I am so thankful for the school district where we live. Yesterday we had Sadie's IEP meeting, and even though she won't be attending school in the school district, they have been nothing but helpful in evaluating her and writing appropriate goals for her IEP.
For those who are not familiar with special education, and IEP stands for Individualized Education Plan, and basically maps out what a child needs in order to be successful in school. As you can imagine, each one looks very different, because they are based on the child's strengths, weaknesses, and specific needs. Since Sadie is very weak in all areas, she has goals written for communication/language, motor skills (PT and OT), vision, and adaptive.
Some of Sadie's goals include using a switch to participate in a group activity or to make a choice, to sit unsupported, roll in either direction (toward something she wants), and bring a spoon with food on it to her mouth. All of these are pre-academic, but are stepping stones toward big, life goals that I have for her. We also incorporated a toileting routine into her IEP to make sure that that gets followed.
The meeting went really well. The team had sent me a draft ahead of time, so I was able to look at it and make some notes before the meeting. They listened to what I had to say and I felt like my word was just as valuable as anybody else's in that room. And now that she has this document in place, she is able to start school!!
Monday morning I get to drop her off for her first day of preschool!!
Showing posts with label IEP. Show all posts
Showing posts with label IEP. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Saturday, June 23, 2012
Summer School for Parents - Part 2
Earlier this month I wrote about a class/seminar I took about transitioning your special needs toddler to Preschool. I also went into detail about what that means for us. Well, that same day, I also attended a class about IEP (Individualized Education Plan) Basics. So, here's what I learned in that class...
An Individualized Education Plan is a legal document drawn up by parents and teachers of a special needs child and basically outlines the things that this child needs, that are outside the usual educational day, in order to progress in their learning (I made that definition up myself, are you proud?). The law requires that each child in the special education program receive the support they need. Therefore an IEP is a very important tool for your special needs child and something, as a parent, you should be very involved in.
As a teacher, I am familiar with IEPs. However, I am not a special education teacher, so I don't know the ins and outs of putting together an IEP. I have been to a number of IEP meetings, and sadly, parents don't always show up. I will NOT be that parent.
Remember when I talked about the timeline in my transition post? I mentioned that after we hold our transition meeting, the school district has 60 days to then schedule an MET. MET stands for Multidisciplinary Evaluation Team. Within those 60 days they are supposed to review existing data about Sadie's special needs/disability, do any tests that may need to be done to establish her learning or physical abilities, and come up with a report that describes what she knows and what she can do developmentally and functionally. They are also required to establish eligibility for special education at this meeting. Out of the 11 qualifying disability classifications for special education, Sadie is eligible in 6 areas (traumatic brain injury, speech and language impairment, orthopedic impairment, visual impairment, multiple disabilities, and intellectual disability). This is the meeting we are going to try to move up because of the baby's due date, if you remember.
After we have the MET, the school district has another 30 days to schedule and hold her IEP meeting. This meeting should include a general education teacher, a special education teacher, a school psychologist, and an administrator, in addition to Sadie and us. we also plan to include an outside person (a special education teacher who I work with and trust) to attend with us to make sure we are receiving fair services. The IEP meeting is different than the MET, which only requires the school psychologist and possibly a special education teacher in attendance.
An IEP will include a PLAAFP (present levels of academic achievement and functional performance), goals written measurably, accommodations or modifications to the curriculum or environment to provide for Sadie's optimal learning opportunity, related services, placement, and transition.
The PLAAFP includes Sadie's strengths and educational needs, what helps her learn, what limits or interferes with her learning, objective data from current evaluations, and how her disability afects her ability to be involved and progress in the general curriculum. The PLAAFP is usually what I'm involved in as a general education teacher when I go to IEP meetings.
Sadie's goals in her IEP need to be written so that they are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-limited. And example of this might be "After one year of specialized instruction, Megan will be able to decode words at the 25th percentile level as measured by the decoding score of the Gray Oral Reading Test."
Accommodations change HOW Sadie will demonstrate learning or proficiency. In other words, she may still learn to count to 10 or be required to know her alphabet, however, because she doesn't speak, the way she shows that she knows this information may be different. She won't be required to recite her ABCs or to write her name, but she may still be required to show that she has learned this information in a different way.
A Modification changes WHAT Sadie is expected to learn and/or demonstrate. This is where Sadie may not be expected to be learning 2nd grade material when she's in 2nd grade, because she may not have shown yet that she's learned 1st grade material. And it's not fair to move her on until she can do the 1st grade stuff. So, while other kids might be learning double-digit addition, Sadie might still be learning single-digit addition. Therefore, her curriculum is modified.
