An assessment is vital to gathering information about your child to make decisions on how best to assist him or her on their areas of weakness. As a result, they are a crucial part of the IEP process. Some of your children will soon have a triennial IEP or an IEP where you have requested
As a parent of a child with an IEP the first few meetings I attended many years ago were quite confusing. Since I am not the type of person who likes to feel confused or unprepared, I made it my mission to learn all I could about the process. I bought law books, researched online,
You know what I am talking about. Any parent raising a special needs child knows about the setbacks. The kick in the stomach, racing heart, internal restlessness, sleepless nights re-evaluating and reassessing the situation until you can’t think straight. That fear that grips you and makes you doubt yourself as a parent, yup, welcome to
Beyond IEPs: Eight Ways Parents Can Help Advocate for Children with Autism 1. Schedule a meeting with school district administrators to let them know how things are going and to share your ideas. You probably have already cultivated positive relationships with your child’s school, so escalate it to the district level – they’ll love to
Because IEPs are ultimately a very human process, mistakes are bound to happen. Despite a few horror stories about lazy case workers and perfidious administrators, most IEP irregularities result from ineffective note-taking or simple oversight. The best way to avoid mistakes on the written version of an IEP is to have a friend or family member attend the planning
A Promise Kept Some promises are like pinky swears, little whims of a deed or intention to be kept. They started when we were children on the playground, in the school yard at pajama parties and created light hearted bonds of friendship. We were conditioned early to know the importance of “keeping promises” and the
