Family Road Map Guide

Focus
The Classroom –
Treatment Connection
You Don’t Have to Go It
Alone
Some parents may feel
uncomfortable facing an
IEP meeting room filled with
school staff members. If you
are one of those parents,
plan to bring someone with
you. It doesn’t have to be
an expert. You can bring a
relative or friend who takes
notes or observes what goes
on at the meeting.
You are also entitled to
bring:
• Your child’s other
parent, even if he or she
does not share custody;
• Other providers on the
treatment team or outside
experts who know
about the issues;
• Someone from an advocacy
organization to give
you advice and support.
If you plan to bring others,
let the school know, ahead
of time, who will attend.
Courtesy is important in
building a good relationship
for the long haul!
one is needed. In any case, though, the school evaluation that started this process
must be updated once every three years. You don’t need to make another request
for this evaluation.
For summertime, sometimes a separate plan is written to provide a summer
program called an Extended School Year Program (ESY) so that your child
can keep up the progress he or she has made. If you think your child may “lose”
academic progress during the summer break, be sure to ask about Extended School
Year (ESY) programs before Thanksgiving if possible. Ask how children qualify for
the program, as well as when and how the school “measures retention.” Depending
on the program’s rules, it may be necessary to test your child after winter break.
The Story of Jenny and John
Here is an example of two cases in which the same clinical diagnosis might lead
to similar kids’ getting different services in school. Imagine two children named
Jenny and John. Each one has been diagnosed with major depression. At this point,
medications and therapy work well for Jenny. The former “A” student has become
a “B-minus” student this year, but her annual test scores show that she is making
enough progress in a regular education program to keep up with state standards.
To help her progress, Jenny needs some modifications in the usual classroom
routine. For example, she needs to be able to leave the classroom for a mid-morning
snack because the medications she is taking make her very hungry and less
able to concentrate. The teacher has also created a quiet place in one corner of
the room where Jenny can go if she’s having a bad day. Unless something changes
for the worse, Jenny’s depression may not be considered a disabling condition that
makes her eligible for a special education certification. However, the modifications
in her regular education program (the snacks and the quiet place) are written into a
504 Plan document, which is signed by her parents and the school system.
John, on the other hand, is falling behind. He missed a lot of school days last
year because medications and therapy have not been able to control his depression.
Test scores show he has not made enough progress to keep up with other
students his age. The teacher reports that John can’t work on projects with other
students. The school evaluation has ruled out other causes for this lack of progress.
John’s depression appears to have educational impact. If the regular education
program can’t be modified to meet his needs, the IEP team may recommend that
John be certified to receive special education services.
NOTE: In some states, IEPs are now signed electronically.
If so, you may never have to put a pen
to paper. Also, it may be possible to “attend” a
meeting by phone conference if you can’t be there
in person.
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