BERMED
Special Education Teacher · United States · IEPFOCUS.COM
I am a special education teacher based in the United States, with more than 10 years of experience working alongside neurodivergent students and the educators and families who support them. Over the years, I saw the same gap again and again: teachers who genuinely cared, but lacked tools that were both evidence-based and actually usable in a real classroom. That gap is why I built IEPFOCUS.COM.
This site is the home of every resource, article, and strategy I wish had existed when I started. Everything here is grounded in the belief that neurodivergent students do not need to be fixed — they need to be understood, supported, and given the right conditions to thrive.
My Philosophy
How I Think About Teaching
Regulation Before Instruction
A student who does not feel safe cannot learn. Before anything academic happens, the nervous system needs to feel settled. Every strategy I use starts there.
Strengths First, Always
I build from what a student can do, not from what they cannot. Deficit-focused instruction erodes confidence. Strengths-based teaching builds it.
Neurodivergence Is Not a Problem to Solve
ADHD, autism, dyslexia, and related profiles are part of human diversity. My role is not to normalize students — it is to create environments where they can be themselves and succeed.
Families Belong at the Table
The best outcomes happen when schools and families work together. I design every resource with that partnership in mind — not as an afterthought, but as a foundation.
Practical Over Theoretical
Every tool I create has to work on a real Monday morning, with a real caseload. If it only works in ideal conditions, it does not belong in a classroom resource.
Find My Work
Resources and Community
Prof Bermed on TPT
1,000+ classroom-ready resources
IEP goal banks, social stories, executive functioning guides, sensory tools, behavior support plans, grammar worksheets, and comic books — all neuroaffirmative and ready to use.
Visit the Store →IEP Educators Community
292,000+ members on Facebook
A free Facebook group for special education teachers, parents, and specialists. A space to share strategies, ask questions, and find support from a community that gets it.
Join the Group →Get in Touch