IEP season is upon us! It’s like preparing for Christmas or Hanukkah without any of the joy. Still, the results of an IEP (good or bad) will have a much more lasting impact on your child’s life than any holiday gift they receive. It’s important to get the process right. Here’s some useful tips:

Other than your child, you are the most important person on your child’s IEP team. That’s because you know your child best. Likely, you’ve become an expert on your child’s strengths and weaknesses.

Read Related Post: 3 Words That Will Transform Your Next IEP Meeting

If you’re reading this, I know you’ve spent countless hours scouring the Internet for expert advice on inclusion and educational best practices.

Still, an IEP meeting can often feel like an episode of David and Goliath. You playing the part of David.

So, now is the time to get organized. Rally the troops, because this year’s IEP meeting is going to be EPIC…in a good way!

Here’s 3 tips to make your child’s IEP meeting run as smoothly as possible: 

1. Never go alone to an IEP meeting!
   • An IEP team meeting can include countless school personnel, often with their own agenda.
   • If you can afford it, find an non-attorney special education advocate in your area by searching the Council of Attorney and Advocates directory here. A good advocate can cost you anywhere from $100-$1000, but it may be worth your weight in gold to have someone in your corner who knows the law. 
   • If you can’t afford an advocate, invite an friend, pastor, neighbor….anyone who is less emotionally invested than you are and who can take good notes. 
   • Many state Parent Training and Information Centers (PTIs) provide free non-attorney special education advocates. Click here to find your state’s PTI center.

2. Organize all those documents CHRONOLOGICALLY!

• As a former teacher, I realize failure to document can come back to bite you in the “you know what.” Keep all of your child’s records – from evaluations to letters home to IEPs to that adorable little Mother’s Day painting he made you this year. But how?
• First, go out and buy the BIGGEST 3-ring binder you can find.
• MOST IMPORTANT: Organize your documents chronologically! I’ve tried creating categories for my son’s IEP folder, but I soon realized the categories are ENDLESS (IEP, ETR, Behavior, Communications, Resources, etc). Also, some of the documents could really be under more than one category (which category do you choose then?).
• My best advice, create a table of contents with the following: date, author, type, significance. Number each document and place them in order of date. Then you can quickly look back at your table of contents to find your child’s “1st grade ETR”. 

Read Related Post: Using the Recent Endrew F. Supreme Court Case at Your Child’s Next IEP Meeting

3. Put EVERYTHING in WRITING!

• Communication is EVERYTHING! Save it all: emails, letters home, even text messages.
  • Make all requests in WRITING! I have so many clients who complain that they asked for a 1:1 aide for their child and the school said “no.” If you ask for the aide in writing your child’s school has to provide Prior Written Notice explaining why they denied your request. Often school’s don’t want to official deny a request in writing. Read about Prior Written Notice here. 
  • At the end of each email I send to school personnel I always write: “please add this to Troy’s educational record.” Emails can often get lost in the ether, but they can be very powerful if you need to make a case for a change in your child’s IEP later. Make sure you make them a part of your child’s official record.
  • The easiest way to save emails if you don’t have a physical copy and don’t want to print it out, is through email files. Most emails (I use Gmail) allow you to create folders.
  • I have a folder for Troy in my email, and even have sub-folders (for behavior, IEP, and therapies). Any time I get an email I save it in the appropriate folder. I even email text messages to my email to save.
  • This is especially important if, for instance, you keep getting an email about your child’s behavior. Keeping a paper trail (or in this case, an email trail) will be crucial for getting your child the help they need. Most schools require evidence of a continued problem before they’ll shell out money for say a formal behavior assessment.
  • If you have a verbal conversation with school staff about your child, go home and document it. It can be as easy as starting a list of conversations with the date in the Notes app on your iPhone. If you document the conversation the day it happens it becomes part of your child’s official record.
    
    

Let me know what you think of these 3 tips below. And tell us how you make your child’s IEP meeting as magical and impactful as Christmas morning! Comment below.