IEPs are super important, Individualized Education Plans.
Today I'm going to be talking all about what an IEP is and why it's important.
Whether you're a parent or professional, you’ll want to watch this one.
Hi, I'm Dr. Mary Barbera, autism mom, Board Certified Behavior Analyst, and bestselling
author.
Each week I provide you with some of my ideas about turning autism around, so if you haven't
subscribed to my YouTube channel you can do that now.
Lucas is my son with autism.
He's 23 years old and when he was three, that's when he got his first IEP, Individualized
Education Plan.
At that point, I didn't know much about what an IEP was but I learned a lot over the years.
So today I want to share what it is, why it's really important for you as a parent or professional
to know about IEPs so you can be able to advocate for what is most appropriate.
It needs to be based on a child level in all areas.
It's basically, an IEP is considered a contract between you and the educational entity.
And in the United States, this is, um, the term used is it comes under, um, federal regulations
to provide a free appropriate public education.
So if you are in a public education setting from ages three through 21 for kids with autism
and other disabilities, the public agency will have to provide an IEP.
Now when I say they provide it, you as a parent are definitely a part of that IEP team and
need to be a part of the IEP team.
So don't just let them present the IEP.
You need to be an integral part of, um, developing the IEP.
The IEP has a couple of parts, but two big parts are, well actually three big parts.
There is the present educational levels and that is the assessment, where your child is
at.
Because if they don't have single words and in the IEP goals are for them to learn prepositions
and then to be using three-word phrases and those sorts of things, there's a disconnect.
So we have present ed levels, not just in terms of language but also self-care and behavior
issues and all kinds of academics where they are at with reading, math, writing, where
they're at with play and socialization.
So the present ed levels are a big part of the IEP.
Then we have the goals that are based on the present ed levels or based on those assessments.
We have the goal section as the second important part of the IEP.
And then the third part of the IEP is the placement.
So when people say, Oh, I, I don't like my child's current placement, I want to, I want
a different placement.
I want a private school, I want a one to one, I want, you know that's the placement.
So if you just go in and say, I want Johnny to be moved to a, an expensive private school
and be bused, they're an hour away, you actually need to go back to the assessment, go back
to the goals and, and then that will lead to the placement.
So a lot of people, both parents and professionals are confused and they just look at the placement.
But those other important, there are other important parts of the IEP that you cannot
be excluding.
Also for kids that are under three years old, in the United States, there's the IFSP which
is the Individualized Family Support Plan.
And for adults like Lucas, we have a different kind of plan, not an IEP but an ISP, Individualized
Support Plan.
But overall if you receive governmental funding for education or for support, you will have
some kind of plan with an assessment, goals, and some kind of placement or services that
are going to be given.
And like I said, this is like a contract.
So you want to make sure that what's in the IEP is, is individualized.
It meets the needs of the child.
And when you look at an IEP in terms of those chunks, you'll be able to tell if the IEP
is appropriate.
And if the plan is working.
It must be based on the child's assessment and it also must include family priorities.
And the child should be making progress.
Now the IEP is usually set for a year, um.
So every year you would come up with new goals, um, and talk about placement and things like
that, um.
But you can always request an emergency IEP meeting if the child is making a lot of progress,
the child is having problem behaviors, the child is making no progress with the current
plan or their safety concerns and those sorts of things.
You can always request an emergency IEP meeting.
Another important thing I want to say in terms of IEPs in general programming is step back,
look at the forest, not the trees.
Really think about where, where you're going, um, and to program very systematically so
that you're not programming too high for a child at this level.
Also, take into account self-care and behavior problems in the IEP, um.
Those can all be IEP goals and they can be a big part of the placement.
Parents should advocate for the most appropriate IEP.
I did do a podcast on the five steps for advocating.
You may want to check out and professionals also can be advocates for the child.
I did a podcast with Dr. Amanda Kelly on the role of professionals in advocacy as well.
So I hope you enjoyed those tips on an IEP.
We do go deeper within my online courses and communities in terms of advocacy and making
sure the program is very step by step and that the child meets all the prerequisites
before going further.
So to learn more about my online course and how you can begin a step-by-step programming,
you can start out by taking my free two-minute autism quiz at marybarbera.com/quiz that'll
get you into a free workshop and you'll learn more about my online courses and community
there.
In closing, it's extremely important for individuals with autism to have effective IEPs in place.
Every child with a disability in the United States is legally entitled to an IEP.
So then sometimes the IEP goals are not appropriate and the target goals may, may need to be changed.
Also, like I said, the placement may need to be changed, but it all has to work together.
So don't just try to change the placement without looking at the, the present ed levels
and the goals.
Don't forget, go to my quiz and if you liked this video blog, share it with others, give
me a thumbs up, leave me a comment and I'll see you right here next week.