An IEP, or Individualized Education Plan, is a complex document with many different parts. Understanding each part will help you be a better IEP advocate for your child.
I’ve spent over a decade as a Special Education Advocate, attended hundreds of IEP meetings and more conferences and workshops than I can count.
If you are looking for the Don’t IEP Alone Academy, you can click that link.
IEP for Autism For almost 10 years, readers have been asking me questions about an IEP and autism. It’s quite common in our Facebook group to have a Mom pop in and say “We were just told we were getting an IEP for autism, what should I ask for?” For 10 years, I have resisted…
Middle School and High School IEPs Before we get started on things to think about for your middle school IEP or high school IEP, there are a few things parents should know. First, middle school or high school is not a concept addressed in IDEA. IDEA does not require nor call for anything special to…
FBAs and Behavior Plans FBAs and Behavior Plans are a common component of IEPs. And, after 12 years of advocacy, I’m seeing the same issues over and over. Most importantly–they often don’t work. The same kids are being suspended, failing grades, and being ostracized by both peers and staff. I’m going to outline some common…
Assistive Technology AAC Questions about Assistive Technology are some of the most common ones that we receive as advocates. How do I get an AT device? How do I know which AAC or Assistive Technology device to choose? Who pays for assistive technology? Assistive Technology is a support or service that has many names. Many…
Can a School Demand Medical Information? I can’t believe that I am even doing a blog post on this topic. But it’s only Tuesday and it has already come up three times in our Facebook group. We’ve had several situations where a school or IEP team member has asked or demanded medical information or access…
Online IEP Assessments This issue has been coming up in the Facebook Group often. I guess this pandemic is going on longer than any of us had hoped, and this is an issue that many families are dealing with. Your child is due for IEP assessments and either you or the school want to do…
Sex Ed and the Disabled Child Yep! I’m going there! This topic makes some people uncomfortable and I know it’s difficult to even think of our typical children as sexual beings, let alone our children with special needs. But, like it or not, they will mature, they will go through these changes, so it’s up…
Retaking Tests Accommodation Allowing a student to retake a test is a very common IEP accommodation. And, at first glance, it seems like a reasonable one. Reasonable? Sure. Helpful….mmm, not so sure. Last week I completed a post about extended time on tests. This accommodation goes with that one, and both are seen together, frequently,…
IEP Binder Organization for Parents Most of us have various stacks of papers and folders around our house, but when we need it, it is still hard to find what you want. Am I right? I am so excited about this. This is an idea that I have had in my head for quite some…