Preparing For Your First IEP | Special Education Decoded

Today, we are going to discuss a topic that every parent who has a child in Special Education goes through... Your very first, IEP (Individualized Education Plan) meeting…
specialedresou...
I remember the first IEP meeting I attended for my son.
Now… even though I’m not a formally trained special education expert, I had been surrounded by not only my wife of 15 years, Suzie… but many other people who understand anything there is to know about Special Education… our expert SpecialEdResource.com tutors!
The night before the meeting, I didn’t sleep… I couldn’t!
All I could think about was, “are we going to successfully get our son EVERYTHING he needs to be successful?”
“Yes,” I thought…
After all, Suzie is an expert… and being entrenched in the special education world… I would be able to figure it out!
Or so I thought...
That next morning, we strolled through the school full of confidence and ready for battle (should it come to that)...
We had prepared everything we needed, left nothing to chance!
We walked into a large, brightly lit conference room and joined the 5 administrators, therapists and teachers already there…
The moment their mouths opened… my confidence vanished…
My heart began pounding, little sweat pellets began to form on my forehead…
I was stunned, shocked and literally speechless
I understood nothing, nada… it was like traveling to a foreign country.
Luckily for my son… Suzie rocked it!
She knew exactly what to do…
What to say… and most importantly… helped orchestrate the exact blueprint our son needed to reach his optimum success!
However, I immediately began thinking about the millions of parents out there who don’t have a “Suzie” in the room during their first IEP meeting…
Lost, frustrated, and feeling alone in my struggle… I vowed at that moment to ensure that no parent goes through this vital meeting unprepared…
After that meeting… I immediately started working with our team of special education experts on HOW parents can ensure success for their child…
On WHAT parents needed to know and WHAT they needed to DO to be ready…
What To Do Ahead Of Time
What To Do And What To Say During The Meeting and finally...
What Is Covered During A Typical IEP Meeting
If you’re watching this video… chances are that your child has been identified as someone who would benefit from Special Education Services.
Now you are going to be stepping into the IEP or Individualized Education Plan creation stage…
This will be the blueprint for what your child’s education looks like for the next year...
You may be feeling nervous, stressed, lost and alone... much like I did…
What To Do BEFORE Your First IEP Meeting
Confirm The Meeting Date And Time With The School
Request A “Draft Document” Of The IEP
Review The Draft Document - Write Everything You Can Think Of Down
Things You Don’t Understand (WRITE IT ALL)
Items You Would Like Further Clarification On
Terminology
How Time-Frames Were Determined (Speech And Other Services)
Goals For Your Child
Your Child’s Strengths
What to do DURING the IEP meeting…
Arrive Ready To Work Together…
ASK QUESTIONS
Repeat Step 2 (I Cannot Stress This Enough)
Offer Feedback ALWAYS - Do Not Be Shy!
Take Notes
What you can expect to cover during an IEP meeting;
Current Data (such as Test Scores, Grades, Etc)
Proposed Goals For The Upcoming Year -
Any Accommodations And Modifications Needed
Special Considerations For Things Like Behavioral Plans
Recap Of Your Child’s Services
Discussion Of These Items Outside Of The General Education
Classroom (aka Inclusion Classroom)
It’s extremely important to remember that an IEP is a fluid document, and it’s not meant to be written and never looked at again.
The IEP can be reviewed at any time but must be reviewed annually.
That’s it! Though this video was quick… it should give you a baseline as to what you can expect in your first IEP meeting and how to prepare for it!
We do offer more resources that will deep dive into different aspects of this video…
specialedresou...
If you take away one thing from this video… it’s simply… ask questions, be loud, be involved, and advocate!
If you have suggestions on what you’d like to see for an upcoming video or questions on this one, please leave a comment.
We love interacting with our incredible community and strive to help simplify the crazy world of Special Education.
From all of us at SpecialEdResource.com… thank you for watching this episode of Special Education Decoded.
[e-mail]
See you in the next video!

[@nikitabarretti4195]

Helpful and informative - thank you from Australia !

[@Hadesluv]

This is super helpful, thanks!😊

[@karlamartinez536]

What happens if the special education teacher doesn’t invite the parent for an annual review?

[@Specialedresource777]

Karla, wow! Did that happen to you? If so, I would email the principal AND perhaps call them. The important piece is to document, document, document, hence the email suggestion. Paper or electronic trails go a long way should this need to be escalated further!

[@Specialedresource777]

Also, if you haven’t already, email the teacher... perhaps something is going on there that can be rectified before moving to the next level (principal)? Again, making sure to utilize paper or electronic means to create documentation.

[@karlamartinez536]

Special Education Resource Yes, this happened to me. My son has had an IEP for 5 years and in those 5 years we have only met twice for the triennial re-evaluation. I wasn’t aware we had to meet every year. My son just started middle school this Tuesday. All of these inconsistencies happened in elementary school. At this point I don’t know if they would do anything since he is no longer attending that school.

[@Specialedresource777]

Karla, are you now invited annually at the new school? Also, they may not be able to do anything for your son at the elementary school... but if this is common practice there, it needs to be addressed so other children / parents can receive proper educational services. I can’t stress enough how important a parents role is during these meetings!

[@karlamartinez536]

Special Education Resource My son just started school on Tuesday. I don’t know if they are planning on scheduling an appointment later on.