Is Your Child's IEP Ready to Go Back to School?

Well, it's that time of year again. Time to prepare the kids to go back to school.  As a parent, this usually means buying clothes and gathering school supplies, lining up after school care or activities, maybe getting sports physicals or band instruments. If you have a child in Special Education, it's time to break out the current IEP and review it!
What? That's not part of your back to school routine? Well, it should be!

Why? Because things change. Circumstances change. Teachers, periodically schools, change. Needs change. IEPs are not written in stone and there is no one specific time for making revisions. The IDEA requires review of the IEP AT LEAST once annually by the IEP team (20 U.S.C. Section 1414(d)(4)(A)(i)). If upon review, you feel there are issues to be addressed, it would be better to address them right away. If any new issues come up later on, you can always request another meeting.

The language and never ending list of acronyms used in preparing IEPs can be difficult to decipher. Don't hesitate to consult an advocate, like myself, if you have any questions or need assistance making sense of it all. Here are some basic guidelines:

The first part of an IEP will set out the child's Present Levels of Performance. This is the information upon which the rest of your child's IEP is based. If a need is not indicated here, it will not be addressed so it's imperative this information be comprehensive, accurate and up to date. The levels are based on evaluations, assessments, observations and pretty much all the same sources used to determine eligibility. Academic Levels of Performance refer, of course, to language arts, math, science and social studies.

For example, say Calvin is in third grade but his Present Levels indicate his reading is on a first grade level. This would show an academic need for reading intervention.

Present Levels of Performance also include the child's functional performance levels. These include things like communication and social skills, behavioral and mobility skills and basic life skills.
In reviewing these levels, make note of any changes, assessments, evaluations that have occurred since the last meeting that would have an effect on your child's current levels. If there are inaccuracies or if they haven't been updated in a while, make note of that as well.

The next section of the IEP will be the goals set for your child. There should be goals to address each and every need indicated by the Present Levels of Performance. If you find a need unaddressed, make a note of it. A well written goal should be SMART:

• Specific, 
  
• Measurable, 
• use positive Action words,
• Realistic and 
• include a Time limit. 

Using our example of Calvin, we want to increase his reading level. A SMART goal might be:

"By the next annual ARD meeting, when given second grade material, Calvin will read 90 wpm (words per minute) with 5 or fewer errors". 

It is specific. "Calvin will increase his reading level" is too general. The reading of 90 wpm with 5 or fewer errors is easily measurable. Calvin "will read" is a positive action statement. Expecting him to jump from a first to a third grade level may not be realistic. The statement also sets a time frame of the next ARD meeting by which the goal should be attained.  Do your child's goals meet these criteria? If not, make a note.

There should next be a statement as to how progress will be measured during the time frame and how and when parents will be notified of the progress. Have you been receiving reports on your child's progress? Has your child attained, or made progress toward attaining, the goals set? If not, why not?

Finally, review the SPED and related services, accommodations, modifications and support services your child is currently receiving. These make up the tools used to enable your child to achieve the goals set to meet the needs assessed. Got it?? Again, there should be at least one to meet each of the child's identified needs. They should include:

• a description of the service/accommodation etc. to be provided (say, individualized reading instruction for our Calvin), 
• who will provide it (reading specialist or similar highly qualified teacher), 
• when it will be provided (beginning Sept. 1, 2012), 
• where it will be provided (resource room), 
• how often (3xs/week) and 
• for how long (for 30 minutes).

If you have any questions or concerns about any part of the services your child receives, make a note of them.

Making sure your child has the services and supports he needs in place will help ensure a happy and successful transition to the new school year.

Parent Advocate: Checking YOUR Baggage at the Door

When we first become parents, we cannot help but reflect on our own childhood. It is, after all, our only real frame of reference. We remember all the happy times and look forward to continuing those traditions or sharing similar experiences with our children. We also recall our more painful and unpleasant experiences, our mistakes and regrets (come on, we all have them) and silently vow to never let such things happen to our kids. This is just some of the "baggage" all parents carry with them.

As our children grow, we tend to see more and more of ourselves in them. At first, it's physical characteristics like eye color or a crooked smile. Later, other inherited traits begin to manifest; some positive, some not so positive. Your daughter may share your wry sense of humor as well as your poor body image. Your son may have your musical ability and your temper.  We see our children react to situations in eerily familiar ways and say to ourselves, "Yep, That's my child alright." We identify with them and their experiences as we are reminded of similar experiences we had growing up.

There is a danger, however, in over-identifying with our children. If we have unresolved issues, for example, arising from painful childhood experiences, we can unwittingly project those negative feelings onto our children. Parents may become over protective or overly defensive of their children as they subconsciously try to right the wrongs of their own past. More baggage! This can be especially true if the child has a disability.

A parent's response to learning a child has a disability can vary depending on many factors, some of which include the severity of the disability, whether one or both parents have a disability and the parent's perception or understanding of the disability. Some parents may experience feelings of anger or resentment, anxiety or fear over their child's future, panic and confusion. In my experience, the one response we all seem to share on some level is guilt. What did we do wrong? Is there something more we could have done? No matter what parents initial responses are, they are usually accompanied by an overwhelming need to fix it or make things better for their children.  That baggage beginning to feel a little heavy?

We all want to protect our children but we also want them to have as full a life as they possibly can. This includes an appropriate education.

Enter the Parent Advocate.

In order to effectively advocate for our children, as parents we must not allow our emotions to get the better of us. That means when meeting with school personnel, leaving our baggage at the door. It isn't easy. I say that not as a casual observer but as a parent who has literally been there and done that. I would see my children struggling with things like peer relationships, attention problems and bullying, things I too had struggled with as a child and I would be filled with emotions. It took me a while to realize that leading with my emotions clouded my judgment. I became vulnerable.  I would storm into meetings and make demands and point fingers and accomplish little, if anything. I would walk out of the meeting and spend the next hour (or week) kicking myself for agreeing to services or supports I knew were either inappropriate or inadequate.

What is the best way to keep your emotions in check? I may sound like a broken record but the answer is to PREPARE. We can't stop having emotional responses to our children's struggles but we can stop acting on them. When a problem arises, don't storm into the front office guns blazing. Instead, take some time to let your initial reaction settle. If you feel the need to vent, call a friend or contact a support group.  Then, examine the problem rationally. Formulate a plan to address it. Request a meeting. Gather all the facts and information you can. Write down the key points and questions you want to raise. When the meeting starts, stick to the plan. To secure the supports and services your child needs will require the school's cooperation.  You are much more likely to get that if you are in control.