Developing an IEP for Your Child 

Introduction 

Children with special needs are each unique. While some may need extra assistance in the classroom, others may need extra help in socials skills and others yet may have a hard time because of physical handicaps.  An IEP, or Individualized Educational Program, takes the uniqueness of each special needs child into account. An IEP is created to take the needs of a specific child to develop educational services to fit their needs. A team of people, including parents, teachers, guidance counselors, school psychologists, school administration and in some cases, your child, creates the IEP. Parents are a very important part of this process and according to IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) parents and school personnel are considered to be “equal partners.” Together, this team will create a plan of action to make sure that each child has a chance to receive an education.  

If you have a child with special needs and you feel they may benefit from specialized services to help them succeed in school, contact your school district or the state department of education to request a copy of your local regulations. IDEA, or Individuals with Disabilities Education Act is a federal law. This law mandates that schools must provide a “free and appropriate public education” to all children, including those with a disability. The law also mandates school districts to provide this at no cost to parents when children meet the eligibility guidelines. School districts must comply with this law, however, they may also have additional services available and it is to your benefit to understand both the federal regulations as well as any additional information provided by your state and school district. 

The initial meeting to develop an IEP must be held no more than 30 days after your child is found to be eligible for special education services.  By law, you, the parent, must be notified of this meeting. Your notice must include the following information: 

• The purpose of the meeting
• Who will be attending the meeting?
• When and where the meeting will be held
• A notice indicating that you may bring other people that may have knowledge or expertise regarding your child to the meeting. (You may bring therapists or other medical professionals working with your child, other parents, advocates, tutors or anyone else that you feel would be able to share important information.)

After the IEP has been completed, the school may not begin to carry out the services until you have agreed to it, in writing.  In addition, the IEP must be reviewed at least once every 12 months. If you feel that changes should be made to the IEP sooner than 12 months, you have the right to request an IEP meeting. Many schools will begin working on reviewing and updating IEPS in late winter or early spring for the following school year. 

What Happens During the IEP Meeting? 

The IEP meeting is to develop a new IEP or to review the previous IEP. If you have never been to a meeting, you may be concerned about what will happen.  During the meeting, each person should have a chance to speak. Some of the topics covered will include: 

• Your child’s strengths and weaknesses
• Your concerns with your child’s education
• Results of any evaluations or assessments (including state testing) that have been completed
• Teacher’s concerns or observations
• Areas of special needs, such as: social skills, communication deficiencies, mental illnesses, learning disabilities, physical disabilities, behavioral concerns, vision or hearing impairments or English is not the primary language spoken.

Many teachers, or other school personnel, will have written down some notes and observations prior to the meeting.  It is a good idea for parents to have written notes to avoid forgetting important points. Prior to the meeting you can also request to see any evaluations or assessments or even request the school send you a copy of their ideas so that you can review these before the meeting. You should also have a written idea of what services you feel your child can benefit from. 

Normally your child’s primary teacher will be the first to speak. If your child is already receiving special education, this may be the special education teacher.  The teacher will discuss how your child’s disability is impacting their education, their classroom observations and may suggest some services or accommodations that they feel would best benefit your child.  

Any specialists that are present at the meeting, such as school psychologists, occupational therapists or counselors will usually speak next. They may discuss what programs the school offers, support services that are available and how these programs can benefit your child’s education. 

As the parent, you are also given an opportunity to share your observations and ideas on what your child may need or ask the team to address any specific questions or concerns that you have. Remember, the IDEA law places the parent as an equal partner in developing an educational plan and recognizes you as an expert on your child.  If you do not agree with something that has been said, discuss your concerns or ask for clarification or additional information. It would be best for you to take notes during the meeting so that you can remember what happened later and to help you remain focused. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, to ask for clarification or to ask for additional information. If you do not agree with something someone said, certain services or goals that have been set, you do not need to agree. 

If you feel uncomfortable or intimidated by the meeting you can bring someone with you as an advocate. An advocate can be another parent or an educational advocate. This person can help by taking notes or reminding you of items that you wanted to discuss. If you do plan to bring someone with you, let the school know ahead of time. 

The purpose of this meeting is to put together a plan to help your child succeed in school. The IEP will also contain goals to measure the success of the plan. Once the team members have agreed on a plan, it will be written and all members of the team will need to sign it. The plan cannot be started until the parent agrees to the services and accommodations. If you do not agree with the IEP, you do not need to sign it. If there are still areas that you feel accommodations are needed, you can request a second meeting be set up to complete the IEP. You do not need to complete it in one meeting if you are not comfortable with the results. By requesting a second meeting, you are allowing everyone to have a chance to review the issues that are still outstanding and then come back to discuss again.  Sometimes, this will give everyone an opportunity to look at the issue from a different perspective and will help to resolve the issue. 

If you are still not satisfied with the results, you can request a Due Process Hearing or Mediation.  Mediation is less formal than a Due Process Hearing and gives you and the school district an opportunity to discuss concerns with a neutral third party. A Due Process Hearing is a legal process and once both sides have had a chance to discuss their position, the hearing officer will make a decision.  

The IEP 

All Individual Educational Programs must include certain information: 

• The present level of educational performance
• Both short term and long term goals
• Specific measurement of progress
• A list of special services, supplementary aids and accommodations that will be provided for your child, including a date services will start, when they will end, how often they will take place and where they will take place
• Modifications needed for standardized state-wide assessment tests
• A communication system for parents to be advised of progress
• An explanation if your child will not be included in non-disabled settings

In addition to the above, once your child has reached the age of 14, the IEP must include transition services to help prepare your child for life after high school. 

After the IEP is Completed 

Once you have completed and signed the IEP, your work is not over. Both you and the IEP team must monitor your child’s progress, check to see what goals have been met and determine when and how the IEP should be changed.  You might want to schedule a follow up meeting for one to two months after the IEP has been put into place. This will give everyone an opportunity to see how the accommodations and services are working and if any modifications are needed.  Keep in mind that any time you feel that the IEP should be changed, you can request a meeting. 

Keep a diary of how your child is doing. You can also use this as a place to write down any questions your have, concerns that have come up or ideas on how the IEP could better address your child’s disability and learning difficulties.  Keeping in touch with your child’s teacher will help you to monitor your child’s progress. 

Your child’s education is ongoing and so is the IEP. It will most probably evolve and change each year your child is in school. A good IEP will adapt and adjust to your child’s ever changing needs as they grow.

By Eileen Bailey

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