Discussing Autism

In your line of work you would never go to a meeting unprepared would you? So why would you go to your child’s IEP meeting unprepared?

The key to going to an IEP prepared is to do your research before hand and make sure you share all of your concerns and even suggested accommodations and modifications with the IEP team several days, if not weeks, before hand. This will eliminate surprises from both sides and help facilitate the meeting.

1. I have written several articles in the last week about accommodations, modifications, and even on the basics of how to get an IEP. I suggest that you start right now by brainstorming the possible accommodations and modifications that your child needs in the coming year. I am sure that you can think of plenty, right? I know that with AJ’s most recent testing we discovered that along with his severe Sensory Processing Disorder that he also has Visual, Auditory, and Communication Processing Disorders. So, in order to make accommodations and modifications for those I am doing research into what he needs for next year.

2. Review your child’s goals from this year (and previous years). Were they sufficient? What should be added or taken away? Should they be amended because he/she achieved the goals? Make a list of questions that you have about the goals or goals that are not on the IEP. For example, I am just now noticing that AJ does not have very many academic goals on his IEP this year. Instead, the focus is on social and emotional health. However, I believe that academic goals should always be included in an IEP for special needs children.

3. Be prepared to support your decisions. If you are going to be requesting one-on-one services for your child be prepared to support your request with substantial evidence that your child NEEDS that service. Bring copies of any recent evaluations or medical information with you. Also bring samples of your child’s work that you believe indicate strengths or needs for improvement. If your child is involved in any community activities or work, bring copies of evaluations or letters from supervisors.

4. Prepare a list of your child’s strength’s and weaknesses.

5. Review any recent or new evaluations and try to determine if new evaluations are necessary based on the circumstances faced by my child during the past year. As I stated before, we recently had some outside testing done and AJ’s gross motor skills tested at about 23 months, indicating that there is a need for him to be retested for Physical Therapy. He was tested last year because there was a concern for his safety in school (he kept falling) but he was borderline and did not qualify. Given the outside testing, we will be requesting a full evaluation be done.

6. Review the child’s present level of performance. Has there been a measurable improvement in performance? Have goals been met? Are they realistic? Make sure to review back to the child’s initial testing within the district (or from the outside testing resource). Is your child performing and meeting his/her goals? If not, what is the reason? Are accommodations and modifications not being met or are they not in place? How can this be amended?

7. Go into the meeting with an open mind and be positive. The IEP team is just that…a team and YOU are part of it.

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