Is Your Teen’s IEP Helping or Enabling? (Honest Talk with an Expert) | Teens: No Cap E31
Teens Uncharted: the PodShow Notes
🤔 It's the tough question every parent and educator wrestles with: Is your teen's IEP setting them up for success, or is it holding them back?
In Episode 31 of Teens: No Cap, host Charity Chaffee sits down with Monica Trost—a school psychologist, educational psychologist, and parent advocate—for a raw, honest conversation about the fine line between support and enabling in special education.
We get real about: ✅ The purpose of an IEP & when it’s truly necessary ✅ How to tell if accommodations are helping vs. creating learned helplessness ✅ Empowering your teen to self-advocate in IEP meetings ✅ Navigating school avoidance with empathy & high expectations ✅ The emotional journey for parents—addressing grief, fear, and hope ✅ What doesn't belong in an IEP (and how to change it) ✅ Preparing your teen’s IEP for the transition to college
Monica shares her dual perspective as a professional in the system AND a mom of two children with disabilities, offering practical strategies and heartfelt clarity.
👥 Connect with Monica Trost: https://www.preparedparentadvocate.com/
🔔 Subscribe + hit the bell for new episodes every week!
💬 We want to hear from you! Have you faced this "helping vs. enabling" dilemma? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
#TeensNoCap #IEP #SpecialEducation #ParentAdvocate #SchoolPsychologist #TeenMentalHealth #IEPMeeting #Neurodiversity #SchoolAvoidance #ParentingTeens #EducationAdvocacy #HonestTalk
More from Teens Uncharted: the Pod
In Episode 69 of Teens Uncharted: the Pod, host Charity Chaffee sits down with Oklahoma City-based licensed clinical social worker Laura Jacobs to discuss the nuances of doing authentic therapy with adolescents. Laura shares her personal journey through teen mental health struggles and how it inspired her 21-year career in the field.
Have you ever had a brilliant, articulate teen in your office who can explain exactly why they do what they do, but absolutely cannot stop doing it?
If you work with or raise a neurodivergent teen, you know that finding the right support can be challenging. In Episode 67 of Teens Uncharted: the Pod, host Charity Chaffee sits down with Dr. Diane Hudson. Dr. Hudson is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and former school psychologist who specializes in helping older autistic kids, teens, and their people.
What if the very things that make a teenager feel "weird" are the exact traits we should be protecting? In episode 66 of Teens Uncharted: The Pod, host Charity Chaffee sits down with author Cynthia Baseman to discuss her new young adult novel, Weirdos Welcome. Drawing from her personal experiences raising neurodiverse sons and witnessing her niece's journey with a late diagnosis, Cynthia explores the complex realities of high school for teens navigating autism, ADHD, OCD, and anxiety. This conversation challenges the traditional parenting goal of helping kids "fit in" and instead advocates for helping them become so comfortable with themselves that fitting in no longer matters.
Raising teenage girls can feel like an emotional rollercoaster, especially when you are simultaneously navigating your own hormonal changes like perimenopause. In Episode 65 of Teens Uncharted, host Charity Chaffee sits down with pediatric nurse, seasoned dance mom, and author Amy Young to discuss the reality of the mother-daughter relationship.