Today’s episode is Part 1 of our conversation with Santanna Ficken, a mental health practitioner who proudly identifies as a disabled, autistic/ADHDer with multiple neurodivergencies. Santanna is a passionate advocate with MnNEAT (Minnesota Neurodivergent Education, Advocacy, and Therapy Services), which focuses on building trust and relationships in the neurodivergent community while advocating for social justice for all disabled people. Join us to learn more!

Show Highlights:

• Santanna’s background in advocacy and support for neurodivergent children and their families
• Ableism—what people should know about this form of discrimination
• Understanding the three types of ableism: institutional, internalized, and interpersonal
• The IEP process is clearly systemic ableism, as Santanna explains.
• Our focus on “fixing” a disability is wrong.
• The difficulties in trying to redirect IEP conversations to ensure that every child has an affirming educational experience with accessibility
• What Santanna wants every school team to know
• The need for plain language in IEPs that focuses on supporting the child

Links/Resources:

Connect with Santanna Ficken and MnNEAT: Website

Contact us on social media or through our website for more information on the IEP Learning Center: www.inclusiveeducationproject.org

Thank you for listening!

Don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to the show to receive every new episode delivered straight to your podcast player every Tuesday.

If you enjoyed this episode and believe in our message, then please help us get the word out about this podcast. Rate and Review this show on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher Radio, or Google Play. It helps other listeners find this show.

Be sure to connect with us and reach out with any questions/concerns:

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Email us: admin@iepcalifornia.org

June is here! That means many school districts are on summer break, and many more are in the last week or so of the school year. Wherever June finds you, we are glad you’re with us for this exciting episode.

We have mentioned bullying on the show many times, but we’ve never dedicated an episode to it. We welcome Alain Pelletier, a professional youth speaker on the topic of bullying. He has been fully engrossed in this topic for several years, and he shares with us how he finds a connection with youth on bullying through theory and emotion.

Show Highlights:

• The emotional process around understanding bullying: utilizing empathy and sympathy
• What parents should know about bullying
• Alain’s process when he speaks to children about bullying
• Alain’s story of “the kid in the back of the room”
• “How can we stop bullying?” is the wrong question.
• The most critical emotional education of your children takes place in their first 12 years.

Links/Resources:

Connect with Alain Pelletier: Website

Contact us on social media or through our website for more information on the IEP Learning Center: www.inclusiveeducationproject.org

Thank you for listening!

Don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to the show to receive every new episode delivered straight to your podcast player every Tuesday.

If you enjoyed this episode and believe in our message, then please help us get the word out about this podcast. Rate and Review this show on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher Radio, or Google Play. It helps other listeners find this show.

Be sure to connect with us and reach out with any questions/concerns:

Facebook

Instagram–We are doing videos on Instagram, so connect with us here and send us your questions!

Twitter

IEP website

Email us: admin@iepcalifornia.org

We are honored to visit again with Dr. Alexander Tan to discuss the integrity of evaluations and assessments of English-language learners. This topic aligns perfectly with our goal of helping all parents better understand the IEP process. Are we providing culturally- and linguistically-responsible evaluations? Do parents of different cultural backgrounds understand the numbers and data that we are using? Join us to learn more in today’s episode!

Dr. Alexander Tan is a board-certified clinical neuropsychologist and supervisor at Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC). His expertise is in the assessment of neurological and neurodevelopmental disorders in children and adolescents. He is an internationally recognized expert and frequent speaker about topics such as autism, ADHD, learning disabilities, and mental health. He recently joined us for Episode 310: A Holistic View of Language and Cultural Context.

Show Highlights:

• Dr. Tan’s role in the assessment process: to inform and educate the parents
• The value of conversations in context to equip and empower the parents
• Cultural and language differences can impact the integrity of assessments at the most foundational levels.
• The feedback session is the most important part of any evaluation.
• A holistic perspective of contributing factors and inconsistencies in evaluations is essential.
• The overriding question in my role is, “Are we as evaluators painting an accurate picture of this student and their needs?”
• Dr. Tan emphasizes the four major guidelines in test/evaluation fairness for diverse populations: maximizing comfort in evaluations, minimizing biases in tests and test items, maximizing accessibility in testing, and maximizing the validity of our interpretations

Links/Resources:

Connect with Dr. Alexander Tan: Website

Contact us on social media or through our website for more information on the IEP Learning Center: www.inclusiveeducationproject.org

Thank you for listening!

Don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to the show to receive every new episode delivered straight to your podcast player every Tuesday.

If you enjoyed this episode and believe in our message, then please help us get the word out about this podcast. Rate and Review this show on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher Radio, or Google Play. It helps other listeners find this show.

Be sure to connect with us and reach out with any questions/concerns:

Facebook

Instagram–We are doing videos on Instagram, so connect with us here and send us your questions!

Twitter

IEP website

Email us: admin@iepcalifornia.org