How to use ChatGPT in Special Education & IEP Advocacy
I use ChatGPT just like you do.
I looked back on my most recent requests and asked for recommendations for kids’ movies, vitamins, and shampoo. I also asked it to transform me into a witch in a photo (don’t ask…) and give me ideas for cover crops to plant in Zone 9.
But I'm super careful in how I use any language-based learning models (like ChatGPT, Claude, or Bard) to write to school teams, summarize assessments, or workshop IEPs.
We all have a limited amount of time and energy, so parents, school teams, therapists, and tutors now use ChatGPT to communicate with each other. In fact, a private tutor recently sent an email to a school team that ended with:
Would you like me to add a short closing line that invites collaboration (for example, “Please feel free to share what’s working well at school so we can build consistency”)?
I get why this happens. We are confused, frustrated, and overwhelmed. We’re short on time. People turn to ChatGPT not just to write an email, but also because they aren’t sure how to improve the situation. The problem? ChatGPT doesn’t know your child, your team, or the situation. It’s also built to be a cheerleader who won’t call you out for misplaced feelings, unreasonable asks, or skewed priorities.
Before using ChatGPT, you have to reflect and consider. You have to THINK. Some say “writing is thinking.” Writing won’t give you immediate answers, but the process of trying to get your words out will help you better understand where you’re at. (If you’re struggling, this is also a good time to talk things out with professionals (like your child’s therapists or an advocate)).
Look, I get AI is a really helpful tool, but as an advocate watching AI-generated emails fly back and forth, there are a few things I’d like you to know:
It’s obvious you’re using ChatGPT.
MANY people know immediately when something has been written with AI, even if you’ve edited and revised. The tone is too polished and often doesn’t match how you actually speak in person. There are specific phrases AI loves to use (it’s favorite closing is “Warmly,”). This creates distance between you and the team. It takes humanity out of the process when your child’s humanity is the central priority of the IEP. It also increases the likelihood that the team will write the message (or worse, you) off.
Always write first, then ask AI.
Start with your own words even if they are messy and scattered and you threw them together in 10 minutes between work meetings when you were in a rage. Your voice carries the authenticity and context that school teams respond to. Once you’ve written a draft, AI can help you tighten it or proofread it. It can also check for tone. You can paste a letter into AI and ask it to remove defensiveness from your email. GREAT strategy!
ChatGPT is long-winded.
You are busy. School teams are busy. I AM BUSY. A hallmark of AI-written comms are long sentences with extra words and a lot of over-explanation. While this may seem comprehensive, it actually makes people less likely to read your email. Concise, direct writing is what gets your messages read, which then leads to productive collaboration. Most AI-written emails can be cut in half.
It doesn't understand special education.
AI doesn’t understand IDEA, California Ed Code, or your district’s practices the way an advocate or attorney does. It may be able to read those laws but it can't interpret them. It often gives parents generic or incorrect guidance and I’ve seen families walk into meetings armed with legal language that sounds strong but isn’t actually rooted in law or strategy. AHHHHH. That can backfire and make parents look super uninformed and aggressive, which makes teams write them off.
AI doesn’t know you or your child.
I named my advocacy group One of a Kind Advocacy because every student, family, and situation is unique. AI doesn’t get that. It can’t see your child’s dysregulation during the writing workshop, the teacher’s tone in the last meeting, or the way executive functioning or sensory challenges show up in the classroom. AI can’t read the room, anticipate the district’s next move, or understand the emotional weight you’re carrying.
I do think ChatGPT can be really helpful. Here are some ways I’ve seen it used:
Proofreading: AI is good at finding typos, poor sentence structure, and making sure grammar is correct.
Tone check: Communication can come across as aggressive or defensive as emails are often written right when an issue arises. You can have an LLM check your email and change the tone to be friendlier and more collaborative. It’s good at this!
Help getting started: You can ask ChatGPT to create a preliminary message as a starting point. Just remember ChatGPT can’t think or prioritize FOR YOU. This only works when you’ve already done your research and know what you want to say. The result is likely to be very wordy, very obviously written by AI, and very impersonal, so revise mercilessly.
Brainstorming for accommodations and goals: Sometimes you get stuck on what might help. You might see that your child is struggling to stay still in the classroom or isn’t having back-and-forth conversations with peers. You can use ChatGPT to come up with some examples of accommodations and goals. But don’t use these to be prescriptive to the team. Instead, you can share a couple of ideas and let the team know you trust them to rewrite and personalize the goal appropriately. The examples aren’t for them to copy and paste into the IEP, but might help them understand what needs to be addressed.
Not everyone is an expert on special education or a great writer. That’s ok– your job is to be a parent. Your work is to communicate clearly and collaboratively on behalf of your child, advocating for what you believe will truly give them an appropriate education.
Clients often hire me to help them communicate with schools, but before I do that, we have to work through priorities and come up with a strategy. Don’t rely on ChatGPT to advocate for your child. That’s your job… and by being here and reading this, you’re doing fabulously already.
P.S. I wrote this article all by myself.
