Eddie's school — a good school, full of people who cared — set a goal for my son: type his name on a keyboard.
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​I said no.
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​Knowing Eddie, that keyboard would just distract him. Meanwhile, he had a habit of swallowing food in chunks so big it gave us some genuinely scary moments. So I asked them to teach him to chew his food thoroughly instead. That one change did more for his life than typing ever could.
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​Here's what nobody tells you at your first IEP meeting: the school knows education. You know your child. And in that room, that makes you the world's leading expert — not the specialist with the clipboard, not the district's template. You.
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​Law #3: The plan they hand you is a draft, not a verdict. Walk in with your own goals already written down. Ask of every single line: how does this improve his actual life? If nobody in the room can answer, the line doesn't belong in the plan.
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​You're not being difficult. You're being the expert. That's Law #3.
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​The Laws are from my book, Raising Eddie: Fathering a Disabled Son — available on Amazon. Free 10-Strategy Survival Guide: joinironfathers.com/guide · Free 2-minute Fortress Check-Up: joinironfathers.com/gps-updated
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​Educational content from the book — not legal, tax, or investment advice.