IEP: Special Ed. vs. Regular Ed.

Did you do the homework?

WOW! Did you notice something immediately? OK, I am going to give you a break if you did not do the homework...

Regular Education
When you look at the curriculum for the regular education for your child's grade level, you will notice a few things. The first of which is the length.

The goals are broken into categories of language, science, social science and mathematics.

On average, there are between 300 and 500 goals for elementary school children and 1,200 to 1,500 goals for high school children.

Special Education
Individualized Education Plans (IEP) are divided into four major categories: Cognitive (intellectual skills), Social (adaptive and self-help skills), Motor (physical ability) and Language (speech and communication).

Based on where you live, IEP average ten (10) goals per section, with many children having no goals in areas where they need no special attention.

A-B=Where is the "education"?
If you are holding your child's IEP in one hand (A) and the grade curriculum in the other (B), a good IEP will be balanced. The IEP will have the same goals adapted to suit your child's disability.

When A-B is less than a desirable balance, it is time for you to do some investigating.

Areas of investigation
In order to give credit where it is justly deserved, most especially in your child, your investigation must include all of the following areas.

Child's ability

• Personal observation at home, school and outside settings
  
• Assessments and meetings with doctors, therapists and paraprofessionals

Classroom setting

• Availability of resources
• Availability of professionals and paraprofessionals
• Structured activities vs. individualized education time
  

Level of disability education training

• Administration (principal, curriculum coach)
• Professionals (therapists, teachers, school psychologist)
• Paraprofessionals (aides, guidance counselor)

School District

• Availability and location of resources
• Disability education training and/or awareness of board member serving school
• Performance of supporting services (transportation, meal services)
  

We will tackle the investigation one step at a time over the next few posts to eliminate the majority of stumbling blocks to the successful IEP.

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George Chmiel: Leaving Wednesday

George is leaving for Egypt on Wednesday morning! If you have not already been, stop by his blog and leave a comment. Show your support!

Share the story of George and his courageous run, not on the smooth paved road, but in the grueling sun-parched sands of the Sahara Desert.

That's right. 155 miles in temperatures as high as 140 degrees Fahrenheit. And he will be carrying his gear and a ration of water.

He will be able to take a break in the evening at the virtual oasis: a tent where runners can send word back to those of us feverishly waiting on word from them.

George has been training hard these last few weeks. Stop by and leave him a note wishing him well. And while you are there, why not take a minute to donate to the MAGIC Foundation?

After all, if George Chmiel can run across the Sahara for Luci...

What would you do to save a child?

Visit Virginia's Dream. International shipping available on request. ALL proceeds through December 31, 2009, are being donated to Autism Research Foundation.

IEP: It really is a team effort.

Over the next few posts, we are going to look in depth into the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) Process.

Today, we begin with the IEP Team.

The bare minimum for an IEP is:

• Parent(s)
  
• Principal
  
• Special needs teacher
• "Regular education" teacher
• Special needs representative from the school district
  
• Specialist(s) (Speech, occupation and/or physical therapist, psychologist)

Optional team members are:

• Advocates (from state or county/parish agencies, disability organizations or charities)
• Service Coordinator
• Personal or in-home therapists

Each person should have input toward goals, progress and accommodations in his/her specific area of expertise.

When certain goals have been met and need to be changed, parents have the right to waive the presence of certain team members who are not involved in the particular goal. (**Personal note** I do not recommend this at any time. Keep reading to find out why.)

The Team Leader:
Despite what the onlooker without a special needs child may think, the team leader is the parent. Even though the specialists may have more education in a certain area, no one knows more about your child than you do.

By the time a child is five years old, parents have spent more time with him than a specialist will spend with special needs children in the entirety of her career, even if that career spans 45 years.

Your advocate may know more about "the process", but without your information, there is no "process". Think of the IEP as a blank computer program. Until you put in your child's information, progress, strengths and weaknesses, the program does nothing.

There is no "I" in "TEAM".
All members of the team need to be working toward the goals of your special needs child: not standardized tests scores to get school funds (NCLB), not number of special needs children seen (IDEA), not personal career statistics.

All members of the team should be pursuing all of the goals on the IEP. While some specialists will focus on certain parts of the IEP, they should not ignore the remaining goals on the IEP. All activities for special needs children can be adapted to satisfy two or more areas of the IEP (i.e. cognitive and social, social and language, cognitive, social and occupational, etc.).

This is why all members of the team should be present every time a goal is changed on the IEP. A change to one portion of the IEP may open a world of possibilities for another service provider for your special needs child.

IEP is not just for school.
Yes, the IEP is educational. After all, the "E" stands for "education". Do not leave the IEP in the hands of the school.

As a parent, you have taught your child all he knows. Nothing changes when he goes to school. YOU are still his first and best teacher. Ask your service coordinator, advocate and teachers for activities which you can do at home to help your child meet IEP goals.

Next post, we will explore the first stage of preparation for the IEP meeting.

For homework, check out your state's Department of Education website. Find the requirements for the "regular education" grade level for your child.

Visit Virginia's Dream. International shipping available on request. Through December 31, 2009, all Virginia's Dream website proceeds are being donated to the Autism Research Foundation.