The special education process is as confusing as h*ll. I get that. I've sat at 1000+ IEP tables. My specialty is clearly laying out exactly what your child's evaluations say, what they mean, and helping you to develop goals for their education.
What is virtual IEP coaching?
IEP coaching is a way for families to understand the evaluation and special education/504 process. Coaching provides opportunities to develop goals for their child's education and methods to work with the educational team in a collaborative model. We operate on a virtual platform so that we can serve anyone in the country from the comfort of their homes or offices!
What will I gain from IEP coaching?
Parent rights
Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) all parents have the right to be active members of their child's special education planning. Your coach will help you to understand these rights and to advocate for your child.
Record review
Special education and medical evaluations and records seem like they are written in another language! Your coach will break them down into clear components and help you to understand your child's present levels.
Goals & Accommodations
Based on your child's present levels and your visions of your child's future, your coach will create goal recommendations for you and the educational team. You will also walk through some needed accommodations or modifications that your child will need to meet those goals.
Coaching
Families often know what they want for their children, but aren't sure how to work collaboratively with the educational team. Your coach will help bridge that gap to empower you for this year and years to come.
Resources
Your coach has been a part of IEP meetings for years. They have a plethora of resources and recommendations based your family's needs.
Confidence
You've got this! We're here to help.
Hi! I'm Dr. Cheri Dodge Chin
Lindsay (Parent & SpedTeacher)
Dr. Dodge is a phenomenal special education advocate! I have known her for 15 years and she is constantly coming up with new and inventive ways to make the special education process easier to understand. Dr. Dodge encourages parents/caregivers to be an active member of the IEP team and welcomes any and all communication and ideas. She is a wonderful support for any team.
Suzanne (Parent)
I was very nervous before attending my son’s first IEP meeting. After our first meeting, Dr. Dodge allayed all of my concerns. She laid out exactly what we could expect, the roles of the different individuals involved, what our rights were, the types of accommodations that she felt would work for my son, and made sure to let us know that we had the right to make changes if things weren’t quite right. We continued to work together over the next six years. She was truly the lynchpin for my son’s educational team. The skills and knowledge I gained from her guidance helped make me a confident advocate for my son and for his teachers.
Darbi (Parent)
Dr. Dodge made an overwhelming process with many moving parts make sense! We worked with her for multiple years and were always confident that our daughter's needs would be met with her help. I learned how to work with the educational team and develop strong relationships with them so that we could all work together for my daughter's best education.