IEP Pre-Planning

Here at OSBD, I regularly get calls from both district staff and from parents with concerns about IEPs and how to deal with issues that come up related to them.  Involvement, communication, and collaboration are always big topics of these conversations.  So here is something to think about:

If you want to reduce stress both for yourself and for everyone else involved in the IEP process begin conversations early.   Taking time in advance of the IEP meeting to begin talking with the rest of the IEP team about the IEP can help to reduce conflict and stress.   Early communication will also help to develop a sense of involvement and cooperation on the part of all the members of the team.

District staff, that means including the parents in those conversations. 

Parents, that means staying calm and being open to ideas from staff.

REMEMBER – this isn’t manning the trenches in World War I.  You are all supposed to work together.  Be open, and be flexible.  I’ve seen some real good examples recently where districts and parents took some situations that looked like they might turn into the start of a world war, and instead turned them into some very collaborative and successful IEP meetings.  Simply because they all were willing to talk, to listen, and to give a little to make things work.

We all would like for everyone to be on the same page when they walk into the IEP meeting.  Having informal, open, and collegial conversations between staff and between staff and parents about a child’s needs well in advance of the IEP meeting can often have a strong, positive impact on the meeting and its outcome. 

Those conversations help to encourage more involvement and allow for discussions and an exchange of ideas outside of very formal IEP meeting itself.  They allow all parties to get comfortable with what is going to be presented in the upcoming meeting and to begin to deal with any possible changes in advance of the meeting.

Lets be honest, the IEP meeting is not the place anyone wants to have surprises sprung on them.   Use the months leading up to the IEP as a time to discuss how successful existing services have been, progress, what to keep, what to change, and any ideas or concerns the staff or the parents have.  Doing this allows the school the opportunity to involve other support staff in discussions and to discover and hopefully work through any issues well in advance of the meeting.  It also allows parents the opportunity to think through possible changes that may be suggested in a more relaxed setting, as opposed to inside that stressful environment that IEP meetings often are.  Further, these more informal conversations show a desire on everyone’s part to help foster a level of trust and often, flexibility while giving all parties involved time to research any new ideas and requests that may be in the offing.  In the long run, this bit of extra time invested in advance can significantly reduce opportunities for stress and conflict in the future and increase the opportunities for collaboration and teamwork.