IEP Cover Page
Imagine for a moment that you are a teacher and it’s the first day of class. Every child is wearing a baseball cap. On the front of each hat is a phrase or two, such as: “has a lisp,” “allergic to peanuts,” “loves to read,” and you see one that says, “emotionally disturbed, oppositional defiant and behavior disorder.
Wearing a baseball listing your disability is pretty much what the IEP Cover Page is. It’s what staff sees first!
What would you think? Uh-oh! I bet he’s a handful! Oh great, why does he have to be in my class? Am I right?
I recently was reviewing a newly revised IEP for a client, with another advocate (a mentor of mine). We were going over the IEP section by section, to check for items and do a full record review.
“What do you think of the cover page?” she asked.
I looked it over and said, “Guess it’s ok.”
“No, it’s not. Look at the bottom. Under ‘other.’ They have a partial list of his diagnoses.”
And reminded me that the IEP is based upon needs, not diagnoses. She’s much more experienced than I am, and it was a moment where I felt a voice saying “ah grasshopper, you still have much to learn.”
Why is this important? Well, this child’s diagnoses include bipolar disorder, mood regulation disorder and emotionally disturbed. So, a casual glance, without knowing this child-that is your first impression of him. Certainly, not strengths-based, is it? A person with biases and little experience takes one look at that and thinks “this kid is nuts/crazy.” And that is exactly the bias we were up against with that district.
First IEP Impressions
This week, I had my son’s IEP meeting. Of course, I was apprehensive. Arrived, sat down and was handed the draft IEP. Sure enough, right there on the front page, under ‘other’ was a partial list of his diagnoses.
The IEP is to be based on the student’s needs, not his diagnosis. The diagnosis isn’t even that important at this point.
Presumably, some type of diagnosis has already been given, so we know the “why” as to the student’s needs. But this is all about accommodating those needs, not determining why they have them.
I think as parents and as advocates, we are so eager to dig into the meat and potatoes of the IEP that we overlook the first page. A quick glance, yep, name, and address are correct, let’s move on. That is what we do, right?
I want the team analyzing my son based on that, not the IEP cover page.
Prejudices, Biases, Stereotypes
Some diagnoses carry very negative stereotypes and stigmas. A teacher or therapist may read that partial list, never having met your child, and they’ve already formed an opinion about them. Right or wrong, we all do it. We base our opinions on what information we have. I challenge you to find one teacher that won’t flinch hearing “ODD” and already predetermine that that child is going to be a behavior/discipline problem.
Have you ever seen two children with autism or Aspergers or PDD or ADHD or anxiety or any other condition who act the exact same way? No, of course not. I was told in a seminar last year that researchers have now identified over 75 specific, different kinds of dyslexia. So do you really want “dyslexia” on the front page of what information teachers receive about them? No, you want them to help with comprehension or decoding or whatever the issue is, which should be on the inside pages.
In my son’s case, they listed two of his diagnoses. They are the two that leads to the “whys” as far as his skill deficiencies. But they are also the two most complex conditions. And the two that no one has ever heard of.
My pediatrician had never even seen a child with his chromosome disorder before him. It’s quite rare.
Do I want any teacher or service person trying to decipher what his condition is? No, a waste of time, really. I want them to get to know him. His needs, his strengths, his skill deficits, and his amazingly charming and warm personality.
I don’t want them to read some rare conditions and make assumptions. I want them to read about what he can and cannot do (yet) and under what conditions, and to strategize about fun and creative ways to motivate him, help him be successful.
Sure, it’s a small thing. But I think it’s important, don’t you? Go take a look at your child’s IEP, and what does their first page say about them? What would the first impressions be?
Where is this item on the IEP?
I have received several emails and comments asking me to clarify the post, so I will try again. Yes, there is a place for diagnoses in the IEP. As I said, it should be in the ER/RR or Present Levels. My point here is that it should not be front and center on the front page, under that section that says other/notes.
To me, this is no different than a kid coming into class and wearing a shirt with a list of his diagnoses on it. We want people to see the child first, the diagnosis second. Get to know the child before assuming who he is based on his labels.
This is an older post from 2012 that was recently updated.
