The elevator to success is out of order. You'll have to use the stairs...one step at a time. ~Joe Girard

Spreading Awareness

My purpose in writing this blog is to spread awareness and provide support to parents of children with and without special needs. I have one child with a Learning Disability, more specifically, a Visual Processing Disorder including Dysgraphia and another child with a disease called Eosinophilic Esophagitis, an allergic white blood cell disease that attacks the esophagus.

Monday, July 19, 2010

Individualized Education Program (IEP) and Tips for Parents

With August quickly approaching, so is the beginning of school...at least for those of us that live in the south.  The start of school also means IEP meetings for many of us with children with special needs.  Below I have given an overview on Individualized Education Programs (IEP), as well as listing resources to help parents prepare for an IEP meeting, whether it be your first or your fifteenth.  Hope you find this post useful.

An Individualized Education Program is mandated by the Individuals with Disabilities Acts (IDEA).  The IDEA requires the public schools to develop an IEP for every child that has met the requirements to be considered in need of special education or related services.

In order for an IEP to be successful, parents, teachers, other school staff, and even sometimes the student must work together to identify the student's needs and the best way to address them.  So if your child has been identified with a learning disability and is eligible for services, the next step is to set up an IEP meeting.

The parent will receive a notice inviting them to the meeting.  The student's classroom teacher, special education teacher and a Local Education Agency (LEA) representative will be there.  The parent also has the right to bring one other person that knows his child well, an advocate, tutor, child psychologist, attorney, etc.

An IEP must be reviewed and updated annually, however, the parent, or another member of the IEP team may call a meeting at any time if they feel progress or goals need to be reviewed.  Every three years a student's eligibility needs to be reassessed to see if the student will continue in the program.

During an IEP meeting, the team will determine goals and objectives appropriate specifically to the individual child.  The school will already have a draft, but the parent needs to remember that it is a work in progress and that they may ask to add or change anything they feel does not apply to their child.  In North Carolina, an IEP specifies:


*the services the student will receive (e.g., counseling in the guidance office for thirty minutes once a week)
*modifications the student requires for classes or testing (e.g., preferential seating, a word processor, or   testing in a separate room)
*whether the student needs alternate assessments (e.g., assessment by portfolio)
*which regular education classes the student will take
*how much of each school day the student will spend with non-disabled peers  

Okay, so those are some of the logistics, but what about some tips.  As a former teacher that had been on the other side of IEP meetings, I had an idea of what to expect.  But I also know how intimidating it can be to walk into one of those meetings, especially if you have no idea how to begin preparing.  So here are some resources that will help you prepare for your first or your fifteenth IEP meeting.  Hope they help!

Websites:
Getting Ready for the IEP Meeting
How to Write IEP Goals
The IEP:  Everything You Need to Write an IEP
Contents of an IEP
Developing Your Child's IEP
IEP Checklist
A Student's Guide to the IEP
Your Child's IEP: Practical and Legal Guidance for Parents

Books:
The Complete IEP Guide: How to Advocate for Your Special Ed Child

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