Things To Do Before The IEP Meeting

It’s the time that parents refer to as “IEP season,” and many parents face it with a mixture of hope and apprehension. The IEP is an individualized document designed to outline goals and treatment plans for children with special needs. The IEP meeting gives parents, teachers, therapists, school administrators, and services personnel to work together to create and implement individualized goals.

Before the IEP Meeting
Follow a few steps before the session to help prepare yourself for the IEP meeting:

Review last year’s IEP.If this is your first IEP, familiarize yourself with medical and educational documents for your child. Make copies of assessments from doctors and therapists, as these papers will have information you can use for the IEP.

Keep a diary or notes about your child’s behavior and progress. This document will serve you well when you need to think about goals and objectives. Think about what your child needs, what you want him to learn or be able to do, or what services you want offered to him (speech, occupational, music, physical therapies)

Write a list of goals and objectives. Goals are more general than objectives; while the goal might be “to improve social interaction,” the more specific objectives might be “My child will use eye contact 50% of the time with her speech therapist” or “My child will take turns.” The more specific you make these goals and objectives, the better for the IEP meeting.Consider goals in specific academic, social-emotional, speech, and physical areas.

Write a list of questions or even write a “script” of what you want to say.You don’t necessarily have to memorize lines, but rehearsing and being familiar with exactly what you want or what you need to know can help you steer conversations in the IEP meeting.

Inform your child’s health professionals that you are preparing for an IEP meeting. Talk to them about issues they feel should be discussed, the services they feel your child needs, and goals that are appropriate for your child. Ask them to submit written
statements.You might also ask if they can attend the meeting or contact the
school by phone.

Familiarize yourself with IDEA and the rules and regulations regarding the IEP process. See the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs.
http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSERS/OSEP) and the IDEA 2004(http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers/osep/index.html?src=mr Web sites for more information.

Review the present IEP (if there is one) to see if you think the goals have been met. If this is a first IEP, obtain a copy of a sample IEP form.

Make a list of your child’s present level of functioning based on your observations. Include an assessment of your child’s skills in the following areas:
■ Academic (specify if skills vary by subject)
■ Developmental (if pre-academic)
■ Motor
■ Speech/language
■ Social
■ Self-help
■ Prevocational and vocational
■ Other

List services your child may need, including:
■ Special education services and related services (e.g., transportation, occupational therapy, speech- language pathology services, parent counseling and training, psychological services)
■ Transition services
■ Special considerations needed in the regular class-
room and for homework

Make a list of goals for your child, and consider how these goals can best be met.
Arrange for someone to attend the meeting with you, if you like.

Don’t forget to breath and relax!

Here are links for first time IEP Meetings:
Your first IEP Meeting
A parent’s guide
https://www.seovec.org/parent/Parent’s%20Guide%20to%20the%20first%20IEP%20meeting.pdf

Also a link for A Guide to the Individualized Education Program:
http://www2.ed.gov/parents/needs/speced/iepguide/iepguide.pd

Also check out my next post on 19 Steps To Take During,End And After The IEP Meeting