IEP meeting

[Ssanchez75]

HI all I am new to all of this. I have a special education meeting tomorrow (IEP) for my son and I want to make sure my son get everything he needs. What are things that you have done to prepare or ask during this meeting?

[Niko2012]

Hello and welcome!! knowing what to ask for is based on his needs. Can you share some of the reasonings he’s on an IEP? What do you feel he needs out of it?

Sometimes schools are not very transparent about what’s available. Good luck either way, I’ve been through a few years of IEPs for my son and have learned a lot!

[Ssanchez75 in reply to Niko2012]

my son is 6 years old and since he started school we have been having trouble in school such as behavior he is aggressive but not intentionally this comes after something happened like sensory things or transitioning from one class room to the next. His teacher has stressed that he does not want to do class work or join the rest of the class for activities. When asked a question his response is always I don't know and these question are basic like how many pencils are on the table he does not really like to try. At home we spend about an hour trying to read a list of 15 sight words he is easily distracted and gives up pretty easily but we get it done.

[Onthemove1971]

Welcome, since your child has an IEP he has goals that are written for him to be able to work on areas he is struggling in. All IEP's list accommodations and modifications ( if needed). So it would you like recommendations for goals?

So accommodations that are common for kids with ADHD are: sitting close to instruction, extra time on homework and tests. A copy of the teacher's notes and breaks when needed during instruction. Another helpful tool is audiobooks, which all children with an IEP or 504 plan qualify for.

You could look at Bookshare.org so he could get his books on downloadable audio.

One last thing that helped our son in middle school is he has an hand gesture that showed the teacher he needs to get up and move around.

CHADD and Attitude both have many more aticles to help you.

Welcome! Good luck with the meeting let us know how it goes.

Take care

[Ssanchez75 in reply to Onthemove1971]

Thank you so much this is all new to me and am trying to get as much help and information as possible. Our IE meeting went great I am glad that his teacher and the principle have been a great support and that I have been constantly in contact with them. I did request a lot and everything got put on his IEP. They are moving my son schools so they can accommodate his needs since his current school can not. He will be in a smaller class with 13 other children where they have 1 Teacher a TA and an Aide, they will also provide him with peer interaction counseling since he is struggiling to make friends 2x a week and counseling for aggression 3x a week this is great. I also requested he be bussed to school in a smaller bus since we have been having trouble in the big bus. overall I think this meeting went great a lot of questions where asked as we progress I told them I would probably add more or ask more for his IEP for next year.

[Onthemove1971 in reply to Ssanchez75]

I am so glad that you feel supported and that there is a plan in place for him to get what they talked about.

I just wanted to say 2 more things. First just know that if this plan going ahead and works now as he changes and matures you can look at other placements. It really is year by year ( it less if needed).

One last piece of advice is you can request reports and update prior to the meeting so that there is not a surprise when you arrive at the table.

I really love when parent have a positive experience and their child gets what they need.

Big hug for all your hard work now you can get things rolling then relax ( just a little)

We are always here for you..

Have a great night.

[Want2BHappy3]

I have been to countless IEP meetings. I have 2 kids that are adults now. So I had double the meetings to attend. I changed my work schedule to attend. First NEVER miss a meeting, there should be several Specialists there including the teacher and Principal so they are aware of what’s going on or else they’ll play Dumb. It’s Not going to be easy, they’ll want you to accept what they say??? DON’T!!! Do your homework with the Educational state department and Department of Rehabilitation find out what they have to offer??? Depending on the state you live in you could get SSI payments??? This could help with paying for any therapy or tutoring needs. The school told me that my older daughter would NEVER be employed. After I cried, I told them that this was NOT acceptable. Fast Forward 25 years, she’s been employed, went to college. NEVER give up and DON’T believe everything they say??? The school had tested them and weren’t going to tell Me, their teachers told me our rights about getting IEP Test. Good Luck and stand FIRM

[Supermom24 in reply to Want2BHappy3]

Your post helped me so much. Thank you. I am just starting this process. I soon have a meeting with the school, who only wants to provide the basics. They have done a 504 Plan but they seem very reluctant to follow up on the request for an IEP from his doctor. How do I get them to do this for my son so that the appropriate accomodations are made in every respect and not just based on general observations stated on the 504 Plan, which as I understand the 504 is meant only to qualify him as a special needs child. Am I correct? Thank you very much for your answer.

[Kd1970]

Be careful in how you stand firm and ask for things. I’ve been in the field of special education for 22 years with 4 additional years in gen ed. Parent requests with lawyers and advocates are really stressing out good teachers. No one goes in to education to get rich. They go in to education because they love kids and because they want to make a difference. I also have a child with ADHD. I know first hand how much difference a good teacher makes in the life of a child with ADHD and how much damage an uneducated teacher can do to the self esteem and spirit of these kids. Don’t go in to these meetings assuming you have the latter as a teacher or you will drive away the former type.

[Mythreesons2017]

My son is 16 and in high school. We recently switched from a 504 to a IEP. You can ask for anything you think will help him with his learning. But you have to make sure these things are being done. My son is embarrassed by the hole thing and doesn’t want any help. And he won’t tell us if the things we had out in place are being done. So you really have to check up. I really have had a pretty good response from the teachers. They all were excited to find ways to help him once they found out he had a problem. But you will run into those teachers that either think your child is the “trouble” kid or just thinks he or she needs to be in a special school. Just have to not let them discourage you and keep fighting for your child!! Good luck

[reg2018]

Each child is different and you're starting a journey. Begin with communicating with those in the meeting the difficulty you're experiencing at home with taking an hour to work on 15 sight words. Homework time for a 6-year-old should be limited. So an accomodation you can ask for on the IEP is modified homework - a shorter list of sight words. Modified homework can also work for half of the vocab words, 1/2 of the math etc.

Identify what the challenges are and look for possible solutions that will work for your child.

You can check out a couple of examples of iep goals here: utahparentcenter.org/public...

[Dsmith05]

I highly recommend Lisa Lightener's A day in Our Shoes blog and her Don't IEP Alone podcast. A wonderful resource for understand the IEP process.

adayinourshoes.com/