The IEP & 504 Decision Tree

What to do next when the school delays, denies, or offers something that doesn’t actually help

Most guides explain the system.
Some give you scripts.

Very few help you decide what to do next, especially when the options all feel risky.

This guide exists for the moment after the meeting, when you’re left holding the decision:

• Do I wait or push?

• Do I accept this partial offer?

• If I escalate, will it backfire?

• If I don’t, will my child lose access?

The IEP & 504 Decision Tree helps you slow that moment down. Not by telling you the “right” move but by showing you your real options, what each one protects, and what it risks.

What This Guide Is

The IEP & 504 Decision Tree is a decision-support tool for parents navigating special education and accommodation processes.

It helps you:

• see your options clearly

• understand the tradeoffs of each path

• choose a strategy you can sustain

• avoid escalating too fast or waiting too long

This is not about confrontation.
It’s about deliberate, informed movement.

What’s Inside

This guide walks you through the most common school scenarios, including:

• When the school delays (“We need more data,” “Let’s wait and see,” “We’re still in MTSS”)

• When eligibility is denied

• When only partial or inadequate supports are offered

• When behavior or regulation is blamed

• When nothing is clearly decided

• When you’re unsure what to do at all

For each scenario, you’ll see:

• Multiple realistic options (not just one “correct” answer)

• What each option does

• What it protects

• What it risks

• When it makes sense to hold, pivot, or escalate

• Guidance for what to do after your first move, when the system responds

You’ll also receive a Hold / Pivot / Escalate map: a simple framework you can return to whenever you feel stuck.

Who This Is For

This guide is for:

• Parents of neurodivergent children navigating IEPs or 504s

• Parents who understand the system enough but freeze at decision points

• Parents who want strategy without becoming adversarial

• Neurodivergent parents who need tools that respect capacity and regulation

You do not need to know special education law.
You do not need to argue.
You do not need to decide everything at once.

You need clarity about your choices.

What This Is Not

• Not legal advice

• Not a script or template set

• Not a binder or checklist

• Not a one-size-fits-all answer

This guide respects that:

• timing matters

• safety matters

• capacity matters

Why This Works

Most parents don’t lose ground because they chose the “wrong” option.
They lose ground because they chose without knowing the tradeoffs.

This guide makes those tradeoffs visible.

It helps you:

• preserve options

• avoid unnecessary escalation

• recognize when escalation is appropriate

• move forward without panic or pressure

Strategy is not aggression.
Clarity is not conflict.

Format

• Digital PDF

• Text-forward and easy to navigate

• Designed for short, focused reading

• Printable and phone-friendly

No Canva. No clutter. Just structure.