

Special Education Inner Circle
Catherine Whitcher
The Special Education Inner Circle podcast is hosted by Catherine Kahl, M.Ed, founder of the Master IEP Coach® Mentorship. Get your notebook ready as Catherine brings you real-world strategies for everyone at the IEP table. With her family's experience in the disability community and her journey from Special Education classroom teacher to IEP expert, Catherine knows what it takes to prepare students and families for the future. Get ready to be inspired and learn actionable steps you can take immediately to change your special education experience.
Episodes
Mentioned books

May 18, 2022 • 12min
#131: Take the Fluff Out of Your IEP To-Do List
It's time for you to give yourself permission to take the fluff out of your IEP to-do list! Lean in and listen to this quick, honest message about how to focus on what NEEDS to get done. I've got three strategies to help you right now! Learn to Become a Master IEP Coach www.masterIEPcoach.com/info Get free weekly IEP training! www.masterIEPcoach.com/masterclass Get expert IEP Help you can't get anywhere else! www.masterIEPcoach.com/innercircle

May 11, 2022 • 23min
#130: Connection vs. Compliance with Katja Piscitelli
There's a lot of talk about compliance during the school day for students who have an IEP. What should your child be doing? What guidelines do they need to follow? What needs to happen? And is this compliance or connection? All of these things get wrapped up into a bigger emotional conversation. That's exactly why I brought Katja Piscitelli (@bohospeechie) to talk about connection vs. compliance and how we can help understand our students behavior and language through motivation and communication! Learn to Become a Master IEP Coachwww.masterIEPcoach.com/info Get free weekly IEP training! www.masterIEPcoach.com/masterclass Get expert IEP Help you can't get anywhere else! www.masterIEPcoach.com/innercircle Get Connected with Katja Pisctelli, M.S., CCC-SLP: IG: @bohospeechie FB: Boho Speechie - https://www.facebook.com/Boho-Speechie-106659364821136/ Meaningful Speech Course: https://www.meaningfulspeech.com/ Marge Blanc's website with links to research : https://communicationdevelopmentcenter.com/ Grab the Books Mentioned in the Episode: Self-Reg: How to Help Your Child (and You) Break the Stress Cycle and Successfully Engage with Life https://amzn.to/35j5HVo Punished by Rewards: The Trouble with Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, A's, Praise, and Other Bribes https://amzn.to/3tNLXTh Natural Language Acquisition on the Autism Spectrum: The Journey from Echolalia to Self-Generated Language https://amzn.to/3uEA4ya

May 4, 2022 • 7min
#129: 3 Keys to AAC in the IEP
AAC, also known as augmentative and alternative communication, is key part of so many IEPs! I want to make sure you have these 3 keys for effective AAC strategies directly in the IEP. We can write down anything inside the IEP, but if we don't know what to ask for and how to follow through with those requests, then it's all just words on a page. So grab your notepad, because you're going to want these 3 keys! I have 12 questions you need to ask before your next IEP meeting. Grab yours today at iepchecklist.com. Want more AAC strategies? Check out our episode from a few months ago with Lucy from @thealternativewaytoprek all about AAC for early learners. Want to watch Lucy's expert session on AAC (plus all our other guest expert sessions)? Become an Inner Circle VIP today: www.masteriepcoach.com/innercircle

Apr 27, 2022 • 23min
#128: You are More Than a Special Education Parent or Teacher
You are more than a teacher. You are more than a parent. You are MORE! That's exactly why I brought Amanda DeLuca and Kate Swenson on the show to talk about a topic that's quite often seen as taboo. Amanda and Kate's nonprofit, The More Than Project, aims to provide free telehealth and mental health counseling for caregivers of special needs children. With both women being special needs mothers, they understood the stress, exhaustion, and struggle that comes with special needs caregiving and wanted to serve others with the support they wish they had years ago. We're going to hit some of those tough topics and give you some bigger solutions, too. Learn to Become a Master IEP Coach www.masterIEPcoach.com/info Get free weekly IEP training! www.masterIEPcoach.com/masterclass Get expert IEP Help you can't get anywhere else! www.masterIEPcoach.com/innercircle Connect with Amanda and Kate: Our nonprofit, The More Than Project: Foundation - Finding Cooper's Voice | Welcome to the Secret World of Autism Jackson's Journey, Jackson's Voice Kate's book, Forever Boy: https://amzn.to/3691swl Home - Finding Cooper's Voice | Welcome to the Secret World of Autism (findingcoopersvoice.com)

