THE IEP PROCESS

When folks learn that my son has an IEP (Individualized Education Program) at school, they sometimes ask about the process of getting the IEP, how we organize all the information we receive, how we prepare for IEP meetings, and what we ask for on the IEP itself.

There are also a lot of folks who have blogged about and shared their IEP tips and experiences online — lots of great stuff out there. To add to the collective knowledge, here is a summary of our experiences with the Navigator’s IEP with regard to initiating the IEP and organizing IEP materials.

In a follow-up article I will discuss preparing for IEP meetings and what we ask for in the IEP.

The IEP Process

In our case, the IEP process was initiated by the school. After we talked about their concerns that the Navigator might have Asperger’s we gave the school permission to evaluate him.

We had forms to fill out, his teachers had forms to fill out, and a school psychologist evaluated him in person as well.

We also had him privately evaluated which involved more of the same forms to fill out, more of the same forms for his teachers to fill out, and three hours of in-person evaluation in a neuro-psychologist’s office. I found the neuro-psychologist via referral from someone I trusted.

It took about four weeks for all of this to come together and both the school and the neuro-psychologist came back with an Autism spectrum diagnosis.

Then we sat down and talked about what needed to be on the IEP.

The hardest part was reading all of the legal notices that are given parents to read — pages of federal statute language.

While I am trained to read legal materials and comfortable with legal language, because it was my child and there were a lot of emotions at the time, it was very hard to get through it all.

I can’t imagine how hard it must be for some parents who don’t have the training I have, like trying to read another language.

I wished there was some kind of school-based mentor program at our school, parents who help other parents get through those dizzying first couple of months after getting an IEP.

The easiest part was how kind and supportive everyone was at the school and at the private evaluation. It was greatly appreciated.

IEP Materials Organization

I believe it is important to have the materials well-organized so that you can refer to them easily when questions come up and to make sure IEP accommodations are being followed by the school.

You just need to stay on top of keeping it all filed. I will file papers during the meeting if I can, just so I am not taking home a lot of loose paper.

I have seen this advice over and over online with regard to IEP materials organization, and I echo it: get a three-ring binder and divider tabs. I prefer d-ring binders, and depending on how frequently IEP meetings take place, I would suggest a three-inch to four-inch binder (I know, that is big, but it really will fill in fast).

While I separate all of his school work and papers by grade (storing them and all the cute stuff he has made in banker’s boxes) I keep all of the IEP stuff over time in one binder, serving as a continuum reference rather than being segmented by grade. That way if we talk about an accommodation we tried a year ago, I have the IEP materials for it at hand.

When he is re-evaluated after three years (as required by federal law), I will start a new binder for the IEP starting at that time.

I organize the binder with

1. a section for official paperwork (IEP notices, etc.),
2. the IEPs themselves,
3. materials we have used related to accommodations (such as reminder cards, data sheets, reports, etc.), and
4. miscellaneous materials.

I organize all of those sections in reverse chronological order, with the most recent materials on top, oldest materials on the bottom.

I also suggest getting three-ring plastic sheet protectors or zip pockets for things you might not want to three-hold punch.