Stop Hoping for a Better IEP. Learn How to Fight for One.
Each year, parents of more than eight million children enter IEP meetings determined to secure the special education their child needs. Too often, they leave feeling frustrated, intimidated, dismissed, or ignored.
Winning the IEP Game changes that.
It explains what school districts are legally required to do, reveals what really happens inside many IEP meetings, and gives parents, advocates, and attorneys practical strategies for closing the gap between promises and results.
Drawing on more than 25 years of advocacy and litigation experience, Dr. Robert Closson, Ed.D., has participated in and analyzed more than 2,200 IEP meetings. He identifies the tactics that work, the approaches that fail, and the strategies that turn parental concerns into meaningful action.
Inside Winning the IEP Game, you will learn how to:
- Recognize a Zombie IEP
- Challenge vague, inadequate, and ineffective IEP provisions
- Cut through delays, excuses, and procedural roadblocks
- Ask questions that demand clear answers
- Recognize district tactics before they derail the process
- Turn parental concerns into specific, measurable demands
- Build a written record that creates accountability
- Advocate with knowledge, confidence, and strategy
When the district delays, your child waits. Every month lost can mean educational opportunities that may never be recovered. Parents should not enter an IEP meeting hoping someone will do the right thing.
They should enter the meeting prepared.
Learn the rules. Master the process. Start Winning the IEP Game!
Talk with an advocateTake a Look Inside Winning the IEP Game
Start Reading. Start Learning. Start Winning.
You don't have to wait for the book to arrive. Read selected excerpts and discover strategies that can change the way you approach your child's next IEP meeting.
- Introduction
Why Winning the IEP Game Was Written
See why knowledge, preparation, and persistence can change the balance of power at the IEP table.
Read the excerpt: Introduction (PDF, opens in a new tab) - Chapter 3
Understanding Special Education and Zombie IEPs
Learn how to recognize an IEP that looks complete on paper but fails to provide the goals, services, and accountability your child needs.
Read the excerpt: Chapter 3 (PDF, opens in a new tab) - Chapter 4
From Preparation to Power: Strategic IEP Advocacy in the Room
Turn preparation into effective advocacy—what to ask, what to document, and how to keep vague promises out of the final IEP.
Read the excerpt: Chapter 4 (PDF, opens in a new tab)
Coming soon
The ITP Bridge
The IEP gets your child through school. The ITP must help build what comes next.
For students with disabilities, graduation isn't the finish line. It's the point where school-based protections give way to an adult world that operates very differently.
The ITP Bridge helps families turn transition planning into a meaningful path toward further education, employment, independence, and adult life.
Sneak peek — read two excerpts now
- IntroductionBuilding the Bridge Before Tomorrow ArrivesWhy the last day of school is the beginning of a new chapter—and why planning for it can’t wait.(PDF, opens in a new tab)
- Chapter 1Two Boys. Two Tomorrows. One Bridge.Two students cross the same graduation stage. One story shows what thoughtful transition planning makes possible.(PDF, opens in a new tab)