An Individualized Education Plan (I.E.P.) is instrumental in a special needs student’s life, and is necessary in structuring the educational path and progress for those children who are diagnosed with autism. The I.E.P. is a written statement for each child with a disability that is developed, reviewed, and revised in accordance with the provision of the Individuals with Disability Education Act (IDEA) and includes statements of:
1.) The child’s present level of performance
2.) Annual goals and short-term objectives
3.) The special education, related services, supplementary aids and services to be provided to the child, and any program modifications or supports for school personnel
4.) If any, the extent to which the child may not be able to participate with typical kids in the regular classroom
5.) Projected dates for the duration, frequency, and location of services and/or modifications
6.) Any modifications in the administration of state or district-wide assessments of student achievement that are needed for the child to participate in the assessment
7.) All the objective criteria and evaluation procedures necessary to determine whether the measurable goals mentioned in the I.E.P. are being achieved (This evaluation should take place at least once a year.)
8.) The type of placement needed to implement the I.E.P. in a least restrictive environment. (Least restrictive environment means that a child with a disability must have the opportunity to be educated with non-disabled students, to the greatest extent possible.)
9.) A plan for childhood transitioning at the age of 14
An I.E.P. can be developed for a child as young as three years old, and through an I.E.P., parents and teachers can address the skills that need the most focus and exercise in order for a child to transition properly to the next level of education. An Individualized Education Plan is put together by the work of a team that consists of:
1.) Parents of the child with autism
2.) Regular education teacher if the child is in a regular education environment
3.) Special education teacher
4.) Special education provider (if necessary)
5.) A representative of the local district who is
a. Qualified to provide or supervise the provision of specially designed instruction
b. Knowledgeable about the curriculum
c. Knowledgeable about the availability of all the resources of the school district
6.) An individual who can interpret the instruction implications of the evaluation results. (This could be an individual mentioned in numbers 2-5.)
7.) Other individuals who have knowledge or special expertise about the child, who the parents or agency feel need to be present
8.) The child with autism, if necessary
Parents must remember that they are the most important piece of the I.E.P. team, and structure must be designed to custom fit their needs and the needs of their child. I.E.P. meetings must be held at a location that is convenient for the parents and family of the child with autism. Parents should arrive prepared to be equal participants! Before an I.E.P. meeting takes place, parents must be notified of the meeting in advance. The meeting must take place at a mutually agreed upon time and place, and parents can even choose to have the meeting recorded on audiotape, as long as they give notice of the intent to do so 24 hours before the meeting. The school district needs to work alongside the parents to develop the I.E.P. as a partnership, and both parent and school district share the final decisions that are made about the child’s program. The I.E.P. should follow the process below:
1.) Discussion of the child’s functioning level
2.) Development of annual goals and short-term objectives
3.) Discussion of the support services necessary for the child
4.) Discussion of the special education and related services including placement recommendation and all the details involved in the placement process
In order for parents to be appropriately prepared for the I.E.P. meeting, they need to be objective about their child and have a basic understanding of special education law, including IDEA and relegated regulations. Upon arrival, parents should be prepared to speak about the strengths and weaknesses of the child, functioning level of their child, and the goals and objectives for the current year. It may be helpful for parents to prepare written goals and objectives in each functional area. Before the meeting, parents should get any outside evaluation or assessments done in advance, and provide copies to the I.E.P. coordinator before the meeting. Parents should request in writing advance copies of the school district’s evaluations and assessments of the child. That way they will be more capable of identifying specific goals for each area of development, and be able to create a full description of their child’s educational needs.