The related services that will probably be written into Sadie's IEP will include therapies, and tube feeding, as well as some sort of adaptive PE to make sure she can still participate and get her physical education. It will be important that I make sure Sadie is receiving these services each week, because this stuff can sometimes get overlooked. It's also important that I make sure there is a plan in place in case of a school emergency in order to keep Sadie safe.
Another thing that will be decided at an IEP meeting is placement. Ideally, a child in special education should be placed in the least restrictive environment. This means that if they can be placed in a general education classroom, they will be. This is where my decision to keep Sadie in the school district for preschool (this decision isn't set in stone or finalized in any way yet) is important. Our school district practices a special education model called "inclusion" in preschool, which means that there are both special needs children and typical children together in the classroom.
I feel much more prepared for Sadie's IEP meeting having gone to this class. I feel like I am ready to work with her educational team to provide for Sadie what she needs and I am really excited to see her learn and grow and progress!!
I will be updating you as we attend each of these meetings in the transition process, but for now, while we're still preparing, I want to know what you think, what you've experienced, what advice you'd offer as we get ready to team up with the school for Sadie IEP???
An Individualized Education Plan is a legal document drawn up by parents and teachers of a special needs child and basically outlines the things that this child needs, that are outside the usual educational day, in order to progress in their learning (I made that definition up myself, are you proud?). The law requires that each child in the special education program receive the support they need. Therefore an IEP is a very important tool for your special needs child and something, as a parent, you should be very involved in.
As a teacher, I am familiar with IEPs. However, I am not a special education teacher, so I don't know the ins and outs of putting together an IEP. I have been to a number of IEP meetings, and sadly, parents don't always show up. I will NOT be that parent.
Remember when I talked about the timeline in my transition post? I mentioned that after we hold our transition meeting, the school district has 60 days to then schedule an MET. MET stands for Multidisciplinary Evaluation Team. Within those 60 days they are supposed to review existing data about Sadie's special needs/disability, do any tests that may need to be done to establish her learning or physical abilities, and come up with a report that describes what she knows and what she can do developmentally and functionally. They are also required to establish eligibility for special education at this meeting. Out of the 11 qualifying disability classifications for special education, Sadie is eligible in 6 areas (traumatic brain injury, speech and language impairment, orthopedic impairment, visual impairment, multiple disabilities, and intellectual disability). This is the meeting we are going to try to move up because of the baby's due date, if you remember.
After we have the MET, the school district has another 30 days to schedule and hold her IEP meeting. This meeting should include a general education teacher, a special education teacher, a school psychologist, and an administrator, in addition to Sadie and us. we also plan to include an outside person (a special education teacher who I work with and trust) to attend with us to make sure we are receiving fair services. The IEP meeting is different than the MET, which only requires the school psychologist and possibly a special education teacher in attendance.
An IEP will include a PLAAFP (present levels of academic achievement and functional performance), goals written measurably, accommodations or modifications to the curriculum or environment to provide for Sadie's optimal learning opportunity, related services, placement, and transition.
The PLAAFP includes Sadie's strengths and educational needs, what helps her learn, what limits or interferes with her learning, objective data from current evaluations, and how her disability afects her ability to be involved and progress in the general curriculum. The PLAAFP is usually what I'm involved in as a general education teacher when I go to IEP meetings.
Sadie's goals in her IEP need to be written so that they are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-limited. And example of this might be "After one year of specialized instruction, Megan will be able to decode words at the 25th percentile level as measured by the decoding score of the Gray Oral Reading Test."
Accommodations change HOW Sadie will demonstrate learning or proficiency. In other words, she may still learn to count to 10 or be required to know her alphabet, however, because she doesn't speak, the way she shows that she knows this information may be different. She won't be required to recite her ABCs or to write her name, but she may still be required to show that she has learned this information in a different way.
A Modification changes WHAT Sadie is expected to learn and/or demonstrate. This is where Sadie may not be expected to be learning 2nd grade material when she's in 2nd grade, because she may not have shown yet that she's learned 1st grade material. And it's not fair to move her on until she can do the 1st grade stuff. So, while other kids might be learning double-digit addition, Sadie might still be learning single-digit addition. Therefore, her curriculum is modified.
The related services that will probably be written into Sadie's IEP will include therapies, and tube feeding, as well as some sort of adaptive PE to make sure she can still participate and get her physical education. It will be important that I make sure Sadie is receiving these services each week, because this stuff can sometimes get overlooked. It's also important that I make sure there is a plan in place in case of a school emergency in order to keep Sadie safe.
