Comments on: The IEP Meeting http://melissawiley.com/blog/2007/01/22/the-iep-meeting/ Children's Book Author Thu, 09 Sep 2010 22:50:36 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: anonynous http://melissawiley.com/blog/2007/01/22/the-iep-meeting/comment-page-1/#comment-3473 anonynous Thu, 20 Sep 2007 10:34:03 +0000 http://72.29.64.190/~mwiley/blog/2007/01/22/the-iep-meeting/#comment-3473 Here in NH it is not that way. Perhaps it is the CA. way? The services the public school system offered my daughter have been a tremendous help in her speech problems. I am so thankful that I can acess services that my child needs and my taxes pay for. I found I really needed the outside help with this one. Here in NH it is not that way. Perhaps it is the CA. way?

The services the public school system offered my daughter have been a tremendous help in her speech problems. I am so thankful that I can acess services that my child needs and my taxes pay for.

I found I really needed the outside help with this one.

]]> By: Kristen http://melissawiley.com/blog/2007/01/22/the-iep-meeting/comment-page-1/#comment-3472 Kristen Sun, 27 May 2007 22:37:00 +0000 http://72.29.64.190/~mwiley/blog/2007/01/22/the-iep-meeting/#comment-3472 I'm an IEP veteran for 3 of my 8, including dyslexia, autism and some speech disorders. My oldest boy, with the most severe auditory processing difficulties, is now an honor student at a Jesuit high school, but we homeschooled him until 8th grade. I think you are doing a wonderful thing to share your experience. I only would caution you that it has been my experience that when some teacher offers me services that I think I can do without her expertise, I need to research that area a little more carefully. Specifically, it is not uncommon for kids who have auditory differences to also have memory/word retrieval differences and processing differences that require a different kind of attention to detail for the primary teacher/mama. In other words, the info has to be inserted into the child's life differently thatn you may be used to doing. I keep saying I am going to post more/write more on this...but I'm in the thick... Best wishes - I love your attitude for this. Homeschooling was and is a huge gift for both mom & dad, and for all special kids. It is the source of my confidence as an adult today that we were able to learn together what would be best for all of us. I’m an IEP veteran for 3 of my 8, including dyslexia, autism and some speech disorders. My oldest boy, with the most severe auditory processing difficulties, is now an honor student at a Jesuit high school, but we homeschooled him until 8th grade.

I think you are doing a wonderful thing to share your experience. I only would caution you that it has been my experience that when some teacher offers me services that I think I can do without her expertise, I need to research that area a little more carefully. Specifically, it is not uncommon for kids who have auditory differences to also have memory/word retrieval differences and processing differences that require a different kind of attention to detail for the primary teacher/mama. In other words, the info has to be inserted into the child’s life differently thatn you may be used to doing.

I keep saying I am going to post more/write more on this…but I’m in the thick…

Best wishes – I love your attitude for this. Homeschooling was and is a huge gift for both mom & dad, and for all special kids. It is the source of my confidence as an adult today that we were able to learn together what would be best for all of us.

]]> By: Leticia Velasquez http://melissawiley.com/blog/2007/01/22/the-iep-meeting/comment-page-1/#comment-3471 Leticia Velasquez Sat, 10 Feb 2007 10:05:10 +0000 http://72.29.64.190/~mwiley/blog/2007/01/22/the-iep-meeting/#comment-3471 Melissa, I know what you felt signing that IEP! Christina, age 4 who has Down Syndrome was in the system since birth, and I have signed so many IEPs I lost count.I've had 5 therapists coming to the house,for 4 years, which can be quite invasive, as they are eyeballing the cleanliness of the house, and how busy the older girls look while they are there(look busy girls!)Last year, the IEP committee, combined with these therapists, bullied me into putting Christina in a special needs pre-school. I looked for a local school with a short day (2.5 hours)and she had a very caring young teacher. However, a year later, her test results showed no increase in progress compared with home,and the school officials refused to let me meet next year's teacher, so I went with my mommy instincts and withdrew her from school. Now, once again, the therapists come to the home, but this time, two of them have been badgering me to put Chritina in kindergarten next year. Sigh. That's why it was so good to read about your self-assurance as a homeschooling Mom of a special needs child. We need to organize a support group, like NAATHAN.What do you think? Melissa, I know what you felt signing that IEP! Christina, age 4 who has Down Syndrome was in the system since birth, and I have signed so many IEPs I lost count.I’ve had 5 therapists coming to the house,for 4 years, which can be quite invasive, as they are eyeballing the cleanliness of the house, and how busy the older girls look while they are there(look busy girls!)Last year, the IEP committee, combined with these therapists, bullied me into putting Christina in a special needs pre-school. I looked for a local school with a short day (2.5 hours)and she had a very caring young teacher. However, a year later, her test results showed no increase in progress compared with home,and the school officials refused to let me meet next year’s teacher, so I went with my mommy instincts and withdrew her from school. Now, once again, the therapists come to the home, but this time, two of them have been badgering me to put Chritina in kindergarten next year. Sigh.
That’s why it was so good to read about your self-assurance as a homeschooling Mom of a special needs child. We need to organize a support group, like NAATHAN.What do you think?

]]> By: graycie http://melissawiley.com/blog/2007/01/22/the-iep-meeting/comment-page-1/#comment-3470 graycie Fri, 26 Jan 2007 10:06:12 +0000 http://72.29.64.190/~mwiley/blog/2007/01/22/the-iep-meeting/#comment-3470 "From that point on, the appropriate district personnel (in this case, speech therapist) must agree that the child no longer needs these services in order to cancel them." This is NOT true of Virginia. I have had several students assigned to my classes who had been pulled from much-needed services by a parent. “From that point on, the appropriate district personnel (in this case, speech therapist) must agree that the child no longer needs these services in order to cancel them.”

