IEP Meeting

totoro

Mom? What's a difficult child?
You ever have that feeling like you have no idea how a meeting went???:confused:

We went with our Advocate who is our therapist. The new Principal, Teacher, School Psychologist and K's Spec.Ed Director were there.

Like always they look at us and wait for us to run the show. therapist says she has added High-Functioning Autism (HFA) to K's diagnosis, those are who diagnosis in AZ.
Then we went through our list of accommodations we want to add to K's IEP. I had it typed out and gave one to everyone as well as the new 5x8 card with K's picture and diagnosis's info with the important accommodations as well as her positives. :D


Basically they balked at some stuff like help with organizing her backpack at the end of school, comment like, "I have 9th graders who can't do this."
I said, "I don't care what NT students can and can't do, this is a progressive issue in children with her diagnosis's and will overlap into other areas of her life".

So they didn't say they wouldn't do it, just acted annoyed.
They basically didn't say no to anything. But acted kind of "whatever" about the whole thing.
I just can't get a read on her teacher. She claims she will do these things. Every one says she is great and she has a SpeEd background...
But there have already been a few misunderstandings that give both husband and me pause. One other parent with an Autistic daughter feels a bit the same way.

We didn't ask for much to be added-

AlphaSmart to be implemented full time.
Daily Home note
New diagnosis to be added
No Lunch Recess
Clear directions as far as homework. To us and K
Reminders to her as to where and when she is to be places
Help with organization, desk and backpack

There was more wording on each of these but this was the jist. I really like the new Principal, find out her Aunt has BiPolar (BP).
I just don't know- I felt kind of empty after the meeting. Our therapist said well at least they didn't deny.
I guess.
 

JJJ

Active Member
It sounds like you will need to check up on them and see if they are really doing these things or if they agreed just to make you go away. I hope they are really going to do them.
 

smallworld

Moderator
I always felt that way after IEP meetings. I agree with JJJ -- you'll have to follow up and see how the new accommodations are implemented. It's not a bad idea to schedule a meeting in a month to see how things are going for K.
 

susiestar

Roll With It
I usually ended up having to keep on the school staff after an IEP meeting like that. They tried to slide out of doing things because "there wasn't time" or "he wouldn't let me" or "I was too busy today". I politely suggested reading a book on time management, reading "the Explosive Child" and Love and Logic books, even offering to loan them my copies for a couple of weeks. I also did not let them slide even for a day or two because the few times I did they then let all accommodations slide using those excuses until I realized what was going on.

Be SURE to go in and get a copy of her IEP in a month or so. Tell them your copy got ruined, or whatever. Compare your copy to their copy at home - I got a giant surprise when I took Wiz' IEP to the psychiatric hospital in 6th grade. The sp ed teacher had added several pages that took ALL supports and limits away other than letting him spend time in her room on the computer whenever he wanted. He was to have NO computer because he was getting reality and fantasy (pokemon esp) confused a LOT. This was a MAJOR contributor to his problems, probably what tipped him over the edge into fantasyland. She even tried to forge my initials but was too dumb to get them right.

Since then I go in and get a copy of each IEP about a month or two after I sign it. One other time they had another paper slipped into it, like a filing error, but it negated one of the accommodations -letting him go to the sp ed room at any reasonable time to print out something to turn in that was on his AlphaSmart (meaning time when the students were working independently or in groups and he had most of the task done). The time that we meant was written into the IEP but the note said that he would print all assignments before or after school and never during the school day. He wasn't organized enough to do this and he had to ride the bus - his came to school just a few minutes before the bell and left about 5 min after school ended, meaning he had NO time to print anything. A VP had written it (I knew his handwriting) and we had words about it. He said Wiz was using it to roam the halls. I asked if his work was done, and it was, and where the supervision was to keep him on task when he went to print stuff. VP turned bright red because he didn't have a clue about any of it, just got annoyed one day with Wiz (which was very easy to do, of course!). The note was removed and destroyed, and when Wiz needed to print he was given a specific time to be back and the teacher called ahead to the Sp Ed room so they expected him.

Anyway, be SURE to keep on top of them until you are positive that they will do ALL that is required. None of your accommodations are unreasonable. In fact, some of them should be done for most students, in my opinion.
 

LittleDudesMom

Well-Known Member
So did the actually write and ask for your signature on a new IEP yesterday? I was a little unclear on that.

I've found that helping our student with organizational skills are the toughest to accomplish. Seems that with the busy end of the school day, good intentions aren't always realized in the classroom (doing things like making sure our kids have what they need for homework in their backpack, making sure they are bringing him school handouts, making sure homework is written in their agenda, keeping their desk organized, etc. When you are a teacher in the classroom and you have 25-30 kids in the room, it's tough to keep all the needs in line - not making excuses, just stating reality.).

In regards to homework/notes, difficult child has had "written homework assignments provided" and "copy classroom notes provided" in his IEP for years. It's a little more specific than "Clear directions on homework". Clear directions to who? Just because the teacher is clear with k at school doesn't mean it will be remembered with k gets home! At least that has been our experience!

Definitely follow up on that IEP in a couple weeks. You will know, pretty much right away, if the new changes are being implemented.

Sharon
 
K

keepongoing

Guest
Make sure all is in writing and be sure to check that it gets implemented. In my experience they will write it in the IEP but then won't do it. If I keep checking there will be all kinds of blank stares and and 'what do you know about school' attitude and when I put things in writing that look like I'm heading towards a complaint I will get 'what is she talking about, we did that'. Last year I got five month worth of data handed at a meeting that I know beyond a doubt was never collected. After that I found it very hard to work with people I no longer trusted.
Organisational skills are hard and I have found that sometimes it will just mean that a para does the things that ds should be taught like writing down homework, organizing his desk and folder, figuring out where to go and when.... One year with a para to help he actually ended up loosing the few organisational skills he had. After that year I had the accomodation as the school assisting & checking that he wrote his homework in his organizer instead of just checking that the homework was in his organizer (which ment para would write it).
 

totoro

Mom? What's a difficult child?
LDM- We did not sign the IEP yet. They are rewriting it up and we are meeting next week with likely more people... and looking it over. This will give us a bit more time to see as well if things are going smoothly.
This was our plan with the Advocate.

I agree with you about the homework/notes etc. We made it a bit clearer on her accommodation list that I supplied and the actual IEP is not written up yet. So I will definitely double check the wording again before we sign.

We got into specifics about this and that K does not remember a thing when she gets home and this has been a huge problem in the past. We have been told, "Just trust her", which has backfired. We asked that things be explained homework as well as things going on in the class to K. Have K explain them back.
We then asked for a note in her homework folder of her homework that must be done and how it must be done. (So that we can understand how to do it).
We basically just asked for a very brief checklist (which we supplied) of plus and minus and what subject and activity she went to. Behaviour and work gets a plus or a minus. THis should only take a minute or 2.
If something bad happens then she can expand on the back or write a note to me.

I fully agree that it is soo hard to be a teacher! But the only reason why I become unglued at times is that K does the honeymoon thing so well.... so they all get that false sense of "She is fine".
Part of me doesn't blame them, but if they listened to last years teacher and the specialists... well. Know what I mean??


One question I do have is, how do you really know if they are following some of the accommodations? Now that she is older and 3rd grade they are trying to push us parents out of the picture a bit more it seems like. How do I do this without making every one hate me?

I think the Principal will be on our side and I know the Nurse is. The others most of them still really like us.
 
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