how do you put it in the record? - Who is responsible for writing modifications - general ed or special ed? (Special ed. Always.) - What do you do when a district violates a compensatory services agreement? - Can a school legally skip implementing an IEP for virtual school students? Resources: Special Education Academy: specialeducationacademy.com Epic IEP Book Bundle: theepiciep.com Epic Educator Academy (June 1): specialeducationacademy.com/training Email: [email protected] Karen Mayer Cunningham is the Special Education Boss - advocate, trainer, and bestselling author of the Epic IEP book series. When we get it right for the child, we get it right for everybody. Support the show ✨ When we get it right for the child, we get it right for everybody. ✨ 👩‍⚖️ Hosted by Karen Mayer Cunningham, Advocate & Special Education Boss® Each week, Karen shares real stories, legal insights, and no-nonsense strategies to help you navigate special education with clarity and confidence. 👉 Subscribe & never miss an episode — new episodes drop every week! 🎓 Join The Academy: Weekly live trainings + 250+ hours of advocacy tools & expert resources 🔗 Learn more at The Epic IEP™ Academy First month free, after that, cancel anytime.  📱 Follow Karen on: TikTok & Instagram: @specialeducationbossYouTube: Special Education Academy🧠 Want to level up your advocacy game? Check out the Advocate's Bookshelf — a curated collection of must-have tools, guides, and legal references every special education advocate should own. From federal code to diagnostic manuals, these are the essentials that help you advocate with clarity and confidence. 📚 Browse now: https://amzn.to/3RiQPLl (As an Amazon Associate, Karen may earn a small commission if you make a purchase — at no extra cost to you.) Because when...