Assistive Technology

Assistive Technology for Reading: 9 Powerful Tools for Dyslexia and Struggling Readers (2026)

Assistive technology for reading: text-to-speech, audiobooks, Bookshare, reading pens and more, with tips to choose and use tools for dyslexia.
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Assistive Technology

Assistive Technology in Special Education: The Complete 2026 Guide for Parents and Teachers

Assistive technology in special education explained: what counts as AT, low to high tech examples, IDEA rules, how to get it and how to use it well.
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Other Disabilities

Auditory Processing Disorder: 6 Proven Classroom Strategies (2026)

Auditory processing disorder (APD): signs at school, APD vs ADHD vs DLD, who diagnoses it and 6 proven classroom listening strategies.
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Other Disabilities

Developmental Coordination Disorder (Dyspraxia): 7 Helpful School Supports (2026)

Developmental coordination disorder (dyspraxia): signs by age, impact on writing and PE, helpful accommodations and real classroom tips.
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Other Disabilities

Epilepsy at School: Seizure First Aid and 5 Essential Supports (2026)

Epilepsy at school: seizure first aid (Stay, Safe, Side), when to call 911, the seizure action plan and 504 or IEP supports for learning.
Stephanie Bermed -
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Calm corner set up in a classroomFor TeachersCalm classrooms, regulation-first strategies and clear routines.Explore Body check-in activity at homeFor ParentsSleep, meltdowns, routines and support that fits your family.Explore Adult resting with headphonesFor Teens & AdultsBurnout, masking, ADHD and life after a late diagnosis.Explore Special education forms binder on a deskFor IEP TeamsSMART goals, 504 accommodations and meeting tools.Explore

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Free Tools

50 Best Motivational Quotes for Special Education Teachers [2026]

50 powerful motivational quotes for special education teachers, organized by purpose, resilience, inclusion & more. Save, share, and stay inspired.
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Classroom

Accommodation Cheat Sheet for Special Education: IEP, 504 & RTI/MTSS [Free PDF]

Accommodation cheat sheet for special education: 130+ IEP accommodations, 504 supports & RTI/MTSS strategies. Free PDF download for teachers and IEP teams.
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Classroom

Effective 504 Accommodations for ADHD: The Complete Parent List 2026

The complete list of 504 accommodations for ADHD, organized by domain, evidence-rated, and ready to bring to your next school meeting. Updated 2026
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Classroom

IEP Goals for Selective Mutism (2026): A Complete SMART Goal Bank

Discover 15+ SMART IEP goals for selective mutism covering communication, social skills, anxiety management, and transition planning. Updated for 2026.
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Executive Functioning Skills Toolkit
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Executive Functioning Skills Toolkit

10 printable tools to help students plan, focus, start tasks, stay organized and reflect on their progress.

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For Teachers

Classroom Strategies

Regulation-first strategies, accommodations and tools for inclusive classrooms.

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Classroom

PDA in the Classroom: Strategies That Work for Teachers (2026)

PDA in the classroom needs a different approach. Learn why rewards backfire and how choice, declarative language, and low demands help students with PDA.
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Classroom

IEP Goal Bank: The Ultimate Guide for Special Education Teams (2026)

Discover 130+ neurodiversity-affirming SMART IEP goals for autism, ADHD, PDA, AuDHD, executive functioning, behavior, and communication. Written by a special education specialist, ready to customize for your students.
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Classroom

10 Simple Strategies to Manage Hyperactivity in the Classroom (2026)

Learn how to manage hyperactivity in the classroom with 10 research-backed, regulation-first strategies for students with ADHD, movement breaks, flexible seating, sensory tools, and IEP goals.
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Behavior & Regulation

Supporting Students With Emotional Dysregulation: 10 Steps for Teachers (2026)

Supporting students with emotional dysregulation: triggers, calming language, co-regulation, classroom supports, IEP accommodations and repair.
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Classroom · IEP & 504

IEP & 504 Guides and Goal Banks

SMART goals, accommodations and meeting tools for every IEP team.