This is NOT true of Virginia. I have had several students assigned to my classes who had been pulled from much-needed services by a parent.

]]> By: Becky http://melissawiley.com/blog/2007/01/22/the-iep-meeting/comment-page-1/#comment-3469 Becky Wed, 24 Jan 2007 23:09:32 +0000 http://72.29.64.190/~mwiley/blog/2007/01/22/the-iep-meeting/#comment-3469 Congrats to Wonderboy and his new IEP :) No IEPs in Alberta, but an interesting system here; if you're a traditional hs'er, with parents doing the teaching and taking full responsiblity for choosing and administering the curricula, you're considered as hs'ing and show up in the government's hs'ing stats. But if you you choose the "fully provided" route, with public school curricula that gets graded by ps teachers (the parent is more of an administrator or facilitator), or "blended" (not quite fully provided, but not quite traditional), the government considers the child as part of the public school system. Which means that every year there are hs'ers in Alberta who are unpleasantly surprised to find out that they're technically not hs'ing... Congrats to Wonderboy and his new IEP :)

No IEPs in Alberta, but an interesting system here; if you’re a traditional hs’er, with parents doing the teaching and taking full responsiblity for choosing and administering the curricula, you’re considered as hs’ing and show up in the government’s hs’ing stats.

But if you you choose the “fully provided” route, with public school curricula that gets graded by ps teachers (the parent is more of an administrator or facilitator), or “blended” (not quite fully provided, but not quite traditional), the government considers the child as part of the public school system. Which means that every year there are hs’ers in Alberta who are unpleasantly surprised to find out that they’re technically not hs’ing…

]]> By: Caroline http://melissawiley.com/blog/2007/01/22/the-iep-meeting/comment-page-1/#comment-3468 Caroline Wed, 24 Jan 2007 18:17:04 +0000 http://72.29.64.190/~mwiley/blog/2007/01/22/the-iep-meeting/#comment-3468 Please post the legislation you were referring to, once you find it. My son is nearly 3 and we've been debating whether or not to continue his speech therapy through the school system. We'd be leaning towards "no" (if he even qualifies), but your information would make it a definite "no". Please post the legislation you were referring to, once you find it. My son is nearly 3 and we’ve been debating whether or not to continue his speech therapy through the school system. We’d be leaning towards “no” (if he even qualifies), but your information would make it a definite “no”.

]]> By: Sue http://melissawiley.com/blog/2007/01/22/the-iep-meeting/comment-page-1/#comment-3467 Sue Wed, 24 Jan 2007 11:31:54 +0000 http://72.29.64.190/~mwiley/blog/2007/01/22/the-iep-meeting/#comment-3467 Home schooling parents have more control over the IEP process than public school parents have in the sense that they can refuse to initiate the process in the first place. Had Wonder Boy been enrolled in public school, you, as his parent, wouldn't have final say over the contents of his IEP. You are a voting member, but the other members of the IEP panel also have equal input. If they concur in their assessment that the child needs a particular set of services, that's the way the IEP will be written. At that point, as a parent, you can decline to sign--or rather sign that you disagree with the IEP. *You* then have the right to take the IEP contents to 'arbitration' (for lack of a better word). But you have to initiate the process--the onus isn't on the school to prove that their approach is right--it's on you to prove that their approach is wrong. You can request that your child "Stay in Place" (i.e. not have the IEP applied yet) pending resolution of the arbitration process, but the school can also argue against that if they feel strongly enough about it. You are unlikely to win if it comes down to that. Your alternative, as the parent of a public school child, is to pull your child from school and home school. This is what we did with Ian. We were still able to access a limited amount of services through the school for him while he was home schooled, but that was completely at the school's discretion. In short, if your public school decides that your child needs special education services, you can't prevent the school from implementing that--you can, however, fight the decision--including going to court if you can afford that. Or you can home school, and you *may* get some support from the school even then. Personally, I found the home schooling alternative very effective. I believe my son improved more under my care than he would have under the plan the school proposed--and I know that he got a much better education while I was teaching him. Home schooling parents have more control over the IEP process than public school parents have in the sense that they can refuse to initiate the process in the first place. Had Wonder Boy been enrolled in public school, you, as his parent, wouldn’t have final say over the contents of his IEP. You are a voting member, but the other members of the IEP panel also have equal input. If they concur in their assessment that the child needs a particular set of services, that’s the way the IEP will be written. At that point, as a parent, you can decline to sign–or rather sign that you disagree with the IEP. *You* then have the right to take the IEP contents to ‘arbitration’ (for lack of a better word). But you have to initiate the process–the onus isn’t on the school to prove that their approach is right–it’s on you to prove that their approach is wrong. You can request that your child “Stay in Place” (i.e. not have the IEP applied yet) pending resolution of the arbitration process, but the school can also argue against that if they feel strongly enough about it. You are unlikely to win if it comes down to that. Your alternative, as the parent of a public school child, is to pull your child from school and home school. This is what we did with Ian. We were still able to access a limited amount of services through the school for him while he was home schooled, but that was completely at the school’s discretion. In short, if your public school decides that your child needs special education services, you can’t prevent the school from implementing that–you can, however, fight the decision–including going to court if you can afford that. Or you can home school, and you *may* get some support from the school even then. Personally, I found the home schooling alternative very effective. I believe my son improved more under my care than he would have under the plan the school proposed–and I know that he got a much better education while I was teaching him.

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