Empowering Parents for IEP Meetings with Beth Liesenfeld

Inclusive Education Project (IEP) Podcast

The end of the school year is happening over the next few weeks all around the country. Like us, many parents, teachers, and professionals are involved in IEP meetings galore. We believe that parents need to be empowered to take an active role in the IEP process. Join us to learn more from our expert guest!

Beth Liesenfeld is the host of the Elevate Your Advocacy podcast and the founder of Parent Friendly OT. After learning ASL and interacting with deaf people, Beth worked with children with special needs and became certified as an adaptive horseback riding instructor. She figured out that occupational therapy was her “sweet spot,” and she worked in a clinical setting in early intervention, outpatient therapy, and in-home therapy. After seeing how the OT world functions outside the school system, Beth transitioned into schools. After participating in 80 IEP meetings each year, she learned the jargon and understood the process, now using her knowledge to help other parents learn what they need to know. With this big-picture view in our post-pandemic world, she stays busy with side hustles in investment and real estate fields, along with focusing on Parent Friendly OT.

Show Highlights:

• How Parent Friendly OT offers workshops, courses, and summits to help others understand the OT process and help parents map out their parent input plan
• Why the parent is THE expert on the child, knowing what works and what doesn’t work with that child
• Why the parent should be the accountability partner for the IEP team
• How an IEP meeting without the parent’s input feels empty and ineffective
• What Beth tells parents about their role in IEP meetings in setting the vision and expectations and focusing the team’s effort
• Why parents should communicate in IEP meetings about what language and measures to use to meet their child’s needs
• Beth shares a success story from her experience with a middle school student’s parent

Links/Resources:

Thank you for listening!

Connect with Beth and check out her courses and products: www. parentfriendlyot.com

Find Beth’s podcast, Elevate Your Advocacy.

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This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not to be construed as legal advice specific to your circumstances. If you need help with any legal matters, be sure to consult with an attorney regarding your specific needs.