If You Know, You Know: Why the “IEP Kid” Trend Hits Different
Sep 3, 2025
Antoinette Banks
Most people think an IEP is just paperwork. A compliance form. A checklist schools have to file away. But if you’ve ever been in an IEP meeting, if you’ve ever had to fight for your child to be seen as more than their deficits, you know the truth.
If you know, you know.
The TikTok Trend That Says It Out Loud
On TikTok right now, there’s a wave of videos where parents and adults are proudly saying: “I had an IEP, and look at me now.” Some are graduating college. Some are launching careers. Some are raising families of their own.
Parents in the comments are crying, celebrating, and reminding each other: this isn’t about lowered expectations. It’s about persistence, grit, and belief.
One mom wrote:
“Grown ups who had IEPs … seeing kids like my son grown, living full lives fills my heart.”
Another parent said:
“I went down this rabbit hole of kids with an IEP who grew up to be very successful … I burned through a box of tissues.”
This trend isn’t just a feel-good moment. It’s a movement. It’s families reclaiming the IEP story.
My Viral Video: An IEP Kid in College https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT6Gj61nD/
I joined the conversation by sharing a short video about my daughter: an IEP kid who is now a college student studying Biological Systems Engineering. The video hit 20,000 views, but the real magic was in the comments.
Parents wrote things like:
“IEP kid, now a Behavior Analyst. Let’s go!”
“My IEP kid has a 3.0 in college — he’s a sophomore!”
“Senior year on a basketball scholarship :two_hearts: only IEP parents know the time, energy and love it takes to get to this point.”
“I had an IEP. Graduated with honors. Now I’m a special education teacher making sure kids know they can do anything.”
That comment section became a living archive of what IEPs really mean when families don’t give up.
The Truth About IEPs
Here’s the reality behind the trend:
IEPs don’t hold kids back. They hold the door open.
They’re not about excuses. They’re about equity.
They don’t lower expectations. They unlock opportunity.
Yes, the process is broken. Yes, families are often dismissed or underestimated. But the outcomes we’re seeing — college degrees, scholarships, careers — are proof that IEPs can be launchpads when families have the right tools and support.
Why Expert IEP Exists
That’s why I built Expert IEP. To make the grind more visible. To give families clarity in documents that were designed to confuse them. To prove that our kids are more than labels, more than compliance checkboxes.
Expert IEP takes the truth families already know — that their kids are capable, brilliant, and resilient — and makes it undeniable in the system itself.
Join the Movement
If you’re a parent, educator, or student who has lived this, you know what I mean when I say: If you know, you know.
And if you’re just finding us, welcome. Share your IEP success story. Comment on the TikTok. Send us a message. Because every win — whether it’s passing math, landing a scholarship, or walking across that graduation stage — is proof that our kids don’t just survive the system. They rise.
Follow us on TikTok and learn more about Expert IEP
Because the world is about to know what IEP families have always known.
