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Keep communication open all year. Do NOT wait until the annual review to unload a bunch of issues that have been brewing for the last 7 months. If you are concerned, you have a right to bring them up at the point you are concerned directly with the provider responsible. If you make no headway, work your way up the chain of command as needed. But communication is truly the key. If everyone is open and transparent, there really is the possibility of everyone walking away happy.
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Submit proposed goals and other input ahead of time. I strongly advocate that teachers share their proposals well in advance, and this also goes for parents. If you have stuff you want included in the IEP, let it be known far enough in advance that it can be included in the draft presented at the meeting. If you have independent evaluations and data from other providers, it can really help write a better draft that requires less niggling.
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Try to cut a deal before hand. Yeah, I know that the IEP is supposed to be a committee process, but as a parent you have most of the cards. Go ahead and play ahead of time and see if there are points that you can get agreement on before the meeting from the folks who you need to win over. If you want para support for your son or daughter, try running it by the director of special ed. in advance. Your case manager is likely to support your efforts, and he/she can help you make your case. If you run into a dead-end, then at least you know ahead of time and can go ahead and pack the lunch and pizza. But a lot of bargaining and discussion can take place ahead of time over the phone and with stakeholders. It happens at schools among the staff all the time. There’s no reason why you can’t be in on the preliminaries. A few things to put on the table in advance: ESY, para support, major placement change, adding service hours, an evaluation request. These are all things that may require extra forms, paperwork and consultation. If I know you might want an evaluation we can actually start getting consents and screenings done ahead of time instead of waiting for the meeting.
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Request a draft of the IEP, copies of mastery records and data ahead of time. I know teachers and service providers really grouse about doing this, but it really can save a lot of grief in the long run. If they are not giving their stuff to you voluntarily, send a note in demanding it by a certain time, say 5 days or so before the meeting. I suppose you could make the holding of the IEP contingent upon that condition. If they refuse, you simply turn the tables…go to the meeting and table it as soon as you get the stuff. School systems will automaticaly table a meeting if you show up with an attorney without giving them advance notice. You have the same right to NOT be surprised.
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Look for other ways and times to communicate. Special Olympics can be a good time to touch base as well as other events that happen during the school year. Some of it might involve volunteering. Afterall, you don’t have to be a nuisance ALL the time!;-) Communication and being open is a real key to getting the best services possible for your student. If I know you want a certain service or device in advance, I can hunt around and look into it. I might find something better than what you wanted. But if I’m surprised by something at the annual review, I’m going to have a more difficult time agreeing to it. We all have a hard time agreeing to things we don’t understand or are unprepared for.
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Be realistic. “Realistic” is a very subjective thing, and I get that. In fact, this concept of realism probably causes more conflict than anything else. Yes, we have the technology to put your son or daughter inside of a space capsule and launch them into orbit around the moon and bring them back safely. But when you’re asking tax payers to foot the bill for your moon shot, we’re going to have some problems. And do you really want the school system building that rocket? While school systems are capable of many things, I’ve come to realize that the school system is not terribly capable of doing many things very well. You’ll get para support and ESY but the folks doing those things may not be as skilled and committed as you want. It’s a given that they will not be as committed as you, the parent. So by “realistic” I think parents need to realize that they are much better equipped to deliver most of the skills their kids need themselves. I only have 7 students, but they are the neediest students in the building! On a good day, I can get 45 minutes with each individual student, and that includes changing diapers and feeding. If you want your child mainstreamed, the ratio gets worse. Para support involves a new level of devilry addressed next…
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Get the student involved (as appropriate). With my SID/PID population, it is going to be somewhat negligible as it is with very young students. However, by the time they are a middle schooler, most students should be writing some sort of “Fact Sheet” indicating their own interests and their own understanding of their limitations and strengths. I have been in many meetings where parent and school system are squared off and a very capable student is in the middle left saying absolutely nothing. That student needs to be in the middle, but not as a spectator. Which gets back to para support, because a para often becomes a sort of surrogate parent. For the very young or the very impaired, this is often what is needed. But as students age, that para support needs to be dimished and independence needs to be increased. Same with testing accomodations. The best example of a student self-advocating was one time when we were discussing testing accomodations and the teacher was ready to include extra time and a small setting “just in case he needed it.” The student shot back (quite forcefully) “I just took the PSAT and had no problems with 100 other students for 3 hours. I hink I’ll be okay taking other tests without all that!” Okay, this fellow might be an exception but the point is, is that he was ready to shed the support and let it be known.
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Let My People Go! It’s not just something Moses said to Pharoah, it’s good for the rest of us. If you feel the need to have an IEP that lasts several hours, okay. But please let the service providers go do what they get paid to do or at least attend some other parent’s meeting. I have 5 meetings on one day, and all 5 of those parents deserve a shot at talking to people who serve their children, just like you. Allow those participants who need to leave after the first hour to do it, if you can. I know no one likes the “revolving door” of many meetings with people coming and going, but this truly is the nature of this beast. We simply have not mastered the ability to be several places at the same time. It really is rare that a teacher or service provider can spare more than an hour for these things, but we do what we have to.
IEP ideas for Parents: 8 tips for avoiding a butt-long (and ugly) IEP
2 Apr5 Responses to “IEP ideas for Parents: 8 tips for avoiding a butt-long (and ugly) IEP”
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April 30, 2009
[…] 2. Talk to the Parents. There’s some disagreement as to who you should talk to first, but I start with the parents. I let them know what week we’re doing annual reviews and get a feel for their own feelings. I want to know how they feel about attending, when the best time of day for them and what their concerns are. Basically we begin the process I’ve written about before. […]
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April 30, 2009
[…] 2. Talk to the Parents. There’s some disagreement as to who you should talk to first, but I start with the parents. I let them know what week we’re doing annual reviews and get a feel for their own feelings. I want to know how they feel about attending, when the best time of day for them and what their concerns are. Basically we begin the process I’ve written about before. […]
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As always informative and right on the money:)
Would you be interested in speaking at local support group that has started in county next to you?
I might be. Drop me an email, found in my “About Me” page,and let me know the particulars. Drop me a line about the particulars of your group in anycase, as I might be interested in checking y’all out regardless.
D.
Hi tried the email you referred to and is did not work for me. The next meeting is on Tuesday, April 21. Email me at swmose@comcast.net of you are interested in the details.
Wendy