You’re doing the best you can. So is your team. And still… the goal you all agreed on—written with care, with intention, with hope—keeps falling apart.
It’s easy to feel like you missed something. That maybe it’s your fault. Or worse… that maybe it’s the student’s.
But I want to tell you something Brené Brown might say:
What if the goal isn’t broken? What if what’s missing is what’s holding it up?
The truth: Goals don’t live in isolation.
They don’t exist in a vacuum. They sit inside bodies and nervous systems, classrooms and homes, where emotions run high and expectations are complex.
A goal can be beautifully crafted and still fall short—because the scaffolding around it wasn’t strong enough.
That doesn’t mean you failed. It means you’re human. And it means it’s time to shift what we focus on.
1. Regulation comes first
No one can learn, comply, or connect when they’re in fight-or-flight. Children aren't ignoring us—they’re overwhelmed. We can’t build skills on stress. So we start with safety.
2. The adults need shared understanding
The IEP may be in the folder, but if the para doesn’t know what’s inside… if the caregiver doesn’t know how to reinforce it at home… if the team is guessing—it’s not a plan. It’s a puzzle with missing pieces.
3. Consistency builds trust
We want to do what’s fair. But what’s fair is support that actually helps. That may look different across settings—but the values behind it shouldn’t change. We build trust by showing up in the same way—even when it’s hard.
So what do we do when the goal keeps failing?
We pause. We breathe. We stop rewriting the words and start building the supports around them.
That’s why we created the IEP Roadmap—a neurodiversity-affirming guide for teams who want more than compliance. They want connection. Progress. Clarity. Not perfection. Just a better path forward.
What’s inside The IEP Roadmap:
- ✔ A step-by-step guide to the entire IEP process—referral to implementation
- ✔ Real-world advocacy tips to help you speak up and get meaningful support
- ✔ Demystify evaluations, eligibility, and those overwhelming meetings—step by step
- ✔ Expert-backed strategies for goal-setting, collaboration, and progress monitoring
You don’t need to speak legalese to be heard at the IEP table. You just need a guide that makes sense.
You’re doing the best you can. Now let’s make it a little easier.