On the Days with Dyslexia podcast, Michelle interviews special education advocate Sue Lux, a former special ed teacher with over 20 years of experience, two master’s degrees (learning disabilities and administration/supervision with school law), and founder of a Vienna learning center and Assets Special Education, where she supports families nationwide with IEPs and 504 plans.

Sue explains that many disputes stem from inadequate data and lack of specialized instruction required by IDEA, and advises parents to seek baseline reading data through phonics assessments and fluency “cold reads,” not just SOL scores.

She recommends building rapport with case managers and asking about credentials and evidence-based curricula outside IEP meetings. Sue urges parents to keep a binder, monitor progress reports, request raw data, and call addendum IEP meetings when goals are met early or progress is insufficient. She shares cases involving compensatory services for denial of FAPE and complex placement disputes in small districts.

00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro

00:34 Sue’s Teaching Background

01:15 From Tutoring to Advocacy

03:19 What Cases Advocates Handle

04:20 Reading IEP Data Basics

05:44 SOLs and Cold Reads

08:09 Teacher Training and Curriculum

08:33 Asking Credentials Tactfully

11:12 Progress Reports and the Binder

13:52 School vs Parent Perspective

17:43 When Trust Breaks Down

20:21 Handling Disagreements and FAPE

21:18 Case Study Compensatory Services

24:00 Case Study Placement in Small Districts

26:05 How to Contact Sue

26:51 Wrap Up and Thanks

You can contact Sue through her website: https://suespecialed.com/

Dyslexia Advocacy for Parents, Part 1: Gathering Data and Documenting Concerns

The episode launches a new advocacy-focused mini series focused what parents can do when schools say a child’s reading and spelling are “fine" even when a parent knows it's not. Michelle explains why the process is frustrating, how parents can move it forward without waiting on the school, and why school staff may share incomplete or distorted policy information.

This episode emphasizes gathering data: finding out what tiered supports (RTI/MTSS tiers 1–3) are in place, what decisions and district procedures guide movement between tiers, and why a child should not remain in tier 3 without next steps such as considering an IEP. The host urges parents to document concerns and conversations in writing, request cited policies, ask clarifying questions about discrepancies, and scrutinize screeners and reading levels for what they actually measure. A free parent dyslexia screener is also mentioned, and the next episode will cover the referral meeting.

Want more information like what you heard in this podcast? The Dyslexia Advocacy Toolkit with eBook can be found HERE.

00:00 Welcome and Series Intro

00:59 Why Advocacy Matters

02:39 Schools and Policy Myths

04:42 Start With Tiered Supports

10:31 When an IEP Applies

14:43 Document Everything in Writing

21:35 Staying Calm and Being Heard

24:53 Screeners and Reading Data

29:00 Reading Levels and Skill Proof

32:13 Wrap Up and Next Steps