Preparing for the IEP Meeting
From IEP forms to understanding your child’s rights, what you need to know before your IEP meeting.
If you're a parent to one of the six million children with disabilities in the U.S., you're undoubtedly well aware of the individualized education program (IEP) meeting. Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), parents of a special ed child meet at least once a year with representatives of the local school district to prepare their child's IEP -- a detailed, written description of the child's educational program. (For a general overview of special education and the IEP process, read Special Education Law.)
For many parents, the annual IEP meeting is a difficult and stressful encounter. You may have trouble making your child's case for services because you feel intimidated by school administrators and experts. There may be obstacles beyond your control, such as a teacher shortage, insufficient funds, or undesirable program options. While the process can seem overwhelming to a parent, it doesn't need to be this way.
Do Your Homework
You don't need to be a special education expert or a lawyer to be an effective advocate for your child in the IEP process. What you must do is be prepared and plan ahead. Every parent -- whether it's their first or their tenth IEP -- will benefit from taking the following steps well in advance of the IEP meeting.
Obtain a copy of your school district's IEP form. Become familiar with the sections you will be filling out at the IEP meeting. These typically include:
- Program or class -- the appropriate learning environment for your child, such as a regular classroom for all or part of the school day, a special class for children with learning disabilities, or a private school for deaf children.
- Goals and objectives -- the general academic, linguistic, social, vocational, cognitive, self-help, and other goals you have for your child; for example, reading or math skills, healthy peer relationships, or independent living skills. Consider the specific steps your child will have to take to reach these goals.
- Related services -- the developmental, corrective, and other supportive services necessary to facilitate your child's placement in a regular class or to allow your child to benefit from special education. Examples include a one-to-one aide in the classroom, speech therapy, or transportation to and from school.
- Transition services -- any supportive services addressing the vocational and advanced placement needs of children ages 16 and older. (In some states these services may begin earlier, at age 14.)
- Other educational components -- anything else your child needs to succeed, such as particular curricula and teaching methods.
Become an expert about your child's educational performance and needs. Keep in regular contact with your child's teacher and other school representatives, and gather opinions from professionals who know your child. Get a copy of everything in your child's school file, including assessments, testing data, and written teacher comments. Figure out what each item means and think about whether you can use it to demonstrate your child's need for a particular program, service or methodology.
Develop your child's ideal IEP. While IDEA says that you and the school district must develop the IEP together, it is still a good idea for you to put together a clearly expressed blueprint of the educational program and services you want beforehand. This will not only help you learn your material, but will also get you to think about how to prove that your child really needs the educational help you're asking for.
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