Very down to earth explanation of IEP Team

[Guest guest]

I got this from an ACC list that I am on and loved the " team "

analogy. It is long, but a good explanation in laymans terms of the

IEP meeting and who is REALLY in charge. Sue in TN

Meet Your IEP Team

From Terri Mauro,

Your Guide to Parenting Special Needs.

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A Parent's Guide to Special-Education Players

What do you think of when you hear the word " team " ? Does the word

conjure up images of individuals working hard toward a mutual goal?

Do you imagine careful strategizing, intense huddles, encouraging

pats on the back, shared feelings of triumph over a job well done?

Or does " team " make you think of game-playing and competition? Heavy

humans thudding weaker ones to the ground with bone-crunching force?

Jockeying for position and advantage, trash talking, rivalries over

leadership and playing time?

Your dealings with the " team " that plans your child's IEP

(Individualized Education Program) may reflect both of those

visions, and there may be times you'll wish you could load up on

protective padding before heading in to be tackled again. Other

times, you may feel that you and your teammates are actually on the

same side, trying to score on behalf of your child and not against

one another.

Before you get together with these accomplices/ adversaries on the

field of battle, it helps to know who they are, what they do, and

where they're coming from. This player's guide will help you with:

Identifying those many solemn faces around the IEP-planning table

Figuring out what each of those intimidating personages is

responsible for realizing which team member is the most important

(Hint: It's the one not being paid to be there)

The Core Team Members

While there are a stunning array of people who will move onto and

off of the IEP field, three players will probably do the largest

amount of ball-carrying for students with special needs. They're the

ones you'll find in the cramped little offices filled with files.

They're the ones who will send you letters announcing scheduled

meetings, and the ones who will hand you the 5,000 copies of the

booklets on knowing your rights. They'll be responsible for

evaluating your child on arrival in the system and periodically

thereafter. One of these individuals will probably be assigned as

your child's case manager.

These are people you will only see at big scary meetings, unless you

make an effort to get to know them in smaller, less scary ones. In

addition to their evaluating and program-planning responsibilities,

they may actually be able to provide you with information and advice

about situations that come up during the school year -- that is, if

they're out of meetings long enough to answer the phone.

The School Psychologist: The psychologist is the person who will

give your child IQ tests and other psychological surveys as part of

the evaluation portion of IEP planning. If your child has mental

health challenges, you may be more likely to have the psychologist

as your case manager, but that varies with school districts and

workloads. The psychologist may make observations during the meeting

about your child's psychological state or concerns. If your child is

having problems during the school year that require counseling, this

psychologist may be able to help, or there may be another school

psychologist who handles counseling of students.

The Learning Specialist: The learning specialist is the person who

will give your child tests that assess level of educational

achievement and ability. If your child has learning disabilities,

you may be more likely to have the learning consultant as your case

manager, but that varies with school districts and workloads. The

learning specialist may make observations during the meeting about

the appropriate educational placement for your child. Should your

child need special learning techniques, modifications and

accommodations in the classroom, the learning consultant may be able

to strategize those with you and the teacher, and help monitor

progress.

The Social Worker: The social worker is the person who will take

down a family history during the evaluation process. If your child

has had behavioral problems or personal struggles with school, you

may be more likely to have the social worker as your case manager,

but that varies with school districts and workloads. The social

worker may make observations during the meeting about your child's

relationships with other students and general participation in the

school experience. Should your child need special assistance with

peer relationships and conflicts, the social worker may be able to

arrange appropriate programs.

Of all the people you'll work with in planning your child's IEP,

these core team members are the easiest ones to classify as " the

enemy " -- they don't work with your child on a day-to-day basis,

they're charged with carrying out the district's policies, and they

may seem heavy-handed in the way they run meetings and make

decisions.

Take a closer look, though, and you may find good people who are

overworked and underappreciated, feeling the pressure from both

their bosses and the people they serve. You'll also, for sure, find

human beings who quite naturally look askance at things that make

their jobs harder. If you can be something that makes their jobs

easier, that may go a long way to reducing tension and promoting

teamwork.

