VIDBE-Q Volume 66 Issue 4
coming from the student rather than the parent (i.e. the small group administration
for testing was distracting and I need individual administration). In addition, no
one on the IEP team has to operate in the manner in which your child does. Is it
not common sense to include them in a planning meeting FOR them?
The particulars of paperwork is another area in which I have had to learn the
ropes, even as a trained special educator. The school personnel should first be
determining your child's present levels of academic and functional performance
(PLAAFP). An IRIS Module developed by Vanderbilt University (2021) can assist
you and your child's team in knowing the components of a comprehensive
PLAAFP. This should then be the basis for creating IEP goals, as they should
directly link back to the areas for improvement noted in the PLAAFP. Other items
to make sure are included in the paperwork are the vision (VI) or hearing (HI)
supplement and an assistive technology (AT) supplement. These give specific
information about your child's needs, areas of the ECC that have been identified as
requiring instruction, and recommended tools. Lastly, be aware that the school
should be providing you with updates on your child's progress on his/her IEP goals
at the same interval in which other parents receive grade reports.
One final strategy I will share is one that we have both found useful is a
back to school orientation meeting for all staff who will be working with your
children. This meeting also serves as a time to orient your child to the building,