Apr 20, 2022 • 10min
#127: 3 Thoughts on Building a Business that Employs Disabled Adults
We just added another AMAZING speaker to our Master IEP Coach VIP Weekend in Milwaukee! And this new speaker has me thinking about all the ways we could be creating better opportunities for adults with disabilities after their time with an IEP. Lean in and listen to 3 reasons why you should build a business that employs disabled adults in your community! We're going to take that one step further at VIP Weekend. Yes, our VIP IEP weekend is focused on IEPs, but IEPs are all about preparing for an awesome life. Building a business in your community could be part of the big IEP picture! Sign Up for the VIP IEP Weekend here + meet our new speaker in person! Become a Master IEP Coach today: www.masteriepcoach.com/info

Apr 13, 2022 • 10min
#126: Special Education Doesn't Need to Be So Cold
"Show me the data. What's this child's eligibility category? What does the latest behavior data look like? Tell me what the medical diagnosis is for this child." All these things are so clinical, but special education doesn't have to feel so cold. Today, we're going to talk about 3 ways to bring some warmth to balance out the numbers at an IEP meeting. Learn to Become a Master IEP Coach www.masterIEPcoach.com/info Get free weekly IEP training! www.masterIEPcoach.com/masterclass Get expert IEP Help you can't get anywhere else! www.masterIEPcoach.com/innercircle

Apr 6, 2022 • 18min
#125: Finding Joy, Even on the Tough Days with Kate Swenson
Finding joy in our disabilities community can be tough, but it's possible! That's why I've brought Kate Swenson to talk about her new book, Forever Boy: A Mother's Memoir of Autism and Finding Joy. Kate Swenson, the founder of Finding Cooper's Voice and nonprofit, The More Than Project, is a mother to four kids, a wife, and a proud Minnesotan. She writes and creates videos regularly about her life as a mother and an autism advocate for Facebook, Instagram, and her website, Finding Cooper's Voice. Her book, Forever Boy, A Mother's Memoir of Autism and Finding Joy, is available now and highlights the transformation that she went through after her son's diagnosis. Learn to Become a Master IEP Coach www.masterIEPcoach.com/info Get free weekly IEP training! www.masterIEPcoach.com/masterclass Get expert IEP Help you can't get anywhere else! www.masterIEPcoach.com/innercircle Connect with Kate: My website: Home - Finding Cooper's Voice | Welcome to the Secret World of Autism (findingcoopersvoice.com) Instagram: www.instagram.com/findingcoopersvoice My book, Forever Boy: https://amzn.to/3691swl My Supporter Group on Facebook, Coop's Troops: https://www.facebook.com/772295979579532/support/ Our nonprofit, The More Than Project: Foundation - Finding Cooper's Voice | Welcome to the Secret World of Autism (findingcoopersvoice.com)

Mar 30, 2022 • 10min
#124: Reminder About Choosing Special Education Placements
An important reminder from Catherine about choosing classrooms for children with an IEP. This episode was recorded LIVE on YouTube. Follow Master IEP Coach®️ on YouTube here. My favorite tool to give out to special education parents and teachers is my IEP Checklist with 12 Hard Questions you NEED to ask! These are IMPORTANT issues that have to be addressed by the IEP team, but they often get left behind or pushed aside. So let's dive into one of those questions... You shouldn't be doing Special Education alone. I've got some resources that can help. Get started and grab the other 11 questions you need to ask at the IEP Table here: www.iepchecklist.com

Mar 23, 2022 • 20min
#123: IEPs & Parenting on the Hard Days with Megan Champion
We're always talking about resources for teachers and students, but what about Mom? The special education journey can feel extremely lonely and that's why Megan Champion is here! Megan built Mothers Together, a supportive community for mothers raising neurodivergent children, to help others find true friendship and confidence! Learn to Become a Master IEP Coach www.masterIEPcoach.com/info Get free weekly IEP training! www.masterIEPcoach.com/masterclass Get expert IEP Help you can't get anywhere else! www.masterIEPcoach.com/innercircle Connect with Megan: IG: @on.the.hard.days website: ontheharddays.com Email: ontheharddays@gmail.com Podcast: On The Hard Days Mothers Together - Group for mothers raising neurodivergent kids

Mar 16, 2022 • 27min
#122: Simple IEP Transition Planning Strategies with Heather
Transition planning can feel like such a mystery! We're taking the fear out of planning for life after school. Heather from A Love for Special Learning shares 5 things you may not know about transition programming and services. Learn to Become a Master IEP Coach www.masterIEPcoach.com/info (link in bio) Get free weekly IEP training! www.masterIEPcoach.com/masterclass Get expert IEP Help you can't get anywhere else! www.masterIEPcoach.com/innercircle Connect with Heather: Instagram & Facebook- @ALoveForSpecialLearning Website- aloveforspeciallearning.com TeachersPayTeachers- A Love for Special Learning SpEd Transition Teacher Community Membership


