You’re not alone if you discover new needs that have surfaced for your child since last year's IEP. We know how hard you work to get that IEP document “just right,” but it helps no one — least of all your child — if that IEP isn't being followed or doesn't capture what your child needs today. It's time for the IEP check-in, otherwise known as the reality check!
In a live Q&A, we sat down with Dr. Sarah Pelangka, BCBA-D, education advocate, and owner of Know IEPS, to get expert tips for checking in with our IEP teams, including top mistakes to avoid making.
Communicating with your child’s teacher is so helpful to stay up to date on what they’re working on and any areas where your child may need extra support. Dr. Pelangka recommends that rather than passing “a blank notebook back and forth,” be specific about which areas you want information about on your communication log. Think about the key things you want to know every day, rather than expecting to get a detailed play-by-play, and write completing the log into your child’s IEP. Dr. Pelangka says, "That's much more clear, and it allows for whoever's going to be filling it out, the teacher, the SLP, whoever, to have clarity on what you're expecting of them.”
We have a great daily teacher report template you can use. Simply make a copy of the document to customize the information you’d like the teacher to fill out. (If your child has more than one teacher, try this version of our printable teacher communication log template.)
Just like making sure your child is receiving the accommodations the school agreed to provide, it’s important to check in on the services written into the IEP. Communication logs with teachers and providers can help keep questions at bay, but if you want to double-check, you can ask to see the providers’ service logs indicating when a session actually happened, how many minutes were provided, what goals were being worked on that day, etc.
Why are service logs so important? The help assess whether the school has been providing your child’s IEP services as written, and you’ll need those logs if the school is not, as Dr. Pelangka outlines in this clip:
It’s likely that your child will have different teachers, providers, paraeducators, or other staff members introduced each year, sometimes in the middle of the school year. Writing staff training into your child’s IEP ensures that any new team members will be brought up to speed on what your child needs. Dr. Pelangka says these are some common situations to request training:
Who should be present at these trainings? Dr. Pelangka gives her recommendations in this clip:
An IEP is written to help a student access a free and appropriate education (FAPE), but that doesn’t just mean academics — our kids’ social-emotional development is a key part of their education too. When you’re checking in with your IEP team, make sure the IEP contains supports to help your child socialize with peers, and hold the school accountable for providing those supports.
Dr. Pelangka stresses, “It's not all on our students. The school has to create a campus culture of inclusion, and acceptance, and diversity, and they have to educate the gen ed peers. If we put all of the expectation on our students, and we're just making IEP goals and trying to get them to be better at socializing, in my professional opinion, it's not ever going to be what it could be. We need to put just as much focus on educating gen ed populations on disability on how to support students when they may be having a tantrum, or they aren't vocal, or they use AAC. How do we be a good friend?”
Parents can play a role in setting their kids up for success in socialization by talking to the class about their child’s disability. Dr. Pelangka gives an example in this clip:
If your child has a classroom aide or 1:1 aide, they spend the majority of the school day with your child. It’s natural to want to ask the aide questions. However, Dr. Pelangka cautions that you should keep communication with aides to your communication log and IEP meetings. She explains, “Oftentimes, parents want to talk to the aides at pickup or after school, but aides are not salary-based like teachers are. Their day ends when the school day ends, and they can't stand there and talk to you. Oftentimes, they get caught up with parents asking question after question after question. It's not fair to them, so I think parents have to be mindful of those pieces. But whenever a district says, ‘Sorry, aides can't talk to parents,’ as the parent, I would tell you to say, ‘Okay, please provide that policy in writing and clarify the legal rationale behind that.’ Because you have a right as a parent to speak to anybody who works directly with your child.”
Invite an aide to the IEP meeting? Dr. Pelangka says yes! Listen to her advice for some common responses from the school that may come up:
According to Dr. Pelangka, the same applies to long-term subs: Invite them to participate in the IEP meeting and hold them accountable for your child’s accommodations, goals, and services. The goal of every IEP meeting is to identify supports the school can provide so that every student can access their education.
Remember, if you keep hearing what your child can't do, or that they aren't keeping up, you can immediately ask what supports need to be in place so that they can be successful. The answer is not that they don't belong.
Thank you to Dr. Pelangka for all of her tips and for answering questions during our event! (You can catch the full recording and transcript here.) If you have more questions about special education services, IEPs, and more, be sure to attend our bi-monthly Office Hours for Undivided members.
Keep an eye on our Facebook page to learn more about upcoming free events, and join our private Facebook group to get your questions answered by fellow parents in our supportive community!
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