First Day of School – a Disaster
We have heard it several times from people that had been around the block: “Someday, you’re going to have to fight for your child.” Apparently, today is the day for us. On his first day of first grade at the new school, Colton is having a tough time. We just found out that the school made the decision to NOT assign him with a para (teacher assistant), and apparently they didn’t think that it was important to tell us.
It is a day of firsts. It is his first day at his new school, first day in first grade, and his first full 8-hour day of class. And unfortunately, this will be the first time, in any educational environment, where Colton will not have an aide to help him through the day. Our goal, as it was explained to us at the end of the last school year, was to wean him from having to use a para full time. Apparently, their budget forced them to wean him a little faster than expected. He is now sitting in a classroom with 24 other children and one teacher. Needless to say, we are pissed.
So what do we do? Well, here are the steps that we have taken so far:
- Requested (demanded) a meeting between the case manager and the principal - it has been scheduled for Thursday.
- Contact all private therapists - we contacted our son’s speech and occupational therapists from Kid-Talk, and asked them to write recommendation letters with their professional opinions on the matter.
- Contact specialized schools or groups - West Metro Learning Center, where Colton attends social development classes, offers advocacy assistance for their students. We asked them for recommendation letters, and also asked them about their “advocacy services,” in hopes that they can send someone to attend the meeting with us.
- Review Most Recent IEP - Carefully look through your most recent IEP (Individualized Education Program), and make sure that you understand exactly what assistance your child is supposed to be given (according to the IEP).
- Reach out to other Experienced Parents – Lastly, and maybe the most important step, was contacting the most vocal parents that we know. In every community, you have a group of parents that fight tooth and nail for their special needs children. Use them to your advantage! It’s not what you know.. but who you know. These parents have been through it all, and they can provide invaluable information when you need it most. Best of all, they won’t even charge you for the help :)
At this point, our goal is to overwhelm them with documentation and recommendation letters at the initial meeting. They will immediately see that we spend a LOT of our time and money to get Colton the best learning environment possible, and that we will not just bend to their budget restrictions. If they continue to deny the help that Colton needs, then we will certainly do anything needed to find the best and brightest advocacy lawyer available.
Parents, do not allow the administration to make decisions for your child that you are not comfortable with! This administration has no idea what my son’s needs are, especially considering that he is a new student to their school. So, we will fight the system for our Son. It’s just sad that instead of being able to enjoy the first day of school, our autistic son is suffering from an unstructured environment, and his parents are having to put all of their energy into fixing a broken system.
5 Tips for a Productive IEP Meeting
We had our IEP (Individualized Education Program) meeting last week, and it went amazingly well! For those of you who haven’t been through one of these meetings yet, it’s basically a regular meeting where you and your child’s teachers and therapists meet to discuss the progress that your child has made. After discussing how your child is doing now, the real purpose of the meeting is to come up with some goals for the future, and to then get them into his IEP.
I’m feeling long-winded today, so I’d like to give you some tips for preparing for IEP meetings, and then I will give you our personal experience below.
5 Tips for a Productive IEP Meeting:
- Know when your child’s IEP is due! Do not depend on teachers to schedule these, otherwise it will always be a rush job. Put it on your calendar, and start making calls to teachers 30-40 days in advance.
- Prepare Personal Notes. Write down your observations of progress made at home, current problem areas, and any questions that you might have. Chances are that you will forget the important questions when you’re at the meeting, so go prepared.
- Invite Everyone! If your child attends any additional therapy, school, daycare, or even just has a babysitter, invite them all to the meeting. You want everyone to be on the same page in regards to your child’s development, and each person can provide a different insight to the progress your child has made.
- Fight Fight Fight! You are your child’s best advocate. If the plans that are being presented to you don’t make sense, or if you want more of something for your child, don’t give up. There is a possibility that you’ll need to fight your way to the top of the School District to get what you want, but you do what it takes. If you are still not getting what you want, it’s time to find an advocate.
- Follow Up. After the IEP meeting has finished, make sure that you follow up with everyone who was involved. Your goal is to ensure they all follow through with their stated goals, and sometimes they need a little extra push. Establish regular correspondence through email, notes, phone or even in person.
Here are a few other great resources:
- Tips for a Successful IEP Meeting
- Quick Tips For A Productive IEP Meeting
- Advocacy Tips and Techniques: Ideas by and from Parents and Those Supporting Parents and Children
- Redhead Momma – IEP Day