Though the goal is to provide the child with the least restrictive environment possible, there is a range of placement and services that are available and may be offered by the school district. The following are some of the most common and familiar:
1.) Regular day class with limited drop-in or pull-out services
2.) Regular day class with ongoing related services
3.) Special day class (SDC)
4.) Special public schools
5.) Non-public schools (NPS) in your area
6.) State schools out of your area
7.) Non-school environments: Residential placement or in the hospital
RSP (Resource Specialist Program) is a service that allows a child to be pulled out of a regular classroom and brought to a special resource room for specific subjects. This is usually limited to no more than 50% of the school day, and if more time is required, then the child is placed in Special Day Class (SDC). Special Day Classes are held on regular school sites, but are taught by special education teachers/aides. Classes are limited to those students who are covered by the IDEA, so they are much smaller than regular classrooms. Students are usually mainstreamed with typical students during assemblies, lunch breaks, and other times when appropriate. When a district is unable to place a child appropriately in a SDC or a special school, placement at a non-public school (NPS) may be appropriate.
Designated Instruction and Services (DIS) or related services are the services required to assist a child in benefiting from special education. Some examples of DIS services are mentioned below:
This list does not contain all the related services available, and schools may include other developmental, supportive services if they are necessary in helping the student gain any benefit from special education. These services may be provided from a number of individuals from varying professions. The district may provide these professionals directly or employ other non-public agencies to provide them.
Before an I.E.P. may be implemented, parents must consent to the content that is mentioned in the document. It is recommended that before a parent signs the I.E.P. and consents to all of it, they should take it home and take the necessary time to thoroughly look it over. Everything that is verbally said must be mentioned in writing in the I.E.P., and parents should be sure to fill every necessary blank on the document before they sign it. Parents do not even have to consent to the entire document; they are free to consent to only the parts upon which they agree. There is more information mentioned further along in this section about the necessary in resolving differences with the school system. The parts of the I.E.P. that parents give consent to must be implemented by the school district immediately. If the school district fails to do so, the state education agency is then responsible for directly providing the needed services.
We mentioned earlier that after the initial I.E.P. is written, it must be reviewed at least once a year, but parents have the freedom to request that the I.E.P. be reviewed at any time. After parents give the school district a notification for I.E.P. review, the school district must hold the meeting to review the I.E.P. within 30 days of the parents’ request. The district needs to notify the parents of the I.E.P. review writing, and some important features that a review should cover are the child’s current level of functioning, progress towards goals and short-term objectives, and whether additions or modifications to the I.E.P. are required. In addition to the annual reviews, complete reassessments must take place once every 3 years. But once again, either the parent or the teacher of the student has the freedom to request a reassessment more frequently. By being well prepared and knowledgeable about the legal rights that are granted to their child and family, parents will be able to be more assertive at the I.E.P. meeting and help their child get the Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) that they are granted by law through the IDEA (FAPE: no cost to the family, provides meaningful educational benefit).
IDEAhas several safeguards to protect the rights of children and empower parents. The significant safeguards that are granted to parents are
1.) The opportunity to examine all their child’s records
2.) An advance notice before any significant actions are taken
3.) The right to pursue mediation and due process
4.) The right to a fair hearing
5.) Maintenance of placement during proceedings (stay put); Stay put: during the course of any proceedings, the child must remain in his/her current educational setting until the proceedings are completed.
6.) Right to possible reimbursement of attorney fees
The law allows any dispute between the parents and the school district be resolved through a process of mediation. This process is voluntary and it may not delay or deny the parent’s right to a due hearing of due process. In some districts, disputes may first be addressed at the district level in an informal conference. The process basically allows both parties (family and school district) to solve their disputes without litigation. Mediation is kept confidential and may not be used as evidence in future due process hearings. Mediation involves each party explaining their side of the story to a neutral, unbiased third party, which acts as the mediator. The mediator then uses their own deductive reasoning to sort through the issue and help both parties reach a fair agreement. All agreements reached in the mediation process must be documented in a written mediation agreement, and if an agreement cannot be reached through mediation, the hearing is then taken to due process. Due process hearings are held at the state level, and it is highly recommended that a parent hire an attorney in order to prevail. Advocate fees are usually not reimbursable, so if parents use an attorney at an I.E.P. or informal conference, they should expect to pay. If an attorney is used at a hearing, and the family wins, the district usually pays for the attorney costs.
Shop
About Us
Resources