How to Use Eight Principles For Ensuring a Successful IEP

Creating a successful and comprehensive Individual Education Plan (IEP) is largely dependent on the professionals making up the IEP team, the parent or other caregiver, an understanding of the IEP process, and the willingness and ability of everyone to work together to assure the IEP fits the educational, occupational, physical, and emotional needs of the student receiving special educational services. There are eight principles, as outlined by author Jennifer Bollero, in her article "Play Hearts, Not Poker" that provide tips and guidance for parents as well as IEP team members.

Things You'll Need

• Names and titles of the I.E.P. Team
• Information on your child
• Copy of the I.E.P. as written by the team (before the meeting) for reading

Instructions

1. Develop and try to sustain a good working relationship with the other IEP team members by finding out who they are, what their professional qualifications are, and in what way they are working with your child.

2. Focus on your child's needs rather than your personal expectations or the school district's resources as the school district gets extra money from the government for each student with a diagnosed physical or mental exceptionality and there are certain rules a school district must follow as outlined in the Individual's with Disabilities Education Act.

3. Get independent evaluations from professionals outside the perameters of the school district and work with the IEP team to design specific, measurable, and realistic IEP goals for your child.

4. Author Jennifer Bollero strongly suggests that you encourage brainstorming among all informed people at team meetings, especially before an IEP as, "amazing solutions can present themselves when the collective resources focus on a problem."

5. Keep an ongoing record taken from grades and activities your child completes in school, copies of medical, educational and other professional diagnosis, and your copy of every IEP so that you can reference them to help you make sure you can face the reality of your child's abilities no matter what they are.

6. Spend sustained time in your child's classroom if and when you can, watch children on the playground and in the lunchroom to see how they interact with your child and other children. Observe the interaction between your child and their individual or classroom para and observe how the physical, occupational, speech or other therapy, is provided by school district professionals.

7. Actively listen to the things you do not want to hear. MS. Bollero suggests that, "If your temperature is rising, disengage your ego from what is happening, breathe deeply and calmly restating the issue." Let the person know, whether it is the teacher or other professional on the IEP team, that you want to understand their position. Restate what you thought they said, not what you thought they meant.

8. Remember to give your child's IEP team credit for acting in good faith. Supply information or data to the team if they miss something or do not know something about your child's abilities. If you disagree, try to work it out without getting personal.

Tips & Warnings

• If a knowledgeable educator has a different approach or opinion from yours or the teams, this does not make them the bad guy, listen to what they have to offer and suggest because they may well be invaluable, untapped resources.

• Even if the IEP team members have priorities that you cannot share, they can turn out to be of great help to your child.

• If your child's school or pre-school program does not have teachers make and keep portfolio's for children, suggest that they do. Portfolios are copies of work or art work compiled daily or weekly to show what a child is doing and how they are improving. A portfolio can be a valuable tool for parents, IEP teams and teachers.