Understanding Your Child’s Individualized Education Plan

When parents share their child’s Down Syndrome or %Individualized Education Plan% with me, they frequently tell me that they don’t understand it; they disagree with it, or they neither understand it nor agree with it. These problems seem to be the common denominator in many advocacy situations, and parents of children with a variety of disabilities from autism to %dyslexia%, dyslexia or emotional disabilities describe the same feelings of confusion and uncertainty about how to resolve these problems.
Parents in this situation tell me they are unhappy with, or unsure about what is happening in school and that they feel left out.
It may surprise parents to know that their child’s IEP document is intended to represent the shared opinion (or consensus) of the IEP team: a team which includes YOU as an equal partner. As you struggle to translate the IEP document, you will notice contributions from teachers and other professionals, but do you see your own contribution in writing? If not, doesn’t this strike you as odd given that you are an equal member of the team?
Consensus doesn’t mean unanimous agreement; often IEPs contain several perspectives. As a parent it is your right to have a different perspective from other team members and still expect to see your input in the IEP.
Consensus does, however, imply that every aspect of the IEP was discussed and that reasonable effort was made to ensure that you understood the information to the extent that you were able to judge whether you agreed or disagreed with it.
The most crucial thing to remember is that consensus is reached through the process of sharing and discussing information and ideas. Every part of the IEP document including: present levels of performance, strengths and needs, goals and accommodations, and type and level of services must be discussed by the team if the final document is to accurately record the teams general agreements and the reasoning behind the decisions made.
For example if you ran out of time at the meeting and were told that you would receive a draft of the complete IEP to look at and make comments on (and to please get back to them with changes by next week), I suggest you instead request a follow up meeting. Don’t bypass the discussion because this is your best chance to participate in creating your child’s IEP.
Good luck! Your K12 Advocate, Ailsa