Another thing that will be decided at an IEP meeting is placement. Ideally, a child in special education should be placed in the least restrictive environment. This means that if they can be placed in a general education classroom, they will be. This is where my decision to keep Sadie in the school district for preschool (this decision isn't set in stone or finalized in any way yet) is important. Our school district practices a special education model called "inclusion" in preschool, which means that there are both special needs children and typical children together in the classroom.
I feel much more prepared for Sadie's IEP meeting having gone to this class. I feel like I am ready to work with her educational team to provide for Sadie what she needs and I am really excited to see her learn and grow and progress!!
I will be updating you as we attend each of these meetings in the transition process, but for now, while we're still preparing, I want to know what you think, what you've experienced, what advice you'd offer as we get ready to team up with the school for Sadie IEP???
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Summer School for Parents - Part 1
Yesterday I spent the day at a parent workshop put on by Raising Special Kids. According to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) under Part D, each state is required to have at least one parent education center for families with children with special needs. Raising Special Kids is Arizona's "Parent Training and Information Center." They provide many resources, help with finding answers, provide advocates to help you make sure you are receiving fair services, and classes for parents about different things, such as about IEPs (Individual Education Plans), Life Transitions, Organizing Paperwork, etc.
I signed up to attend two classes yesterday, but ended up staying for a third, one was about transitioning your child to Preschool (I'll talk about in this post), and the other was IEP basics (I'll talk about at a later date). When I signed up, we already had Sadie's transition meeting scheduled for before the class, so I didn't know how helpful it'd be. But then someone important got sick and our meeting was rescheduled for August, so actually it worked out great!
Basically, when Sadie turns 3, a lot of things regarding services from the state change. We will get a new service coordinator from DDD (Dept of Developmental Disabilities...that's the state agency that keeps watch on us), she will go into developmental preschool, and her therapies at home will transition to some at school and some at home. There is a lot of confusing information regarding this, however, I'm going to share with you the important part. If you're reading this and you have a child with special needs under 3, I encourage you to do some research in your state about how all this works (although, I believe much of it is nationwide policy).
First we will have a Transition Planning Meeting. We had this on June 4, it was the same as her regular annual IFSP meeting that we have every year to review her goals and check up on our services.
Then there will be a Transition Conference (this is the meeting that was rescheduled), which is to be scheduled between when Sadie's 2 years 6 months and 2 years 9 months. Ours was rescheduled for August 17, so Sadie will be just about 2 years 7 months, which is perfect, and you'll see why in a minute.
So, once this Transition Conference is held, the school has 60 days to develop a transition plan and put it into place. This includes determining eligibility for Developmental Preschool (which is based on disability need, not diagnosis), which may include some evaluations and screenings. It also includes an Independent Education Evaluation or Comprehensive Developmental Assessment, including a vision and hearing screening. I have no doubts that Sadie will qualify for eligibility, so I'm hoping this isn't a painful process.
But here's where it gets a little sticky...if you've already done your math, you know that 60 days after August 17 is October 17. Why's that important to note? BECAUSE WE'RE HAVING A BABY!!! Our due date is October 12, but going into labor on the 17th is not unreasonable if I have another late baby. I've worked for school districts, and I understand that in all things they prefer to wait until the last minute to do things...especially relating to Special Education. So, I'm hoping to convey to them at the Transition Conference that I'd really like their 60 days to be something more like 45 so that we don't run into a scheduling conflict.
Anyway, at the end of those 60 days, an MET is scheduled. This stands for Multidisciplinary Evaluation Team. Every 3 years a child who has an IEP is re-evaluated to determine if they are still eligible, so every 3 years we will have an MET meeting. At this meeting someone will come to interpret evaluation results and the implications of those results (basically that Sadie will need an IEP). At this MET meeting, eligibility is officially determined for Special Education. The eligibility categories are: Speech/Language Impairment (check), Developmental Delay (check), Hearing Impairment, Preschool Severe Delay (check), Visual Impairment (check). We qualify for 4 out of the 5...and you only have to qualify for one to be eligible.
After the MET meeting (at which Sadie will be no older than 2 years 9 months according to the dates that are already scheduled), the school has another 30 days to put together an IEP and schedule that meeting so that Sadie can start school. I will go into more what I learned about an IEP in another post, but basically it includes her present levels of achievement and functional performance, it has measurable goals written with a plan on how she will progress toward those goals, there will be consideration of special factors (which, for Sadie, include her lack of physical ability, her visual impairment, and her inability to speak), it will place her in the least restrictive environment, meaning that if she can be placed with her typically developing peers, she will, and it will include her special services related to her needs, like her wheelchair, her stander, her therapies, her feeding tube, etc. There's obviously a lot more to this meeting and document, but I don't want to bore you, so I'll follow up on that later.
