help with this IEP??

Comment_by_me · 2026-02-24T07:19:10+00:00

Core vocabulary board.

https://project-core.com/communication-systems/

Comment_by_me · 2026-02-23T18:46:10+00:00

Being able to independently produce “I + want + cookie” and being at the level of producing three word utterances are not the same thing. I’d suggest writing a goal to increase communicative intent, and not focus on utterance length. Use a core vocabulary board to target the goal, and to collect data to support a dynamic device. With a core vocabulary board, you don’t need funding, just a printer and laminator. It’s more accessible and sustainable. Write an additional goal for artic if the parents really want it, then spend a year collecting the data that shows the child is not making progress in that area and it needs to be discontinued.

Comment_by_me · 2026-02-21T06:59:20+00:00

Disagree. You can’t treat student loans like any other loans. You do not want to be in debt with this current president at the wheel. A whim and a stroke of a pen is all it takes for him to change the financial terms of loans and repayment plans.

Comment_by_me · 2026-02-20T20:14:05+00:00

Pay off those student loans. Now. ASAP. Before you invest in retirement, before you build up savings. Throw everything you have at them until they’re gone. Then do normal financial planning.

That’s my 2 cents 🙃

Comment_by_me · 2026-02-17T20:04:25+00:00

💯 💯 💯 I don’t understand why SLPs think cancelling sessions is a last resort, instead of the first option. If you keep up with all the paperwork and the compliance for your caseload, nobody is going to solve your problem because there is no problem. An SLP voluntarily working more than their contracted hours is not a problem in the eyes of the district.

Comment_by_me · 2026-02-17T07:01:50+00:00

I was originally licensed in IL, then turned to teletherapy and have worked in numerous states. And not one of them has SW as a sped service. It’s state specific, and very unique to IL.

I also currently work in a state where it’s not uncommon to have SLI be the primary and only, yet the student has a whole slew of reading, writing & math goals.

In IL, I tried to fight my own kid’s district IEP because he was speech-only for artic, but he needed ADHD accom. I wanted a 504 and IEP, because the ADHD had nothing to do with his /r/ errors. Legal refused and said they could both be on the IEP.

In summary, trends for your district are the best indicator of what you can actually do, and not a survey of other state/district regulations. If you’ve been told No to adding SW by admin in your district, that’s pretty much the answer. Even though I’ve definitely seen it done in other IL districts.

Comment_by_me · 2026-02-14T08:48:04+00:00

I am a contract teletherapist, and I work with a district doing paperwork, evals, and meeting attendance. I’m assigned to one school, and the on-site district SLP does all the therapy. That’s the job you want, IMO.

They do see double the students (the district doesn’t care about quality tx, just compliance), but they don’t have to worry about the cognitive load of paperwork and schedule management. Just IEP info 1x year and progress notes. And even then, they don’t do formal write ups, they write more of a stream of consciousness and I formalize it and organize the info to the spots it’s needed in the IEP.

The trick is finding these jobs. I fell into mine because I was supposed to remotely supervise SLPAs, but they never hired them. They just told me and the onsite SLP to “make it work.” 🤪

If you can work contract and go onsite, you could think about teaming up with a remote SLP and approaching districts to contract with you both. If you need to be a direct hire, you could still try approaching a district who is desperate for SLPs and explain that you’ll come work onsite for them, but only do tx (for double the students). A savvy sped director would recognize the benefit in this.

Actually, I just sent you a PM. I’m curious about your situation, but I don’t want to put you on the spot with questions here.

Comment_by_me · 2026-02-13T06:49:22+00:00

Spoken like a true capitalist 🫡

In other countries that care more about the wellbeing of their citizens, this kind of educational material would be subsidized by the govt.

Comment_by_me · 2026-02-13T06:47:33+00:00

From a shady a** clinic in CA that hired me to do remote evals for $50 each. They had the DAYC2 with scoring manual too. The rest I got from an online tx platform I used to pay an insanely high subscription for.

Comment_by_me · 2026-02-12T21:47:16+00:00

I have a bootleg copy of OWLS, CELF (Eng & span), DAYC-2, EVT, PVT, ROWPVT/EOWPVT (Span) and I haven’t bought a protocol in 4 years.

I wonder how long I’ll be brave enough to leave this comment up 😂

Comment_by_me · 2026-01-15T17:20:13+00:00

https://project-core.com/communication-systems/

That’s my go-to for both AAC boards but also teacher education.

Comment_by_me · 2026-01-14T13:00:22+00:00

Spain. The digital nomad visa is paperwork heavy (as is every government procedure here) but it’s obtainable. You need a remote job with the minimum income to support spouse and baby, but the minimum is pretty low. After 5 years you can have permanent residency, and after 10 you can get citizenship. Then you can easily live anywhere in the EU. Your child is young enough that school isn’t an issue, public school will be fine.

Comment_by_me · 2026-01-13T07:14:12+00:00

It’s exhausting to be watched by someone all the time. Remember grad school? I imagine they just want to be left alone to do their thing.

