Dedie Thompson has been the Parent Component of the Parent Educator Connection Program (PEC) at Prairie Lakes AEA 8 for the past 7 years. She and her husband have two sons, aged 31 and 27. Mike, their 27 year old has multiple disabilities and was served by the AEA from age 11 months until his graduation from high school at 19. He currently lives in an HCBS waiver home near his family and works in a Work Activity Center in Spencer. Having worked for many years as a para educator before coming to the PEC, Dedie has a vision of educational issues as well as the practical expertise acquired by raising a child with special needs. The Parent-Educator Connection works tirelessly to maintain and/or improve the communication among teams, incorporating the skills that are taught through the RESPECT training. Dedie is a Resolution Facilitator for Prairie Lakes AEA having been trained by the Iowa Peace Institute and the Conflict Resolution Center of Iowa. She is also a member of the RESPECT training team.
The Center for Appropriate Dispute Resolution in Special Education
Supporting the prevention and resolution of disputes through partnership and collaboration