Re: PLEASE - Need Help with IEP

[Guest guest]

Remember first that this is just a "proposed" IEP. It is not a final draft. So you can certainly add or have added any number of things.

Make a list of things you feel he needs. Then I would document the need for everything you are asking for. So when you get to the meeting and you say, "He needs this" and they say, "No he doesn't", you can pull out data showing otherwise. Your data can include notes to/from the teacher, grades, previous examples of help needed and/or services provided along with why. You can also search on the net for articles to support your positions. Make copies of relevant information and be prepared to answer questions.

What I have used in the past is my own "bull"meter. lol. You know, if he needs social skills for transition only - what does that mean? It sounds fishy - then it probably is! So I would start asking them to explain what he needs help with exactly...and as they explain, take notes! Write down what they are saying. Then ask them questions for further explanation such as, "So he needs help learning to talk to peers...but only for one month after school starts? What will change after that first month or is the social skill class that good at remediating this kind of problem?" You don't need to change their minds so much as gather information. Sometimes just repeating the nonsense can cause them to backtrack. You can disagree with the IEP or agree with only parts of it while disagreeing with other things. If you do not come to terms with them over things like social skills, you can request an Independent educational evaluation at school expense.

Remember - just as you have gathered data to prove your point, expect them to have data to prove theirs. They can't just arbitrarily come up with things or put him into services based on what they have available whether it suits his needs or not. So consider what he needs and if they are not meeting those needs, ask them for data to support their recommendations. "You say he needs to be in this math program because....and how do we know this will work for his specific needs?" and so forth. Ask questions. They might have good ideas too! If you ask, you will see and understand or become further confused and disagree.

I'm not sure what the math curriculum thing is about unless they are planning to put him in a different type of math program that they find works better for kids with LD's. So ask and find out. Will he get the same material as his peers? Will he stay at grade level? Make a list of questions!~! And let us know how it goes this week!

Roxanna

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( ) PLEASE - Need Help with IEP

Hi All,

I apologize for the long e-mail, but I just received my son's proposed IEP and am quite frustrated.

My son is 10 years old and has Aspergers, attention issues, sensory issues, nonverbal learning disabilities as well as anxiety and OCD. Quite a mouthful.

For the past several years my son has been mainstreamed with an aide and has received in class support for math as well as speech, OT and social skills. This year he has struggled with math, language arts, writing and social studies. I have documented all of my communication with the teacher throughout the year. Their proposed IEP calls for pull out replacement math as well as in class replacement for language arts and writing. They have indicated that they will provide social skills one time per week for 2 months simply for the transition to middle school.

My son has had a number of problems with other students bullying him throughtout the year. I have met with the principal and the teacher countless times to address the many problems. My son has also become more anxious and more introverted as a result of the social piece. In light of this, it is incomprehensible to me that they are suggesting that he will no longer need social skills. I am well aware of budget issues but I cannot see my son progressing without this support. The teacher indicated in the IEP that there are social issues and that he would benefit from social skills, but in their eyes the support is needed simply to address the transition to middle school. I clearly don't agree..

In addition, the teacher never indicated to me at any point in the year that there would be a need for replacement curriulum. I met with the teacher and members of the team throughout the year and this never came up. As such, I am surprised that they are suggesting a replacment curriculum..

Last, but not least my son struggled with social studies throughout the year. The teacher as well as our outside team worked at modifying the curriculum so that he could be successsful. What surprised me was the fact that there was nothing in the IEP to address social studies. I met with the in class support teacher and she indicated that they had told the district that social studies needed to be modififed for a number of children, but that the district is not responsive.

Behavior modification has been used with my son throughout the year, but the proposed IEP makes no use of said startegies and techniques for next year. I have tried to meet with the teacher before the IEP but she is avoiding discussing the IEP.

I have my IEP meeting at the end of the week and have my work cut out for me. I have a number of isssues to address. What I was looking for was some guidance with regard to social skills, behavior modification and a modified social studies curriculum for my son. Does anyone have any thoughts or suggesstons as to what has worked for them?

Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks again,

Luz

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