For one thing, if you regularly give teachers information about your

child's disability, give a copy to the case manager, too. The school

psychologist, learning specialist, and social worker may not be

experts on every disability and every new bit of research, either,

and in providing background you'll make their job easier now, and

your job easier later when you don't have to explain this all again

and again.

Part Two: The Teachers

From the school's point of view, nobody knows your child better than

the teacher. So it's natural for the teacher to be involved in the

planning of the IEP. Inconvenient, maybe, since it pulls the teacher

out of a classroom or forces meetings into the constraints of the

teacher's break time, but natural nevertheless. That's good news for

you if you've built a rapport with a teacher, or if a teacher has a

particularly good feel for your child's abilities and needs. If the

agreeability factor is not so high? The teacher can be a pretty big

fly in your ointment.

If your child has multiple teachers in the course of a school day,

they won't all crowd the meeting. One of each of these types of

teacher will get tagged to participate, and maybe they'll actually

show up, too.

The Special Education Teacher:

Your child's special education teacher -- or one of them, anyway, if

your child is in a variety of classes -- will almost always make it

to the IEP meeting.

This teacher will be charged with outlining your child's educational

progress and prognosis for the IEP, and with gathering opinions from

all other teachers as appropriate. What you hear from the teacher at

the meeting should be consistent with what you've been hearing

throughout the year. If not, ask why. If you haven't been talking

with the teacher throughout the year ... well, then I'll ask, why

not? Don't be a stranger.

The Regular Education Teacher:

Regular education teachers are supposed to be at IEP meetings. Their

actual attendance? Spotty. Deciding factors may include how much

time your child spends in the teacher's class, how directly the

teacher works with your child, how much of a darn the teacher gives

about special students, how pushy the case manager is, and whatever

else is preoccupying the teacher that day. If it's important to you

to have the regular education teacher there, make personal contact

and urge him or her not to forget.

Schooling the Teacher

Your child's teacher can be a powerful ally on the IEP team, or a

formidable foe. There are a couple of ways to swing the odds to the

former:

Give the teacher plenty of information about your child's

disability.

Don't make the teacher do research, or guess; provide plenty of

helpful material, with your personal spin.

Meet with the teacher frequently. Build a relationship, and let the

teacher know you're always available for conferences, phone calls,

or strategy sessions.

Especially meet with the teacher before the IEP meeting, to float

the issues that may be mentioned, present your point of view, and

get a reaction. Working things out privately between the two of you

will work better than trying to do it in a roomful of hostiles.

If one of your child's teacher " gets " him or her more than others,

ask that teacher to come to the meeting, even if a different teacher

has been put in charge.

Getting the Straight Story

It's good to stay in constant contact with your child's teacher.

Unfortunately, though, it may not always clue you in to what you'll

hear at an IEP meeting. One year, my daughter seemed to be doing

great in her self-contained class: good report-card grades, good

comments on progress reports, and a consistent cheerful prognosis

whenever I'd talk to the teacher.

" She's soaring! " I was told. " She's flying! " Well, hooray for that!

So imagine my surprise when, at her IEP meeting, the same teacher

reported that this girl had met none of her goals, understood very

little, and couldn't possibly be mainstreamed. Um, soaring? Flying?

Too close to the sun, maybe, to come crashing so resoundingly down?

It's not a huge amount of fun to have teachers give you bad news all

through the year, either, but you want to make sure that you're

getting a full and well-rounded picture. Let the teacher know you

can take it. And document those comments so if they contrast with

what you hear at the meeting, you can site the misinformation.

Part Three: The Therapists

Therapy is often a major part of an IEP -- what kind your child

gets, how long, how often, and to what good effect. Therapists have

to submit specific and measurable goals to account for the time they

spend with your child, and they're supposed to be at the IEP meeting

to discuss and haggle over that. This can be tricky, though, if the

therapist's time is divided between different schools, or if the

therapist is an employee of an outside agency with specific time

allotments. Or if, you know, the therapist is supposed to be working

with some other demanding parent's child at that particular time.

The therapists in question aren't concerned with your child's

psychological state -- that would be the school psychologist's field

of interest, and maybe the school counselor's. These therapists are

more concerned with how your child speaks, understands, and moves.