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IEP & 504

Summary of Performance: 5 Essential Parts of a Strong SOP (2026)

Summary of performance (SOP) guide: what IDEA requires at exit, the 5 parts, weak vs strong examples and how colleges and VR use it.
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IEP & 504

Age of Majority: 5 Essential Facts About IEP Rights at 18 (2026)

Age of majority in special education: which IEP rights transfer at 18, the one-year notice rule, a planning timeline and decision-support options.
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IEP & 504

Transition Assessment: 6 Essential Tools to Plan Life After High School (2026)

Transition assessment guide for IEP teams and parents: formal and informal tools, what to assess at each age, and how results shape postsecondary goals.
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IEP & 504

Extended School Year (ESY): 6 Proven Factors and the Best Way to Qualify (2026)

Extended school year services explained: 6 eligibility factors, the data that decides ESY, a planning calendar and examples by need.
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Behavior & Regulation

Restraint and Seclusion in Schools: 6 Essential Steps to Keep Your Child Safe (2026)

Restraint and seclusion in schools: definitions, data, state rules, warning signs, 6 steps after an incident and prevention-first plans.
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For Parents

At Home

Routines, sleep, emotions and IEP support for families.

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At Home

Proven PDA Strategies for Parents: What the Evidence Actually Says (2026)

Discover evidence-based PDA strategies for parents that actually reduce demand avoidance and crisis cycles demand shaping, low-demand communication, adapted CBT, FCT, and a printable action plan.
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Behavior & Regulation

Behavior Is Communication: 10 Classroom Behaviors and What Students Really Need

Behavior is communication: 10 common classroom behaviors decoded with 100 examples of what adults see and what students may be trying to say, plus strategies for each.
Stephanie Bermed -
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At Home

Low Demand Parenting for PDA: The Complete Parent Guide [2026]

Low demand parenting for PDA reduces everyday demands to protect your child's nervous system. Discover 15 affirming strategies that actually work at home.
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At Home

Big Emotions in Children: How to Help Your Child Calm Down

Big emotions in children are normal. Learn why they happen, what to do in the moment, a simple calm-down plan, and how to teach emotional regulation.
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Special Education Forms & Documentation Binder
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Special Education Forms & Documentation Binder

Ready-to-use SPED forms to keep IEP documentation, meetings and data organized all year long.

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Teens & Adults

Neurodivergent Teens & Adults

Transitions, independence, burnout and adult life with autism and ADHD.

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Teens & Adults

Adult ADHD Daily Systems | 30 Printable Routines for Real Life Structure

Struggling to start, stay on track, or wind down? This 38-page printable system was built for the adult ADHD brain, not the brain you wish you had.
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Teens & Adults

PDA and ADHD: Understanding the Overlap and Key Differences (2026)

PDA and ADHD are frequently confused, and frequently co-occur. Learn the key differences, why both are so often missed together, and what support actually works when both profiles are present.
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Teens & Adults

ODD in Adults: When Defiance Is Misunderstood

Oppositional Defiant Disorder doesn't end in childhood. Discover the neurological roots, real symptoms, and evidence-based strategies for adults with ODD, plus a recommended visual guide by BERMED.
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Teens & Adults

AuDHD in Adults: What Schools Miss When Girls Grow Up Undiagnosed

When girls with AuDHD go undiagnosed through childhood, they do not simply grow out of their difficulties. They carry them into adulthood as anxiety, depression, burnout, relationship struggles, and professional instability.
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Understand

Neurodivergent Conditions

Clear, evidence-based guides to autism, ADHD, PDA, learning disabilities and anxiety.

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Conditions

Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA): A Comprehensive Overview for Parents and Educators

A complete overview of Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) for parents and educators: signs, causes and supportive strategies.
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Classroom

PDA in the Classroom: Strategies That Work for Teachers (2026)

PDA in the classroom needs a different approach. Learn why rewards backfire and how choice, declarative language, and low demands help students with PDA.
Stephanie Bermed -
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Conditions

Autism in Girls: Why It Looks Different, Why It Gets Missed, and What Actually Helps

Autism in girls is one of the most underdiagnosed conditions in child development, and the cost of missing it is measured in years of anxiety, burnout, and lost identity.
Stephanie Bermed -
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Conditions

Understanding Dyslexia Support: A Complete 2026 Guide for Educators

Dyslexia support guide for educators, parents & IEP teams in 2026: structured literacy, accommodations, IEP goals, tech tools & the BERMED framework. Evidence-based
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Teens & Adults

Adult ADHD Daily Systems | 30 Printable Routines for Real Life Structure

Struggling to start, stay on track, or wind down? This 38-page printable system was built for the adult ADHD brain, not the brain you wish you had.
Stephanie Bermed -
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Conditions

What Is Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD)? Evidence-Based Guide 2026

Rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD) in ADHD evidence-based guide for special education teachers
Stephanie Bermed -
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Shop & Resources

Free Tools and Product Guides

Printables, glossaries and honest picks for sensory tools, timers and gifts.

