209. The Data Trap: Why "Proving Readiness" Is Costing Non-Speakers Years of Education

We don't make a neurotypical kid prove they can read before we hand them a book. We just teach them to read. But for non-speaking and minimally speaking learners, the rules flip. Sit in the chair first. Imitate first. Get it right four days in a row before we'll believe you got it right the first time. Lisa Mihalich Quinn and Erin Buchanan of Reach Every Voice call this the data trap and they're here to tell you why the data your child's team is collecting might not mean what you think it means. Tune in to this episode to learn:

• Why "proficiency is not a prerequisite" - and what your child's team should be giving them access to right now, not after they demonstrate readiness
• The real difference between adapting and modifying curriculum, and why modification can quietly cap your child's academic ceiling for years
• Why "the data shows" is often a trap that hides more than it reveals - and what questions to ask instead

About the guests: Lisa Mihalich Quinn and Erin Buchanan lead Reach Every Voice, a multidisciplinary practice supporting non-speaking learners and learners with communication access needs through in-person and virtual instruction, group programming, and grant-funded initiatives. To kickstart Academic Learning for your non speaking or minimally speaking child (and to learn from Dr. Vaish Sarathy), check out www.studio.com/vaish - an Academic Training App for parents.