YOUR SPECIAL CHILD
Make Your Child’s IEP
Meeting a Success:
An IEP meeting brings
together the entire IEP
team assisting your
child – educators,
treatment providers,
parents, the local
education agency
(LEA) representative
and others.

ndividualized Education Plan (IEP)
meetings are very important for children
coping with special needs.

“These meetings are very important
because the IEP guides how the child will
be educated and outlines goals for the child,
interventions and any accommodations and
services that will be provided,” says Dodd
White, president and CEO of the Episcopal
Center for Children, a D.C.-area non-profit
organization providing therapeutic and
special education services to children.

“An IEP meeting brings together the
entire IEP team assisting your child–
educators, treatment providers, parents,
the local education agency (LEA) repre-
sentative and others,” White says. “Parents
and guardians are an important part of that
team. You are there to be an advocate for
your child.”
It’s important for parents and guardians
to ask the right questions before, during
and after an IEP meeting. Here are some
questions to help:
When is the IEP meeting, and
how will I participate?
At least 10 days before the IEP meeting,
you should receive a letter of invitation.

RSVP for the meeting in writing. Inform
the school if you will attend the meeting in
person or by phone. If you are not available
to attend the meeting at the proposed time,
suggest alternative dates and times.

What documents will be
discussed at the IEP meeting?
At least five business days before the
IEP meeting, you should receive draft
documents. These may include the IEP,
a behavior intervention plan (BIP) or
evaluations of your child. Review these
documents carefully before the meeting.

Does this plan clearly
address my child’s education
and treatment needs?
Before the meeting, carefully review draft
documents and write down your ques-
tions and notes. Review the diagnosis and
examine the plan carefully to see how it
addresses your child’s needs.

38 WashingtonFAMILY APRIL 2019
When will services be offered?
Make sure you understand start date(s),
how long services are offered, and the
procedures involved.

Is my child progressing
toward a goal in the plan?
If your child is not progressing toward a
goal as you had hoped, ask how this will be
addressed, or if a goal should be revised.

What else can be done
to assist my child?
If you think something else might help your
child, come prepared to discuss it. Write
down any proposed changes to the IEP and
any information you would like to add.

Should anyone else attend?
Invite additional people to the IEP meet-
ing if you think they can contribute. An IEP
meeting takes a “team” approach to help-
ing your child. Take the initiative to invite
individuals who have relevant knowledge or
expertise regarding your child.

How can I have a healthy working
relationship with the IEP team?
Developing healthy and professional rela-
tionships with the school and treatment
providers can help your child. Be open to dis-
cussing issues promptly, directly, honestly and
courteously. Ask questions and listen carefully
to answers. This will allow you to respond
appropriately and avoid misunderstandings.

How can I support my
child at home?
Ask what you can do at home to support and
reinforce what your child is learning at school.

Realize that home also needs to be a place of
respite — a place to recover from the hard
work that may have occurred at school.

With a little preparation, you can feel
confident in making your child’s IEP
meeting a great success. ■
The Episcopal Center for Children
is a D.C. area non-profit school and
treatment program for children ages 5-14
contending with emotional challenges.

ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES PLUS/KATARZYNABIALASIEWICZ
I 9 Questions for Parents



Little Leaves Behavioral Services
Th e mission of Little Leaves Behavioral
Services is to help people with social,
communication and behavioral challenges
grow and succeed so that they can participate
as fully as possible in their families and
communities. Using evidenced-based
practices based on the principles of Applied
Behavior Analysis (ABA), our professionals
partner with each family to develop and implement an individualized
therapeutic plan.

Our therapeutic approach incorporates strategies that have been
proven e ective for helping children. We create a treatment program
that is individualized to your child and tailored to the needs of your
family. We also help families coordinate the logistics of therapy so that
they can focus their time on what really matters — caring for their
children. We’re pleased to announce that our Little Buds Clinics are now
open. Th ese are center-based ABA programs for young children
with an Autism Spectrum Disorder, run in a preschool-like setting.

We also work with children in their homes, daycares and schools
throughout Washington DC, Northern Virginia and Maryland.

For more information 202-420-8359
info@littleleaves.org • www.littleleaves.org
10730 Connecticut Avenue
Kensington, MD • 301.933.5666
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