All resources
Product Guides

Best Sensory Gifts for Kids With Special Needs: 15 Picks by Sensory Need

Sensory gift ideas for kids with special needs, chosen by sensory profile: calming, movement, tactile and fidget options.
Stephanie Bermed -
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Free Tools

Special Education Glossary: Terms & Acronyms for Parents & Educators

Complete glossary of 150+ special education terms, acronyms, and definitions. IEP, FAPE, LRE, accommodations, IDEA law, and more for parents, teachers, and neurodivergent individuals.
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Product Guides

Best Visual Timers for Kids With ADHD and Autism (2026 Guide)

Compare the best visual timers for kids with ADHD and autism: silent Time Timer models, digital and traffic-light options, plus tips for home and class.
Stephanie Bermed -
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Product Guides

Gifts for Sped Teachers: 20 Ideas They’ll Actually Use

The best gifts for sped teachers are practical, personal, and signal genuine appreciation for one of the most demanding roles in public education.
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Editor's Picks

Worth Reading This Week

Three practical guides our readers are saving and sharing.

Other Disabilities

Tourette Syndrome at School: 6 Helpful Accommodations Teachers Love (2026)

Tourette syndrome at school: understanding tics, key CDC facts, what to do and not do, helpful accommodations and how to talk to classmates.
Stephanie Bermed -
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Other Disabilities

Traumatic Brain Injury in School: A Proven Return-to-Learn Plan (2026)

Traumatic brain injury in school: concussion vs severe TBI, a return-to-learn plan, adjustments by symptom and when a 504 or IEP is needed.
Stephanie Bermed -
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Other Disabilities

Visual Impairment in the Classroom: 7 Simple Adaptations That Work (2026)

Visual impairment in the classroom: low vision to blindness, braille and the IEP, the Expanded Core Curriculum and 7 simple adaptations.
Stephanie Bermed -
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Archive

More Articles

Browse earlier guides and resources from IEPfocus.

Other Disabilities

Developmental Language Disorder (DLD): 7 Powerful Classroom Strategies (2026)

Developmental language disorder (DLD) explained: what it is, signs by age, how it affects learning and 7 classroom strategies that really help.
Stephanie Bermed -
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Other Disabilities

Intellectual Disability in the Classroom: 7 Proven Strategies That Help Students Thrive (2026)

Intellectual disability in the classroom: what it means, signs by age, support needs, proven teaching strategies and IEP goal ideas for real progress.
Stephanie Bermed -
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ADHD

ADHD Symptoms in Boys: Signs by Age and What to Do

ADHD symptoms in boys usually show up as constant movement, acting before thinking, trouble waiting, losing things and drifting off during tasks that feel...
Stephanie Bermed -
IEP & 504

Summary of Performance: 5 Essential Parts of a Strong SOP (2026)

Summary of performance (SOP) guide: what IDEA requires at exit, the 5 parts, weak vs strong examples and how colleges and VR use it.
Stephanie Bermed -
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Transition to Adulthood

College Accommodations: 5 Simple Steps When the IEP Ends (2026)

College accommodations for students with disabilities: high school vs college rules, 5 steps to register, common accommodations and email scripts.
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Transition to Adulthood

SSI at 18: 5 Essential Changes Every Family Must Know (2026)

SSI at 18 explained: the age-18 redetermination, why parent income stops counting, 2026 payment amounts, a timeline and tips to prepare.
Stephanie Bermed -
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Transition to Adulthood

18-21 Transition Programs: 7 Signs of a Quality Program (2026)

18-21 transition programs explained: who can attend, the diploma decision, quality indicators, a sample week and questions to ask the IEP team.
Stephanie Bermed -
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