Parent Tip #1 Preparing for an IEP
Posted by Anna Stewart at 10/26/2007 10:28 AM and is filed under uncategorized 
Tracy recently wrote about parents who are not actively involved in their child’s’ IEP. In my work as a parent liaison, I have a bagful of tips I offer to parents to be more prepared to participate in their child’s IEP. This is the first tip in series I will post on this blog.
Tip #1: Write a 'parent report'
All the other professionals will write a report. Your voice should be included in your child’s file. I believe that every parent should present their report just like all the other professionals do and take time to do a thorough, meaningful assessment of their child through their own eyes. I have found that the most effective presentation is one page. Put your child’s name and birthday on the top along with the parent’s names and the date. Open with a short paragraph giving an overall picture of your child. Then make a bulleted list in four categories - 1) Strengths, 2) Interests, 3) Needs, and 4) Friendships.
Even though I have worked with the same team for several years, I always provide a parent report at every annual or triennial IEP meeting. My daughter changes and I want the adults working with her to remember that and use my information to adjust their teaching strategies to support her strengths. They may know she likes to sing but I can tell them that she is learning the songs from Annie and learning about orphans and adoption. When they do a social study unit on families, she has awareness of different kinds of families.
When we met for Sabrina’s triennial in second grade, her assessments showed she was over a year behind academically. We weren’t surprised but it did make us consider every accommodation available to help support her. I used my parent report to remind them of her strengths and interests. I wanted to encourage them to use some new accommodations that drew from her interests to help learn to read and write.
This is what her report looked like. To protect other's privacy, some areas have been omitted.
Parent Report, 2006
Sabrina is a good friend, affectionate daughter, caring sister, and engaged learner. She is as eager to learn to read as she is to plan an American Girl sleepover with her best friends. She has a natural social grace and is working on standing up for herself. Every day she wakes up cheerful, cares for her guinea pig, sings, reads, draws, and loves her family and friends.
Strengths:
Social connections to peers
Loyal to friends
Low anxiety
Comfortable with physical contact and games
Singing and music
Enthusiastic learner
Willing to try, even when it's difficult
Transitions easily
Follows classroom routines and rules
Interests:
American Girls
Ballet
Horse-back riding
Sleepovers
Parties
Playdates
Singing
Visiting family in California
Traveling
Needs
Communication strategies for all mediums - verbal, reading, writing
Generalizing concepts across mediums and environments
More time to process when response is required
Options for helping others understand her speech
Increase expectations from staff and self
Opportunities to be a leader
Talk to her about strategies, tools, and her supports
Needs lots of repitition to grasp concepts, master skills,or anticipate evetns
Self-advocacy
Tip #1: Write a 'parent report'
All the other professionals will write a report. Your voice should be included in your child’s file. I believe that every parent should present their report just like all the other professionals do and take time to do a thorough, meaningful assessment of their child through their own eyes. I have found that the most effective presentation is one page. Put your child’s name and birthday on the top along with the parent’s names and the date. Open with a short paragraph giving an overall picture of your child. Then make a bulleted list in four categories - 1) Strengths, 2) Interests, 3) Needs, and 4) Friendships.
Even though I have worked with the same team for several years, I always provide a parent report at every annual or triennial IEP meeting. My daughter changes and I want the adults working with her to remember that and use my information to adjust their teaching strategies to support her strengths. They may know she likes to sing but I can tell them that she is learning the songs from Annie and learning about orphans and adoption. When they do a social study unit on families, she has awareness of different kinds of families.
When we met for Sabrina’s triennial in second grade, her assessments showed she was over a year behind academically. We weren’t surprised but it did make us consider every accommodation available to help support her. I used my parent report to remind them of her strengths and interests. I wanted to encourage them to use some new accommodations that drew from her interests to help learn to read and write.
This is what her report looked like. To protect other's privacy, some areas have been omitted.
Parent Report, 2006
Sabrina is a good friend, affectionate daughter, caring sister, and engaged learner. She is as eager to learn to read as she is to plan an American Girl sleepover with her best friends. She has a natural social grace and is working on standing up for herself. Every day she wakes up cheerful, cares for her guinea pig, sings, reads, draws, and loves her family and friends.
Strengths:
Social connections to peers
Loyal to friends
Low anxiety
Comfortable with physical contact and games
Singing and music
Enthusiastic learner
Willing to try, even when it's difficult
Transitions easily
Follows classroom routines and rules
Interests:
American Girls
Ballet
Horse-back riding
Sleepovers
Parties
Playdates
Singing
Visiting family in California
Traveling
Needs
Communication strategies for all mediums - verbal, reading, writing
Generalizing concepts across mediums and environments
More time to process when response is required
Options for helping others understand her speech
Increase expectations from staff and self
Opportunities to be a leader
Talk to her about strategies, tools, and her supports
Needs lots of repitition to grasp concepts, master skills,or anticipate evetns
Self-advocacy
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