Parent Power: My Amazon Book + Tool List for Advocacy, Boundaries & Support
When I started advocating for my child, I didn’t have a roadmap. Just stress, overwhelm, and late nights Googling. Over the years, I’ve built a toolkit of books and resources that I lean on daily—for IEP meetings, for parenting through dyslexia and autism, and for keeping myself grounded.
Here’s my Amazon list of must-haves for parents stepping into advocacy, or just trying to breathe while raising our amazing kids:
⚖️ Special Education Advocacy + Law
Wrightslaw: From Emotions to Advocacy – The survival guide for parents who feel like they’re fighting uphill battles at every IEP.
Wrightslaw: All About IEPs – Plain-language answers to your IEP questions. I pull this out before every meeting.
Wrightslaw: Special Education Law, 3rd Edition – Your law bible. Don’t walk into a meeting without knowing what IDEA actually says.
Wrightslaw: All About Tests & Assessments (2nd Edition) – Helps you break down evals and testing reports like a pro.
Wrightslaw: Special Education Legal Developments & Cases 2019 – Real cases that shift how schools interpret the law.
🧠 Literacy, Dyslexia & Math Supports
Teach Me to Read with Orton-Gillingham Materials – Hands-on activities for phonics and reading foundations.
Orton-Gillingham Tools for Dyslexia – Letter & Number Reversals – Supports kids struggling with b/d/p/q flips.
High Frequency Words for Kids with Dyslexia (Ages 7–8) – Practice reading & writing with activities designed for dyslexic learners.
On Cloud Nine: Visualizing and Verbalizing for Math – Great for kids who need math to “make sense” visually.
Seeing Stars & Visualizing and Verbalizing (by Nanci Bell) – High-impact resources for building reading fluency, spelling, and comprehension.
💬 Autism & Social-Emotional Supports
Social-Emotional Learning for Autistic Kids (Ages 5–10) – Fun activities to help with friendships and big feelings.
Thriving with Autism: 90 Activities – For communication, engagement, and play at home.
🌱 Parent Healing & Boundaries
Because let’s be real—you can’t advocate well if you’re running on empty.
Set Boundaries, Find Peace + The Set Boundaries Workbook + The Set Boundaries Deck – Nedra Glover Tawwab stays saving my life.
The Drama Free Workbook – Exercises to manage toxic or unhealthy family dynamics.
Black Girls Breathing – Healing, stress management, and freedom written for us.
Consider This: Reflections for Finding Peace – Daily grounding reminders.
🧾 Bonus Game-Changers
48 Laws of Power – Because sometimes you have to know the game schools are playing.
Wrightslaw Case Law Guides – For when you need receipts to back your advocacy.
💡 How I Use This List
This isn’t about buying every single book at once. It’s about building your own shelf of resources so when a school says “we don’t have to…”—you can flip pages, pull laws, and prove them wrong.
✨ These are the receipts that changed my life as a parent and advocate.
✨ These are the receipts that will shift your confidence in meetings.
Check out the full list on Amazon here.
Because no parent should ever feel powerless at the IEP table.
Disclaimer (again, for the people in the back): This is not legal advice. It’s knowledge and strategy to help you advocate. If you’re in a situation where the school refuses to follow the law, connect with a special education attorney or parent advocate for next steps.
