If you clicked on this blog, more than likely you are interested in learning more about IEPs and 504 plans. Your child may have had assessments completed at his or hers school, and now you need to know what steps to take next. There is a good chance that during the explanation of those assessments, the terms IEP and/or 504 plans were briefly mentioned. However, they probably weren’t fully explained, and you still may have questions about each plan. Whether your child is just entering school as a new student, a returning student with new needs, or a student switching schools, deciding on an IEP or 504 plan can be very intimidating. However, it doesn’t have to be with preparation. In the following blog, I will briefly explain the difference between an IEP and 504 plan. I will offer some personal tips as to how I prepare for my daughter’s IEP plans and meetings. This blog will be more specifically tailored to IEPs rather than 504 plans as my experiences are with IEPs. However, I do believe that these personal tips may also pertain to 504 plans as well.
First things first…what are IEPs and 504 plans?
IEPs (Individualized Education Plan) and 504 are both plans created by your child’s educational team to uniquely identify and support your child’s individual needs for a successful educational experience. Your child’s educational team usually includes the parents, teachers, principals, school psychologists, therapists, and any other individuals who are considered an important part of your child’s educational journey.
What is the difference between and IEP and a 504 plan?
The difference between the two plans includes the criteria to be eligible for each and the Act that guides each plan. IEPs are guided by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) while 504 plans are guided by Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Both plans are legally binding documents between schools, parents, and students. Each individual plays a specific role in both plans.
The criterion for an IEP plan is quite simple, you child must qualify for special educational services to qualify for an IEP. However, 504 plans are for students who do not qualify for special educational services, but still requires accommodations for their educational experiences due to their qualifying disability. Specialized instructions (special educational services) include occupational, speech, and behavioral therapies. These services are only provided with an IEP. Special educational services are not provided with a 504 plan. A parent or guardian may choose a 504 plan over an IEP when their child needs medical accommodations due to their disability/disabilities that may interrupt how they learn; however, they do not have a learning disability. A parent or guardian may choose an IEP when their child experience learning disabilities that effect the way they learn in a classroom setting. In some cases, both an IEP and 504 plan may be necessary.
My personal tips on preparing for IEP meetings.
"...I knew that early intervention was important with the educational success in any potential special needs situation"
The reminder of this blog will be specifically tailored to IEP plans, as they are what pertains to my household. If you have been following my previous blogs, you know that my daughter is on the spectrum (autism spectrum disorder) and qualifies for an IEP. She was diagnosed at 2 by a private psychologist (not school psychologist), due to some factors that were noted during an assessment at preschool. I was told not worry about it at first and that she may grow out most of those behaviors. However, I decided to seek outside assistance because I knew that early intervention was important with the educational success in any potential special needs’ situation.
Once my daughter began elementary school, that when the journey with IEPs started. I will admit that I didn’t have any idea what an IEP was or how it was going to help my daughter. I left that first meeting just as confused as when I walked in it. Our IEP meetings did not start to become successful meetings until we all (the team) got a better understanding of each other, and I got a better understanding of the IEP process. Now that I have had many experiences with IEP meetings, I would like to share what has worked best for my daughter. Hopefully these 3 tips will be helpful to you and yours as well.
Tip #1: Prepare. Learn the steps to an IEP meeting before attending.
The format of IEP plans may vary slightly depending on the school district that your child attends; however, all the components are the same. First, either you as the parent or the school’s educational team will decided if a meeting is needed for an IEP plan. This meeting usually is initiated after assessments at the beginning of the school year. Depending on the outcome of the assessments, your child’s educational team may feel the need to discuss a possible IEP. However, as the parent, you can also request an IEP meeting if you feel it needs to be discussed even if your child’s educational team doesn’t think it’s necessary. You are the parent and have every right to request a meeting and advocate for your child/children.
Once a meeting has been requested, a letter will be sent home to inform the parent(s)/guardian of date and time for the initial meeting. In the initial meeting, everyone on the team will go over your child’s assessments thoroughly, and it will be determined if an IEP is needed for your child.
If an IEP is needed, a formal letter will be sent home to the parent(s)/guardian(s) that must be dated and signed because an IEP is a legally binding document. Everything is the IEP process must be documented. Be prepared to spend some time in this meeting because all assessments will be discussed thoroughly if the meeting is conducted properly. The following list are things the IEP team will go over during the meeting: Please remember that everyone is on the same team. Your voice and opinion as a parent are as important as all the other team members.
