Advocating for a Positive Change

I attended a recent I.E.P. meeting to discuss proposed changes to an I.E.P. The changes were based on a previous meeting where I had advocated for a preschool aged child with Downs Syndrome. The child was in need of measurable goals and objectives in the speech and language portion of his I.E.P. Prior to asking me to advocate for them, the parents were unaware that their child's goals and objectives were not written in a measurable format. They were also very confused about how to work with their son at home. The updated goals and objectives are much more user-friendly for both speech therapist and parents.
We also discussed updating assessments in all developmental areas in order to better ascertain the academic needs of the child as we get ready to write new goals and objectives for his annual review. At the end of the meeting, the draft I.E.P. was approved and a meeting to review the updated assessments was scheduled.
The outcome of this meeting was very positive for everyone involved, most especially the child.

It's important to take a thorough look at your child's I.E.P.

I recently attended an I.E.P. meeting at an elementary school to advocate on behalf of a preschool student with Downs Syndrome. The parents had concerns about the current I.E.P. and whether it was meeting the speech and language needs of their son. He is 4 and has been receiving special ed services since he was 1. He is not yet able to produce any audible sounds.
After reviewing the current I.E.P., I found several areas that needed to be updated. The parents and I met with the team at the child's school and we discussed my/our concerns about the contents of the current I.E.P. After much conversation, we were able to come up with a viable solution. The team agreed to update the I.E.P. and increase the child's hours of service. We will meet again to review the updated changes to the I.E.P.
After the meeting, the parents expressed their gratitude for what I had shared with them and the team at their son's school. We are hopeful that this student will have an opportunity to begin to produce sounds and eventually words to enable him to communicate effectively with his family and at school!