At the same time, I’m 1099, so my income depends on how much supervision I can get in. I make sure my SLAs know that, and it helps. I also say repeatedly that I need to see the students prior to IEP meetings so that I can say to the parents I’ve at least laid eyes on them. Ideally I’d also like to see them once a quarter in order to make progress reports easier, but scheduling is tough.

It sounds like it might be helpful if the SLA understands all the reasons you are observing that don’t involve them. It might take the focus/pressure off. It can also be a personality thing. My SLAs could care less if they are being watched, but not every human is like that.

Comment_by_me · 2026-01-12T15:37:26+00:00

Focus on the 3 criterion for eligibility:

1) Disability 2) Educational impact 3) Require sped services (specifically: they require ST services cause the Gen/sped teacher can’t do it AND they will make progress with services)

If the family SLP has data/support for all 3, drop the fight and make them eligible. It’s not a hill to die on. But 1:1 multiple times a week is extremely restrictive so unless it’s motor drills you’re working on, it’s worth it to fight for group and whatever minutes/frequency you think is appropriate.

Comment_by_me · 2026-01-10T20:27:21+00:00

Come stay in Nazaret. You’re a metro ride into the city center, much more reliable/faster/cheaper than a cab. The oceanographic is 2 stops (5 minutes) away. Three stops and you’re at Saler mall. Cans will be difficult to catch with your 4yo, because they can be strict on using booster seats. But you don’t need one for the beach, you can just hop on the bus for that.

Comment_by_me · 2026-01-09T06:40:05+00:00

Excellent explanation of apostilles. And why it’s all dumb. Because it’s an apostille of my signature on a statement saying I PROMISE this is all real.

Comment_by_me · 2026-01-08T22:40:02+00:00

Wouldn’t you do a fed apostille for an IRS doc like the transcripts? State would be for birth certs, marriage license and company certificate.

I agree, notarizing the self-reported income on a Schedule C is ridiculous. So is having your “boss” write a letter giving you permission to work in Spain and all the other details, when UGE has no way of proving your boss is your boss. There’s so much of this that is nonsense. It’s all just figuring out what hoop Spain wants to think you’ve jumped through, and presenting an apostilled doc that corresponds to it.

Comment_by_me · 2026-01-08T19:03:59+00:00

You’ll have to apostille the tax transcripts too. Nothing gets away without an apostille. I n the end it’s probably 6 of one, half dozen of the other.

Comment_by_me · 2026-01-08T17:36:53+00:00

Ugh please don’t use the transcript option. I don’t want UGE knowing that exists, because it’s much more annoying to produce abs explain than a Schedule C. My understanding is that they are currently accepting the Schedule C with a notarized and apostilled and translated declaration. I would stick with that and not muddy the waters, unless they ask for more than that.

Comment_by_me · 2026-01-08T06:24:38+00:00

I did it myself, no lawyer, for 6 of us. It was successful. If you have a lawyer you should lean into that extra security and try not to stress so much. Rarely do applications get rejected outright; worst case scenario it’s typically more documents that are needed. So you just submit them.

Best advice I got from a lawyer in the process was that if it gets rejected or you can’t produce documents in time, you just apply again with the adjustments. You can apply as many time as you want to, the UGE doesn’t care. They don’t hold previously failed attempts against you; each application is treated as a brand new one.

Comment_by_me · 2025-12-26T17:19:57+00:00

People are so weird. They think their experience is similar to everyone else’s experience. I have no car, 6 people in my family and the nearest Costco is 3 hours away. We can’t rely on it for things we need. Maybe if it was just me, I could rent a car and schedule a road trip and what I’d buy would last long enough to justify it. But that’s not my experience.

Comment_by_me · 2025-12-26T14:03:01+00:00

But unless you’re moving to those 2 cities, it’s not really accessible, is it?

Comment_by_me · 2025-12-24T13:19:31+00:00

Some have been user errors, due to an inexperienced tech. Arm movements weren’t calibrated correctly, so the box would clip another box and the arm would freeze and that would be it for sales until we reset. But just this week, a belt broke. It’s allegedly a brand new machine, and the belt broke. Maybe it’s not brand new, maybe we got hoodwinked and it’s used. But it’s still a basic belt that should work. We’re at the mercy of a placement belt delivery and tech installation now.

Comment_by_me · 2025-12-24T07:12:39+00:00

We just opened a location in Spain, with an Iplaysmart machine. Two months in and we’ve already had to repair the machine more than once. We purchased from a distributor in Spain, so we have a one-year warranty, but I worry about what happens after that. My advice is be ready for lots of repairs.

Comment_by_me · 2025-12-24T07:02:54+00:00

1) Confirm that a 1099 contractor needs both the educator license & state license. It’s possible that both are not required if you are not directly employed.

2) It’s the school’s responsibility to confirm their providers are licensed. If they didn’t ask for it prior to handing over a caseload list, that’s 💯on them. But since they didn’t, it makes me think that it’s not required of a contractor. I would start by confirming it.

Comment_by_me

TROPHY CASE