IEP Cheat Sheet, Quick & Dirty*

*Caution:  I’m not a professional parent, although I play one in real life.

Whether you’ve been to a few Individualized Education Plan meetings, or you’re getting ready for your first, below are my top-ten quick-pick favs for IEP meetings:

1.  Organize your paperwork chronologically and bring it.  Check ASNC’s world-famous autism bookstore for From Emotions to Advocacy by Pam and Pete Wright.  If you can’t get it together, the most important papers to bring are the current IEP and most recent evaluations.

2.  If there are members on the IEP team who’ve not yet met your child, bring a Positive Student Profile and pic with enough copies to hand out.

3.  Have your Parents’/Student’s’ Concerns and Parents’/Student’s Vision for the future already typed with copies for the team.  Always have concerns and a vision! (This needn’t be elaborate.)

4.  Pay attention to and participate in the wording of the Present level of academic and functional performance section, because this leads to the annual goal.

5.  Annual goals are based on Present level of performance.  Goals can be academic, functional, or social in order to access the general curriculum/standard course of study.  Goals must be measurable.

6.  Develop good communication skills (“Let me make sure I understand you correctly”…[And then repeat back what they said]).

7.  Learn to watch the members’ body language and check you own (this is also a communication skill).

8.  Dress for a “business casual” meeting.

9.  Bring refreshments (It doesn’t have to be catered).

10.  You’re a valid, essential member of the IEP team.  You have something to bring to the party (not just treats)!  Nobody knows your child as well as you; give the team members the great opportunity to know your child better.

Now go get ‘em, you positive team player, you!