Every day, special education professionals enter IEP meetings armed with specialized knowledge and technical vocabulary. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: your expertise becomes a wall instead of a bridge when wrapped in language parents can’t understand.

Parents arrive at these meetings already carrying heavy emotional loads – worry about their child’s future, frustration with past challenges, and hope that you’ll be the ally they desperately need. When met with a barrage of acronyms and technical terms, that hope quickly fades.

The language we use either invites parents into the conversation or subtly tells them “this space isn’t for you.”

When you say “We’re seeing deficits in phonological awareness and recommend an evidence-based structured literacy intervention with regular progress monitoring using curriculum-based measurements,” you’ve just excluded a parent from their child’s education plan.

Parents don’t leave understanding what their child struggles with or how you’ll help. Instead, they leave feeling inadequate – as if they should understand these terms but don’t.

This creates an unintended power dynamic where educators become gatekeepers of knowledge rather than partners in progress.

The damage goes beyond the meeting room. When parents leave confused:

• They can’t effectively reinforce school strategies at home
• They hesitate to ask questions out of fear of appearing uninformed
• They may agree to plans they don’t fully understand
• Trust erodes, making future collaboration more difficult
• Their confidence in advocating for their child diminishes

Transforming your communication doesn’t mean dumbing down content. It means truly respecting parents as equal team members who deserve clarity.

Instead of: “He demonstrates significant difficulty with executive functioning.” Try: “Your son struggles to plan his work, stay organized, and keep track of time.”

Instead of: “We recommend a multi-sensory approach to address her dyslexia.” Try: “We want to teach reading by having her see the words, hear the sounds, and form the letters with her hands – this combination of seeing, hearing, and doing helps her brain make stronger connections.”

Instead of: “The data indicates he’s performing two standard deviations below the mean in mathematical computation.” Try: “Compared to other third graders, he’s having a much harder time with calculations like multiplication and division.”

Sometimes, educational terms are unavoidable – especially in written documents. When you must use them:

1. Introduce the term with the plain language explanation first
2. Provide the technical term in parentheses
3. Use the plain language version in discussion, even if documents use the technical term

For example: “Your daughter needs more support with understanding what she reads (reading comprehension) and expressing her ideas in writing (written expression).”

The responsibility extends beyond individual educators to the entire team:

• Create a shared commitment to accessible language in meetings
• Develop parent-friendly handouts explaining common terms
• Pause regularly to check understanding: “Does that make sense, or would it help if I explained it differently?”
• Designate a team member to notice when jargon creeps in and redirect to clearer explanations.

Remember this truth: Parents don’t need to become educational experts. You need to become expert communicators.

When you bridge the jargon gap, you transform parents from confused outsiders to empowered teammates. You honor their critical role in their child’s education. And most importantly, you answer their fundamental question – “Will you help us?” – with clear actions rather than cloudy words.

Every child deserves a team that can truly work together. Everyday language is where that collaboration begins.