How to Prepare for Your Child's IEP Meeting

Ensuring that your child receives a good education is one of your most important parenting tasks. Whether your child struggles with a learning disability; a processing deficit; attention deficit with or without hyperactivity, or a medical condition you will want to go into the meeting prepared. You are your child's best advocate! The following simple steps can help you prepare.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

1. Parent Special Education Handbook: go to your school district office or their web site and get a copy of the handbook. Read it more than once to make sure you understand the various procedures. Take out your high lighter and highlight any areas that pertain to your rights as a parent. Get comfortable with the language, so that you can ask appropriate questions, and ask for the services you feel your child needs.
2. Advocacy: if you feel unable to advocate for your child, you might want to seek the services of a professional special education advocate. A professional advocate can usually be located by contacting your state Department of Education within Special Education Services. Some advocates function as consultants; thus, you will need to pay a fee for services.
3. Outside Evaluations: can be very helpful in advocating for services for your child. Often psychologist, occupational therapists, speech therapists and others conduct testing procedures that are not available to school personnel. The benefit in this is that they may identify information through their testing that the school staff was unable to identify. This information can assist the school team in developing a plan for your child. Sometimes, bringing in conflicting information about your child's condition may result in tension within the meeting. Stay the course and advocate for your child's needs. The team is required to consider all outside professional information that may improve your child's ability to learn!

Tips & Warnings

• Talk to other parents, and attend local CHADD groups or other parent support groups.
• Read as much as you can about your child's learning problems so the team cannot dismiss your opinion.
• Sometimes the meeting can feel like it's you against them; Take a deep breathe and ask the team for input as to how to best address your child's needs.
• Let the team know that you want to work with them, not against them!
• Read the following EHow.com articles: How to Find a Special Education Advocate and How to Prepare for an IEP Meeting; they are very helpful!
• There is a lot of controversy over "No Child Left Behind" within the educational system, the issues related to this is a hot button for many educators.
• You might hear about limits within the school' s budget; don't let this prevent you from asking for services to meet your child's needs.