The Hidden Cost of Navigating Services: Why Parents Burn Out Before the IEP Meeting Even Starts
If you’re a parent of a child on the spectrum, you already know: the system is overwhelming. Between school evaluations, medical diagnoses, ABA therapy, insurance battles, and the never-ending paperwork, it can feel like you need a law degree just to parent.
And here’s what doesn’t get talked about enough: by the time you walk into that IEP meeting, you’re already exhausted. Not because you don’t love your child, but because you’ve been forced to advocate nonstop, sometimes against systems that seem built to wear you down.
Here’s what I want you to hear: you are not failing. The system is complicated by design.
As someone who’s worked inside special education leadership for decades and walked with families through this process, I’ve seen the same patterns again and again. Parents burn out not because they’re weak, but because they’re carrying roles no single person should have to carry alone.
So here’s a reframe:
You don’t have to know everything. What you do need is a map of your rights and the right questions to ask.
You don’t have to say yes to every “expert.” You are the expert on your child.
You don’t have to disappear into the role of caregiver. Taking care of yourself is part of taking care of your child.
This space here on 1in6 is where I’ll share both the practical strategies (IEP rights, navigating service providers, making sense of diagnoses) and the human side (boundaries with extended family, stress in the home, remembering who you are beyond parenting).
Because you deserve to feel steady, informed, and not alone.
👉 If this resonates, tell me in the comments: what’s been the hardest part of navigating the system for you so far?
Christi Dickey