Student Profile: In this section, your child(ren)’s overall strengths are discussed as well as individual goal progress. For example, if your child(ren) as transition to a new classroom or school, it will be discussed in this section how well the transition has taken place. Parents may also include any positive or negative behaviors that are happening at home with the transition.
Goal progress is also discussed under this section. For example, if a goal was set to increase reading fluency to X number of words per minute with X percent of accuracy, that accuracy level that has currently been reached by your child(ren) will be discussed. As a parent, you have the right to agree or disagree with the goals being set forth for your child.
Parent’s concerns are listed under student profile. This is where you as the parent can add all your valid concerns to the IEP plan. For example, if one of your concerns is your child’s inability to ask for help (this was a specific concern for my household), this is where you would state that concern. Remember all concerns are valid. As an advocate for your child, never be afraid to address all concerns.
Parent and student vision are specific statements about the vision of your child’s future. Depending on your child’s age, the statement maybe one just from the parent. For example, I stated that I want my daughter to as productive and successful in society as possible.
Present Level of Academic and Functional Performance: The present levels of your child’s educational experience are discussed in this section. The areas accessed will vary depending on your child’s individual needs. However, they can include math, social emotional, reading, speech, and more. The goals for each area are stated, current performance is noted, assessments that have been completed are listed, and all specially designed instructions are stated.
A description of how your child’s disability impacts their educational learning in the general classroom is provided. Consideration for accommodations and special learning factors are reviewed. It’s important that all team members are on the same page with these considerations and accommodations as they will have a great impact on your child’s learning experience.
The remainder of the IEP includes measurable goals, specially designed instruction, related services, transportation requirements, supplemental aids, classroom accommodations, and modifications. Each of these sections will be explained to you as a parent and you will have input and know what to expect from the IEP Plan
The IEP Plan is closed out with everyone in agreement with all that was proposed and signatures from each team member. Copies are made and given to the parent(s). It becomes a legal binding document.
Tip #2: Make a list of all your child’s strengths and weaknesses.
As the parent/guardian, you know your child’s strengths and weaknesses better than anyone. You see their interactions daily, and you can note where they excel and where they need a little extra guidance. Knowing these strengths and weaknesses will be extremely helpful when stating present levels of learning, establishing goals, and creating benchmarks and objectives. Knowing your child’s strengths and weaknesses will also help determine what special educational services are needed. For example, my daughter receives speech therapy because in the beginning, she struggled with pronouncing her words correctly and sentence formation. The speech therapist and I agreed on measurable goals that would help her with pronunciation and sentence formation. This also continued over in her special need’s classroom with her EC (exceptional children) teacher. Progress throughout the year was seen, and my daughter was able to meet all her goals for that year. Did this mean she no longer needed speech therapy? Absolutely not! She still has other speech goals that needs to be met. However, her communication has progressed tremendously. This is just one example of how knowing your child’s weaknesses and strengths helps with the goals and objectives of an IEP.
Tip #3: Go in the meeting with a positive attitude!
"Never be afraid to approach any challenges concerning your child's needs"
This tip is just as important as the previous tips. I can’t even begin to tell you how many parents I have heard say that they dread IEP meetings, and I get it. IEP meetings can be very intimidating. Especially if all the team members aren’t in agreement with each other and don’t have proper respect for one another. Believe me, it does happen. However, if you know the process of an IEP meeting and know what to expect when you enter the meeting, it will make it easier for you to attend with a positive attitude. Understanding and knowing your rights as a parent will help tremendously
When you enter the meeting, greet everyone with enthusiasm. You should make sure your body language matches your words. People often read body language before they hear the words. You are your child’s first advocate. So don’t be afraid to speak up in a positive way about any concerns that you have. Let everyone know that you all are on the same team and are striving to reach the same goals. Don’t be afraid to ask questions about things that you don’t know. If there is something that you and the team can’t agree upon, stand firm in your decision. However, do it in a positive way. Never be afraid to approach any challenges concerning your child’s needs.
To some this may sound crazy, but I enjoy attending my child’s IEP meetings. We are a wonderful team, and we all have mutual respect for each other. IEP meetings don’t have to be difficult or intimidating. You just need to be prepared for it before it starts.
I hope that these three tips proved to be helpful as I remember what it was like to attend my first IEP meeting. If you have any extra tips to add, please feel free to leave them in the comments of this blog. I am wishing everyone of you a successful and wonderful school year!
Daphne Oh
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