At this point you may be wondering, what should I do to advocate for my child with special needs'? Listed below are a variety of things that you can do to make sure that communicate effectively with your son or daughter's IEP team members to convey your concerns regarding academic, language, behavioral, or medical changes that you have observed at home.
Contact the direct service provider in the area that you have a concern about.
You can contact the service provider (i.e. speech-language pathologist, teacher, home intervention teacher, occupational therapist, physical therapist, transition coordinator, etc.) by phone, email, or in person. For example, if your child is receiving services for articulation in speech from the speech-language pathologist, and you are concerned that your daughter or son is not making progress, contact the speech-language pathologist.
Request a meeting.
You may request to set up an IEP or Individualized Education Plan to discuss your concerns regarding your child's progress at any time. You should either contact the case coordinator your child's teacher to do this.
If you are unable to come up with a solution to find a way to improve services or instruction through a phone all or email and you request an IEP meeting; make sure you state specifically your concerns regarding your child's progress. If you have made observations of a change in your child's progress at home (i.e. academic, behavioral, speech, fine motor, gross motor, etc.), share that with your IEP team members. Also if you have collected documentation that could help you effectively convey your concerns (i.e. written observations of behavior, speech, etc., documentation from your child's physician, or copy of your child's current IEP), take it with you to the meeting and share it with your child's IEP team.
It can feel overwhelming walking into an IEP meeting when you are the only non educational professional in the room. If this is the case, contact your local educational agency or school district and request assistance in locating a parent coordinator in your area. The parent coordinator can assist you in how to convey your concerns, answer any questions that you may have regarding your child's IEP progress and the IEP itself, and attend the IEP meeting with you. They are a great resource contact when you have questions about what the IEP is all about or need some support in advocating for your child's special needs.
Contact the direct service provider in the area that you have a concern about.
You can contact the service provider (i.e. speech-language pathologist, teacher, home intervention teacher, occupational therapist, physical therapist, transition coordinator, etc.) by phone, email, or in person. For example, if your child is receiving services for articulation in speech from the speech-language pathologist, and you are concerned that your daughter or son is not making progress, contact the speech-language pathologist.
Request a meeting.
You may request to set up an IEP or Individualized Education Plan to discuss your concerns regarding your child's progress at any time. You should either contact the case coordinator your child's teacher to do this.
If you are unable to come up with a solution to find a way to improve services or instruction through a phone all or email and you request an IEP meeting; make sure you state specifically your concerns regarding your child's progress. If you have made observations of a change in your child's progress at home (i.e. academic, behavioral, speech, fine motor, gross motor, etc.), share that with your IEP team members. Also if you have collected documentation that could help you effectively convey your concerns (i.e. written observations of behavior, speech, etc., documentation from your child's physician, or copy of your child's current IEP), take it with you to the meeting and share it with your child's IEP team.
It can feel overwhelming walking into an IEP meeting when you are the only non educational professional in the room. If this is the case, contact your local educational agency or school district and request assistance in locating a parent coordinator in your area. The parent coordinator can assist you in how to convey your concerns, answer any questions that you may have regarding your child's IEP progress and the IEP itself, and attend the IEP meeting with you. They are a great resource contact when you have questions about what the IEP is all about or need some support in advocating for your child's special needs.
