How to tell when you have a crappy IEP. I’ve attended more IEP meetings than I can count. Or even care to count. I get it–parents only call in a Special Education Advocate when there’s trouble. If you were happy with things, you wouldn’t need help, right? But what that means is that as an…
Getting Started in the World of IEPs IEP stands for Individual Education Plan. It is just what it says. Children with disabilities are entitled to a “free and appropriate education” but what that looks like for each child is Individual. The concept of Special Education has only been around at the national level since 1975….
Important items that must be on your child’s IEP. “I got a call to pick up my daughter today because she put a child in a choke hold.” And of course this child with an IEP was on her way to a suspension. That’s what one of our group members posted recently. Sounds awful, right?…
IEP Tips for Parents Raise your hand if you just LOVE going to IEP meetings. (waits) No one? Raise your hand if you drink a bottle of wine the evening of an IEP meeting? A-ha! There, now I see some hands. I often say, “You don’t know what you don’t know” and the IEP meeting…
When does an IEP end? When does an IEP end? How do you end an IEP? What is the IEP age range?I know what you’re thinking. “21!” is what you want to yell out. And that’s what I thought. Then a friend asked me about this. She is a knowledgeable and well-respected advocate. And I…
What are IEP Related Services? According to IDEA, these are the related services in Special Education. audiology counseling services early identification family training-counseling and home visits health services medical services nursing services nutrition services occupational therapy orientation and mobility services parent counseling and training physical therapy psychological services recreation and therapeutic recreation rehabilitative counseling services…
Special Education Procedural Safeguards Ok, finger-wagging time. Because I know that a very large percentage of parents are not reading your IEP Procedural Safeguards. I can tell by the questions you ask. Because many of the questions I am asked to answer (as an advocate) are very easily answered by looking at Procedural Safeguards. I’ve included…
Functional Behavior Assessments FBA In the IEP process, there is little that bothers me more than when I hear about one of our kids repeatedly being suspended, and the group will ask, “Does he have an FBA and behavior plan?” To which the parent responds “What’s an FBA?” Mind you, I’m not mad at the…
Special Factors in the IEP Most of the questions that we receive as educational advocates are about the implementation of the IEP. Let’s face it. It is not an easy document to understand at times because of it’s length and format. But there are the special factors on an IEP that you should be considering…
How to get an IEP. Gather your thoughts about your child and their struggles at school. Decide if meeting with the teacher is appropriate to discuss these concerns. Formalize those concerns into a letter to the school. Write a letter to your school (teacher and principal) asking that your child be evaluated for Special Education…
Special Education Placement Not only is IEP placement one of the most debated topics among parents, it’s also one of the most contentious issues you will have with your school district. So what are the placement options for learning disabled students? How do I get my child into a private placement? IEP placement is one…
Can an IEP be removed? One of the, ahem, benefits of this job is that I get to talk to all kinds of parents. That being said, parents generally only contact me when things aren’t going so well. After all, if your child is happy, making great progress and doing well in school, why would…
School Educational Records We were seated around a huge U-shaped setup. I was directly across from the school district’s attorney, though we were a good 10 feet apart. We were in a settlement agreement meeting and were hoping to see some of the student’s IEP and school records. He looked right at me and said,…
The misogyny of IEP meetings. I receive a surprising amount of criticism for catering to women on this blog. Or, writing about them and to them. Sure, much of it is constructive criticism such as “Remember, dads do this stuff too!” It’s usually in response to a post that I’ve done that has “moms” in…
IEP Homebound Wow. So I have to do a post on homebound. Granted, I guess at some point, there will be a blog post about every aspect of IEPs. But I try to follow trends and recurring questions in the Facebook group. And IEP homebound keeps coming up again and again. And that bothers me,…
IEP Placement: Private and Out-of-District Ahhh…you’re finally there. After months (maybe years!) of IEP meetings, you and your school district have agreed that your child needs a private placement. Success! Finally, no more stagnating, no more regression. Your child will finally be in a more appropriate placement. And then, you get the sucker punch. It…
Prior Written Notice-PWN How many times have you heard phrases like these, at IEP meetings, when you’ve suggested something? I don’t think he/she needs that. Why don’t we ‘wait and see’ and talk about it in a few months? I have to discuss this with {someone with more authority} and then I’ll get back to…
Developmental Delay It’s weird, right? Your child has had an IEP for years, and his disability classification has always been Developmental Delays. Now, all of a sudden you feel blindsided because the school is telling you that they cannot check that box anymore. But your child is still disabled and has many delays. This can’t…