Once Sadie has a working IEP document, she is officially ready to start school, which, if you've been following my timeline, you know will not be any later than November 17, which puts Sadie right at 2 years 10 months, and hopefully only about a month after her little brother is born. The typical age kids start preschool is 3 years old, but there is a stipulation that says a child can start up to 90 days before their 3rd birthday if it's in their best interest... I think having a newborn who will require more care than her (which leaves her to basically lay on the floor all day and not receive any stimulation), qualifies her to start early!! And if I can get them to hold the MET early (like, before I have a baby), then we may get Sadie in as early as a couple of weeks after the baby is born...which would be fantastic!
All in all, I feel like it was a good day, and time well spent. If nothing else, I got a timeline established from this workshop, which helps me understand what is required of the school district once we have that meeting in August.
What about you? Have you started the transition process yet with your little one? How did it go/how is it going? Anything I should be aware of? Ask for? Make sure happens?
I signed up to attend two classes yesterday, but ended up staying for a third, one was about transitioning your child to Preschool (I'll talk about in this post), and the other was IEP basics (I'll talk about at a later date). When I signed up, we already had Sadie's transition meeting scheduled for before the class, so I didn't know how helpful it'd be. But then someone important got sick and our meeting was rescheduled for August, so actually it worked out great!
Basically, when Sadie turns 3, a lot of things regarding services from the state change. We will get a new service coordinator from DDD (Dept of Developmental Disabilities...that's the state agency that keeps watch on us), she will go into developmental preschool, and her therapies at home will transition to some at school and some at home. There is a lot of confusing information regarding this, however, I'm going to share with you the important part. If you're reading this and you have a child with special needs under 3, I encourage you to do some research in your state about how all this works (although, I believe much of it is nationwide policy).
First we will have a Transition Planning Meeting. We had this on June 4, it was the same as her regular annual IFSP meeting that we have every year to review her goals and check up on our services.
Then there will be a Transition Conference (this is the meeting that was rescheduled), which is to be scheduled between when Sadie's 2 years 6 months and 2 years 9 months. Ours was rescheduled for August 17, so Sadie will be just about 2 years 7 months, which is perfect, and you'll see why in a minute.
So, once this Transition Conference is held, the school has 60 days to develop a transition plan and put it into place. This includes determining eligibility for Developmental Preschool (which is based on disability need, not diagnosis), which may include some evaluations and screenings. It also includes an Independent Education Evaluation or Comprehensive Developmental Assessment, including a vision and hearing screening. I have no doubts that Sadie will qualify for eligibility, so I'm hoping this isn't a painful process.
But here's where it gets a little sticky...if you've already done your math, you know that 60 days after August 17 is October 17. Why's that important to note? BECAUSE WE'RE HAVING A BABY!!! Our due date is October 12, but going into labor on the 17th is not unreasonable if I have another late baby. I've worked for school districts, and I understand that in all things they prefer to wait until the last minute to do things...especially relating to Special Education. So, I'm hoping to convey to them at the Transition Conference that I'd really like their 60 days to be something more like 45 so that we don't run into a scheduling conflict.
Anyway, at the end of those 60 days, an MET is scheduled. This stands for Multidisciplinary Evaluation Team. Every 3 years a child who has an IEP is re-evaluated to determine if they are still eligible, so every 3 years we will have an MET meeting. At this meeting someone will come to interpret evaluation results and the implications of those results (basically that Sadie will need an IEP). At this MET meeting, eligibility is officially determined for Special Education. The eligibility categories are: Speech/Language Impairment (check), Developmental Delay (check), Hearing Impairment, Preschool Severe Delay (check), Visual Impairment (check). We qualify for 4 out of the 5...and you only have to qualify for one to be eligible.
After the MET meeting (at which Sadie will be no older than 2 years 9 months according to the dates that are already scheduled), the school has another 30 days to put together an IEP and schedule that meeting so that Sadie can start school. I will go into more what I learned about an IEP in another post, but basically it includes her present levels of achievement and functional performance, it has measurable goals written with a plan on how she will progress toward those goals, there will be consideration of special factors (which, for Sadie, include her lack of physical ability, her visual impairment, and her inability to speak), it will place her in the least restrictive environment, meaning that if she can be placed with her typically developing peers, she will, and it will include her special services related to her needs, like her wheelchair, her stander, her therapies, her feeding tube, etc. There's obviously a lot more to this meeting and document, but I don't want to bore you, so I'll follow up on that later.
