Description

Advocating for your Child in School

September 25, 2025

6:00 PM-7:30 PM EST

Via Zoom

Lora Buth, MS, OT/L

1.5 credit hours

Children in foster care often face school disruptions, trauma, and sensory/behavioral challenges. This training will help foster parents to recognize the signs that their child may need extra support in school and learn how to navigate the educational process in their role as a foster parent. Parents will learn key educational terms, types of accommodations, and the parts of an IEP and 504 plan. An emphasis is placed on effective advocacy and building collaborative relationships with school staff.

About the Speaker:

Lora is a licensed occupational therapist with a master’s degree in occupational therapy and an undergraduate degree in psychology. Prior to becoming an OT, she worked at St. Joseph’s Children’s Home supporting children in residential care, which led to she and her husband to later becoming foster parents. As a traditional OT, her work focused on the pediatric population through early intervention, home health, and outpatient therapy.

Today, Lora’s focus is on parent education and consultations. Through her company Connected Littles Co.. Lora has partnered closely with families, schools, and multidisciplinary teams to assess children’s needs and support their development. In addition to her clinical work, she provides training for foster and adoptive parents on trauma-informed care, sensory strategies, and attachment.

This includes guiding parents through the process of requesting evaluations for IEPs and 504s, understanding legal rights, and collaborating effectively with educators to ensure their child receives appropriate support.

This training has been approved for ongoing, elective foster parent training credit. 1.5 hours is available for Kentucky’s foster parents. Foster parent training credit is administered based on the duration of the training and each attendee’s participation. A reliable internet connection and a smartphone, tablet, or computer with web camera is required to participate. Note that this training will address sensitive subject matter. Please ensure that you are using techniques (such as headphones, a different room, or a lower volume level) to ensure privacy.

If you have any questions about this training, please email Melanie Parsons, Foster Parent Training Program (FPTP) Training Specialist, at Melanie.Parsons@uky.edu.