And technically, they can only be concerned with those things

inasmuch as they affect schoolwork. Of all the professionals you'll

meet, these may be the ones who play games with your children the

most and with you the least.

The Speech Therapist: The speech therapist works with your child on

receptive and expressive language. In clear language, what that

means is that what your child understands of what people tell him,

how she is able to make that understanding clear, and how she is

able to make her own self understood are all within the speech

therapist's area of interest. This includes both types of

articulation -- the proper production of speech sounds, and the

proper forming of thoughts into words. Be sure all your concerns for

your child's language usage and understanding are being addressed,

not just her ability to move lips and tongue properly.

The Physical Therapist (PT): The physical therapist works on your

child's gross motor skills -- no, not the ability to burp

impressively or spit across the room, but the movement of major

muscle groups to make big movements like walking, running, catching

a ball or kicking it. Once your child is in school, there may be a

particular emphasis on skills that enable a student to make it

untroubled through a school day, like walking without jumping or

flapping, participating in gym class, or carrying a lunch tray or a

binder. You should listen to the goals set by the PT and make sure

they're meaningful to your child's life and priorities.

The Occupational Therapist (OT): As the PT looks at gross motor, the

OT deals with fine motor skills, those small precise movements we

all take for granted and our kids can't do if you paid them. Things

like printing and handwriting clearly. Tying shoes. Coloring in the

lines. Turning a combination lock. Did I mention printing and

handwriting clearly? The occupational therapist will, and writing is

likely one of the things that will pop up in OT goals. If your

school therapist happens to be trained in sensory integration

therapy, you may be able to have some of that calming, organizing

activity written into your child's plan as well. It will have to be

undertaken in a way that makes it important to schooling, however.

(Like being able to remain seated, or keep from disrupting the

class.) Working Out With the Therapists Staying in close contact

with your child's therapists can have all sorts of benefits. They

can give you suggestions of ways to work with your child at home.

They can pass on materials and resources that can be useful in

strategizing your own IEP proposals. And they can tell you really

sweet stories about your kid.

The fact that therapists are often not employed by the district but

by private agencies means they may be less available for things like

meetings, but they're also less tied in to district politics and

proprieties. Build up a good relationship, and you might get some

good gossip.

[Guest guest]

Carol, thanks for that. I copied it & will read it later. Take care,Betty carolynsuelowerychattanooga <sue@...> wrote: I got this from an ACC list that I am on and loved the "team" analogy. It is long, but a good explanation in laymans terms of the IEP meeting and who is REALLY in charge. Sue in TNMeet Your IEP TeamFrom Terri Mauro,Your Guide to Parenting Special

Needs.FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!A Parent's Guide to Special-Education PlayersWhat do you think of when you hear the word "team"? Does the word conjure up images of individuals working hard toward a mutual goal? Do you imagine careful strategizing, intense huddles, encouraging pats on the back, shared feelings of triumph over a job well done? Or does "team" make you think of game-playing and competition? Heavy humans thudding weaker ones to the ground with bone-crunching force? Jockeying for position and advantage, trash talking, rivalries over leadership and playing time? Your dealings with the "team" that plans your child's IEP (Individualized Education Program) may reflect both of those visions, and there may be times you'll wish you could load up on protective padding before heading in to be tackled again. Other times, you may feel that you and your teammates are actually on the same side, trying

to score on behalf of your child and not against one another. Before you get together with these accomplices/ adversaries on the field of battle, it helps to know who they are, what they do, and where they're coming from. This player's guide will help you with: Identifying those many solemn faces around the IEP-planning table Figuring out what each of those intimidating personages is responsible for realizing which team member is the most important(Hint: It's the one not being paid to be there) The Core Team Members While there are a stunning array of people who will move onto and off of the IEP field, three players will probably do the largest amount of ball-carrying for students with special needs. They're the ones you'll find in the cramped little offices filled with files. They're the ones who will send you letters announcing scheduled meetings, and the ones who will hand you the 5,000 copies of the

