How to Prepare for a Manifestation Determination Review Without a Lawyer
Step-by-step preparation for an MDR when you can't afford a special education attorney — the two-prong test, what to bring, and the exact language to use.
Blog
All articles about Behavior Support & FBA/BIP Toolkit.
Printable FBA/BIP Toolkit vs Behavior Management App: Which Works Better for Parent Advocacy?
Comparing printable FBA/BIP advocacy toolkits against behavior management apps — what each does well and why meeting-table advocacy requires paper.
FBA/BIP Toolkit vs Hiring a Special Education Advocate: Which Do You Actually Need?
Comparing a self-advocacy FBA/BIP toolkit against hiring a professional special education advocate — cost, effectiveness, and when each option makes sense.
How to Disagree with Your School's Behavior Plan (and What to Do When a BCBA Can Help)
The school's BIP isn't working or isn't clinically sound. Here's how to challenge it, what to bring to the meeting, and when to bring a private BCBA.
Child Restrained at School: What to Do and What the Law Requires
Your child was physically restrained or secluded at school. Here's what the law requires, what to document, and how to fight back effectively.
Best Behavior Support Toolkit for Parents Who Can't Afford a Special Education Advocate
The best FBA/BIP advocacy toolkit for parents who need to self-advocate at IEP meetings and discipline hearings because professional advocates cost $150–$300/hour.
How to Request an FBA in Writing: A Step-by-Step Parent Guide
Requesting a Functional Behavioral Assessment in writing triggers legal timelines and protections. Here's exactly what to write and what happens next.
The School-to-Prison Pipeline, Zero Tolerance, and Racial Disproportionality in School Discipline
Students with disabilities — especially Black and Hispanic students — face a school discipline system that criminalizes disability. Here's what the data shows and what parents can do.
School Refusing to Do an FBA or Not Following Your Child's Behavior Plan
Your school won't do an FBA or keeps ignoring the BIP. Here's exactly what federal law says you can do — including requesting Prior Written Notice.
Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS): A Parent's Guide
What PBIS means for your child, how the three-tier system works, and what to do when universal supports aren't enough for a student with a disability.
Restraint and Seclusion in Schools: What Parents Need to Know About Their Rights
What physical restraint and seclusion mean in schools, the legal landscape by state, and exactly what to do if your child has been restrained or secluded at school.
How to Request an IEE: Getting an Independent Educational Evaluation at Public Expense
How to request an Independent Educational Evaluation, when schools must fund it, and how to use an IEE to challenge an inadequate FBA or behavioral assessment.
Behavior Tracking Sheet for Parents: How to Collect Your Own Data at Home and School
How parents can use a behavior tracking sheet to document their child's behavior, spot patterns, and bring independent data to IEP and behavioral support meetings.
Alternatives to Wrightslaw for Parents Navigating School Behavior Disputes
Looking for a faster, more practical alternative to Wrightslaw for behavior advocacy? Here are the best options — from free resources to fill-in-the-blank toolkits.
ABC Data Collection for Parents: How to Track Your Child's Behavior at Home
ABC data — Antecedent, Behavior, Consequence — is the same tool behavioral specialists use. Here's how parents can collect it and use it at IEP meetings.
Trauma-Informed Behavior Plans: When ACEs Are Driving School Behavior
Standard behavior plans can re-traumatize vulnerable students. Here's what a trauma-informed BIP looks like and how to advocate for one at your child's IEP.
Undiagnosed Disability and Behavior Problems at School: What Parents Need to Know
If your child has chronic behavior issues but no diagnosis, the school may still be legally required to evaluate them. Here's what the Child Find mandate means for you.
Suspension and IEP Rights: What Happens When Your Child with a Disability Keeps Getting Suspended
Your child with an IEP or ADHD diagnosis can't simply be expelled. Here's what IDEA says about suspension rights, MDR, and how to stop the cycle.
Sensory Meltdown vs Tantrum: Understanding the Difference Matters for School Support
How to tell the difference between a sensory meltdown and a tantrum, why it matters for IEP behavioral support, and what schools must provide when a child is in sensory overload.
School Exclusion for Disability Behavior: What Parents in the UK, Australia, and Canada Need to Know
Disability-related school exclusions in the UK, Australia, and Canada follow different rules than in the US — but the same patterns of over-exclusion exist. Here's what applies where.
The Four Functions of Behavior: What Every Parent Needs to Know
Understanding the four functions of behavior — escape, attention, tangibles, and sensory — and why identifying the function changes everything about how schools respond.
Restorative Justice in School Discipline: What It Is and How It Helps Students with Disabilities
Restorative justice replaces zero-tolerance suspension with community repair. Research shows it cuts suspensions significantly — including for students with disabilities.
Behavior Intervention Plan Examples: What a Real BIP Looks Like (and What to Watch Out For)
Real behavior intervention plan examples showing what a legally sound, function-matched BIP includes — and the red flags that tell you a BIP is a punishment list in disguise.
Antecedent Behavior Consequence Chart: How to Use ABC Data to Understand Your Child
How to collect and read ABC (Antecedent-Behavior-Consequence) data to identify what triggers your child's behavior and what the school should be doing about it.
ADHD Behavior Plan at School: What It Should Include and How to Get One That Works
An ADHD behavior plan built on punishment won't stop the suspension cycle. Here's what an effective FBA-based BIP for ADHD actually looks like.
Replacement Behavior Examples: Teaching Kids What to Do Instead
Concrete replacement behavior examples by function, and why the replacement behavior must serve the same purpose as the problem behavior to actually work.
Prior Written Notice in Special Education: How to Use PWN as a Parent Advocacy Tool
What prior written notice means in special education, when to demand it, and how to use PWN to create a paper trail that protects your child's rights.
Manifestation Determination Review: What It Is and How to Prepare
What triggers a manifestation determination review, how the two-prong test works, and the exact steps to take before the meeting to protect your child's placement.
Emotional Disturbance IEP: What the Diagnosis Means and What Schools Must Provide
What the Emotional Disturbance category means under IDEA, how ED differs from social maladjustment, and what your child's IEP must include to actually address the underlying needs.
Behavior Is Communication: What Your Child Is Actually Trying to Tell the School
Understanding the principle that behavior is communication — and how reframing your child's 'problem behavior' changes everything about how schools are legally required to respond.
Behavior Goals in an IEP: What Makes a Goal Legally and Clinically Adequate
How to evaluate behavior goals in an IEP — what makes a behavioral goal measurable, function-matched, and legally defensible under IDEA.