Preparing for Your Child’s IEP Meeting

Before you meet with the school team for your child’s annual IEP meeting, it’s important to prepare. Anything can happen on the day of the meeting that can easily throw you off track. Since this is one of the most important documents for a child with autism when it comes to their education, time dedicated to preparation is time well spent.

1 Be sure to set the meeting at a time that is convenient for YOU. If the date and time the school gives you would cause you to have to rush, or squeeze it in, ask for another time and or date. The worse thing to do is feel rushed and frustrated throughout the meeting.

2 Gather necessary documents and organize them in a binder.
This should include:
• Current IEP
• Reports of progress toward annual goals (Progress Reports)
• Work samples of most recent homework, tests, report card, etc
• Notes written in advance to address your concerns and ask questions

3 Be prepared to give your school information that they may or may not be aware of, such as:
• How your child seems to be doing in school (from your perspective) and how he feels about his classes
• Your child’s strengths and weaknesses—academically, socially, physically, etc
• A list of activities that your child participates in and notes on how he interacts with others outside of school
• Strategies that do or don’t seem to be working at home and in the community

4 Observe your child and devise a list of accommodations and/or goals you would like to propose for the year to come
• New or updated annual goals you suggest for the IEP
• What you want to learn at the IEP meeting, including questions about services your child may be receiving

5 To be time sensitive, provide feedback and documentation to the school before you arrive for the meeting. This may include:
• Results of your child’s most recent evaluation(s), including those conducted by professionals not employed by the school (such as a pediatric neurologist or other specialists)
• Questions, concerns and suggestions related to the IEP that was provided to you in draft form prior to the meeting so that the team will be prepared to facilitate and address your concerns as needed.

This CAN be the year of your child’s best written IEP. By preparing in advance and having all of the data necessary to make truly informed decisions, learning gains have a much greater likelihood of becoming reality.