booklets on knowing your rights. They'll be responsible for evaluating your child on arrival in the system and periodically thereafter. One of these individuals will probably be assigned as your child's case manager. These are people you will only see at big scary meetings, unless you make an effort to get to know them in smaller, less scary ones. In addition to their evaluating and program-planning responsibilities, they may actually be able to provide you with information and advice about situations that come up during the school year -- that is, if they're out of meetings long enough to answer the phone. The School Psychologist: The psychologist is the person who will give your child IQ tests and other psychological surveys as part of the evaluation portion of IEP planning. If your child has mental health challenges, you may be more likely to have the psychologist as your case manager, but that varies with

school districts and workloads. The psychologist may make observations during the meeting about your child's psychological state or concerns. If your child is having problems during the school year that require counseling, this psychologist may be able to help, or there may be another school psychologist who handles counseling of students. The Learning Specialist: The learning specialist is the person who will give your child tests that assess level of educational achievement and ability. If your child has learning disabilities, you may be more likely to have the learning consultant as your case manager, but that varies with school districts and workloads. The learning specialist may make observations during the meeting about the appropriate educational placement for your child. Should your child need special learning techniques, modifications and accommodations in the classroom, the learning consultant may be

able to strategize those with you and the teacher, and help monitor progress. The Social Worker: The social worker is the person who will take down a family history during the evaluation process. If your child has had behavioral problems or personal struggles with school, you may be more likely to have the social worker as your case manager, but that varies with school districts and workloads. The social worker may make observations during the meeting about your child's relationships with other students and general participation in the school experience. Should your child need special assistance with peer relationships and conflicts, the social worker may be able to arrange appropriate programs. Of all the people you'll work with in planning your child's IEP, these core team members are the easiest ones to classify as "the enemy" -- they don't work with your child on a day-to-day basis, they're charged

with carrying out the district's policies, and they may seem heavy-handed in the way they run meetings and make decisions. Take a closer look, though, and you may find good people who are overworked and underappreciated, feeling the pressure from both their bosses and the people they serve. You'll also, for sure, find human beings who quite naturally look askance at things that make their jobs harder. If you can be something that makes their jobs easier, that may go a long way to reducing tension and promoting teamwork. For one thing, if you regularly give teachers information about your child's disability, give a copy to the case manager, too. The school psychologist, learning specialist, and social worker may not be experts on every disability and every new bit of research, either, and in providing background you'll make their job easier now, and your job easier later when you don't have to explain this

all again and again.Part Two: The TeachersFrom the school's point of view, nobody knows your child better than the teacher. So it's natural for the teacher to be involved in the planning of the IEP. Inconvenient, maybe, since it pulls the teacher out of a classroom or forces meetings into the constraints of the teacher's break time, but natural nevertheless. That's good news for you if you've built a rapport with a teacher, or if a teacher has a particularly good feel for your child's abilities and needs. If the agreeability factor is not so high? The teacher can be a pretty big fly in your ointment. If your child has multiple teachers in the course of a school day, they won't all crowd the meeting. One of each of these types of teacher will get tagged to participate, and maybe they'll actually show up, too. The Special Education Teacher: Your child's special education teacher -- or one of

them, anyway, if your child is in a variety of classes -- will almost always make it to the IEP meeting. This teacher will be charged with outlining your child's educational progress and prognosis for the IEP, and with gathering opinions from all other teachers as appropriate. What you hear from the teacher at the meeting should be consistent with what you've been hearing throughout the year. If not, ask why. If you haven't been talking with the teacher throughout the year ... well, then I'll ask, why not? Don't be a stranger. The Regular Education Teacher: Regular education teachers are supposed to be at IEP meetings. Their actual attendance? Spotty. Deciding factors may include how much time your child spends in the teacher's class, how directly the teacher works with your child, how much of a darn the teacher gives about special students, how pushy the case manager is, and whatever else is

preoccupying the teacher that day. If it's important to you to have the regular education teacher there, make personal contact and urge him or her not to forget.Schooling the TeacherYour child's teacher can be a powerful ally on the IEP team, or a formidable foe. There are a couple of ways to swing the odds to theformer: Give the teacher plenty of information about your child's disability. Don't make the teacher do research, or guess; provide plenty of helpful material, with your personal spin. Meet with the teacher frequently. Build a relationship, and let the teacher know you're always available for conferences, phone calls, or strategy sessions. Especially meet with the teacher before the IEP meeting, to float the issues that may be mentioned, present your point of view, and get a reaction. Working things out privately between the two of you will work better than trying to do it in a roomful of