Once Sadie has a working IEP document, she is officially ready to start school, which, if you've been following my timeline, you know will not be any later than November 17, which puts Sadie right at 2 years 10 months, and hopefully only about a month after her little brother is born. The typical age kids start preschool is 3 years old, but there is a stipulation that says a child can start up to 90 days before their 3rd birthday if it's in their best interest... I think having a newborn who will require more care than her (which leaves her to basically lay on the floor all day and not receive any stimulation), qualifies her to start early!! And if I can get them to hold the MET early (like, before I have a baby), then we may get Sadie in as early as a couple of weeks after the baby is born...which would be fantastic!
All in all, I feel like it was a good day, and time well spent. If nothing else, I got a timeline established from this workshop, which helps me understand what is required of the school district once we have that meeting in August.
What about you? Have you started the transition process yet with your little one? How did it go/how is it going? Anything I should be aware of? Ask for? Make sure happens?
Friday, March 16, 2012
A Written Record
So, I kind of gave up on New Years Resolutions a long time ago when I realized that I'm really good at starting something...but don't have the gumption to finish it. But even so, it's hard not to want to start something new in the new year, it just seems so fitting! One thing I wanted to do more of this year is blog, but another thing I wanted to do more of (which I actually took for a test run in November) was to keep a written record of Sadie's appointments, my conversations with doctors, therapists, insurance, etc, and to write down big milestones in her life (like going all day without a tube feed!).I got this idea from an article I read about how it was so important to record any information a teacher gives you about your child at school or any conversation you have with an educator or counselor, etc. So many people run into problems in IEP meetings and it's always helpful to have written record of what was said, when you talked to someone, when you first noticed the problem, when you first reported the problem, etc. I've been on the educator side of an IEP meeting many many times, and I know that having written observations and records of behaviors and things is so much more meaningful than just, "well, I think he started doing that a couple weeks ago..." Or, "it seemed to help a little bit when we changed his seating arrangement..."
So, I made a conscious decision that when Sadie starts preschool I need to really be keeping track of things...so I'd better start now. And what better time than the new year???
I first took it on a trial run. I took some suggestions on how to do it and then I altered it to make it my own. I think the article had a printout you could download and then you could keep them all in a notebook. I hate 3-ring notebooks. I needed something I could carry around in the diaper bag, or even in my purse, so I started with a composition notebook. You can buy these for $.50 at back to school time, other times I think they're like $1-$1.50. I used to use them in my classroom as journals for the kids to write in because, unlike spiral notebooks, they don't become a safety hazard with wires poking out everywhere! Usually at the end of the year, I would have a bunch of journals that students didn't want to take home with them, so I'd wrip out the pages they'd written in and I had a plethora of free composition notebooks!! Then I'd recycle and hand them out to students in need the next year...but after Sadie was born, there was no next year, so I still have about 10 or so on my bookshelf at home.
I use 2 pages. Most of the columns are on the left side so that I have pretty much the entire right side page to take notes on what was discussed.
I keep track of the following categories: date, if it was a phone call, a meeting, an email, a text, scheduled therapy, etc., the name and title of the person I talked to (if available), if I was called or if I initiated the contact (sometimes, if it's a scheduled therapy, I put the location in this column), the reason for the conversation, what was discussed, and then if it needs to be followed up on (I don't use this last column very much now, but I've left it because I think I might in the future). And for me, I'm not bothered to draw lines to make my own columns...but I understand why someone might like a printable, or to make their own spreadsheet or Word document. I guess you could also keep this as a digital record, but for me there's something I like about using different colored pens and actually WRITING in a book. I also draw in my own calendars, because I like to see just how long it's been since something has happened, or easily remember a date we started a new medicine, etc.
This is my calendar. I don't put everything on here, but the important dates I want to remember I make sure get written here.
Since I've been doing this, I feel more organized. I feel more confident when I call someone and say, "I spoke with ______ on this date and he/she said it would take 2 weeks, but it's been 2.5 and I still haven't heard." I feel like I have more patience, like when I'm waiting 4-6 weeks for Sadie's happy chair, because I have that exact date written down of when she told me 4-6 weeks. And it's fun to look back and see what Sadie did on certain days in therapy, how many therapies she missed because she was sick, or even remember the conversations I had with therapists about certain products or activities they recommend. I also keep phone numbers, emails, and respite schedules in this book. It's all there.
As I slowly (but surely) orient myself to this world of special needs, I'm learning the ropes and figuring out what works for us. And in 18 or so months when I walk into that first IEP meeting, they're gonna know that I am Mom and I am in control, and I am on their side, and I want to see the needs of my child met, and I am going to make sure she is where she will be serviced with the best care possible...and that I am writing down their every move!!
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