VIDBE-Q Volume 66 Issue 4
make decisions about the location of appropriate seating, and ensure technology is
set up. It is even possible to include this in your child's IEP to help ensure that it
takes place.
Service Provision
I have been asked, "How do I know my child is getting the appropriate
amount of service minutes?". I would recommend that you simply ensure that this
recommendation be based on data. If you do not feel that your child's needs are
being met, you can call an IEP meeting to evaluate the appropriateness of their
allotted schedule of services. Along the same vein, it is important to remember that
the IEP team is a powerful resource at your disposal. We recently had an issue with
our son's technology (as he entered middle school and is changing classes each
period) becoming too cumbersome to allow for easy portability. It took his entire
team being creative to get his number of devices reduced and utilizing some
stationary equipment to relieve his frustration. The last thing I will note here is that
it has taken both of our children longer to master learning to read and write
fluently. Given that they are having to do so in a non-traditional manner using
technology, and often different technology depending on the task, this is only
reasonable. However, it was easy for me as apparent to become a little panicked
about their rate of progress in this area. As a parent, as uncomfortable as it was at
times, I felt it was important to give our children the additional time they need to