hostiles. If one of your child's teacher "gets" him or her more than others, ask that teacher to come to the meeting, even if a different teacher has been put in charge.Getting the Straight StoryIt's good to stay in constant contact with your child's teacher. Unfortunately, though, it may not always clue you in to what you'll hear at an IEP meeting. One year, my daughter seemed to be doing great in her self-contained class: good report-card grades, good comments on progress reports, and a consistent cheerful prognosis whenever I'd talk to the teacher."She's soaring!" I was told. "She's flying!" Well, hooray for that! So imagine my surprise when, at her IEP meeting, the same teacher reported that this girl had met none of her goals, understood very little, and couldn't possibly be mainstreamed. Um, soaring? Flying? Too close to the sun, maybe, to come crashing so resoundingly down?It's not a huge amount

of fun to have teachers give you bad news all through the year, either, but you want to make sure that you're getting a full and well-rounded picture. Let the teacher know you can take it. And document those comments so if they contrast with what you hear at the meeting, you can site the misinformation.Part Three: The TherapistsTherapy is often a major part of an IEP -- what kind your child gets, how long, how often, and to what good effect. Therapists have to submit specific and measurable goals to account for the time they spend with your child, and they're supposed to be at the IEP meeting to discuss and haggle over that. This can be tricky, though, if the therapist's time is divided between different schools, or if the therapist is an employee of an outside agency with specific time allotments. Or if, you know, the therapist is supposed to be working with some other demanding parent's child at that particular

time. The therapists in question aren't concerned with your child's psychological state -- that would be the school psychologist's field of interest, and maybe the school counselor's. These therapists are more concerned with how your child speaks, understands, and moves. And technically, they can only be concerned with those things inasmuch as they affect schoolwork. Of all the professionals you'll meet, these may be the ones who play games with your children the most and with you the least. The Speech Therapist: The speech therapist works with your child on receptive and expressive language. In clear language, what that means is that what your child understands of what people tell him, how she is able to make that understanding clear, and how she is able to make her own self understood are all within the speech therapist's area of interest. This includes both types of articulation -- the proper

production of speech sounds, and the proper forming of thoughts into words. Be sure all your concerns for your child's language usage and understanding are being addressed, not just her ability to move lips and tongue properly. The Physical Therapist (PT): The physical therapist works on your child's gross motor skills -- no, not the ability to burp impressively or spit across the room, but the movement of major muscle groups to make big movements like walking, running, catching a ball or kicking it. Once your child is in school, there may be a particular emphasis on skills that enable a student to make it untroubled through a school day, like walking without jumping or flapping, participating in gym class, or carrying a lunch tray or a binder. You should listen to the goals set by the PT and make sure they're meaningful to your child's life and priorities.The Occupational Therapist (OT): As the PT looks at

gross motor, the OT deals with fine motor skills, those small precise movements we all take for granted and our kids can't do if you paid them. Things like printing and handwriting clearly. Tying shoes. Coloring in the lines. Turning a combination lock. Did I mention printing and handwriting clearly? The occupational therapist will, and writing is likely one of the things that will pop up in OT goals. If your school therapist happens to be trained in sensory integration therapy, you may be able to have some of that calming, organizing activity written into your child's plan as well. It will have to be undertaken in a way that makes it important to schooling, however. (Like being able to remain seated, or keep from disrupting the class.) Working Out With the Therapists Staying in close contact with your child's therapists can have all sorts of benefits. They can give you suggestions of ways to work with your child at

home. They can pass on materials and resources that can be useful in strategizing your own IEP proposals. And they can tell you really sweet stories about your kid. The fact that therapists are often not employed by the district but by private agencies means they may be less available for things like meetings, but they're also less tied in to district politics and proprieties. Build up a good relationship, and you might get some good gossip. Take care, Betty

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