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since I was recently pointed to the general "special needs" trend of this discussion group, and after having sat through some of the absolute best and worst ISP/IEP's this past couple of months I'd thought I'd help out with some observations and suggestions on how we can all get the best out of IEP's/ISP's
one of the most important parts of a special needs individuals outside support system is the annual Individual Support Program meeting, (for non school related supports) and Individual Educational Program meeting. This is often the one time a year that they, pereants, and the higher up professionals that will effect services rendered will actually meet face to face, an entire years planing will take place and it becomes difficult to alter this planing if it is done improperly.
So I'm going to give some hints about how to get the most out of these meetings from my 13 years experiance working with them on multipule levels as a care giver, a house manager, a parent, and as a guardian. Also from discussions informally over the years with the Professionals, Teachers, etc. furthermore I guess I can also add my 30+ years of experiance as someone whom has gone through the special needs system at a time when it was just developing in it modern form
This is not a "by the policy" piece but a practical guide to what really happens and how to get better results as a parent.
1. Be Professional, remember the other people around the table do this as a living, they have probobly been to 3-4 IEP/ISP's that day. They have probobly had at least one of the parents be a no show, prior to you, and have probobly been yelled at by another demanding something that is beyond thier ability to even try to do in another. Walking into the meeting on time, with a positive attitude, and putting aside non professional oppinions all will create a desire by the other members of the team to both listen to the parent and want to help. Be that very refreshing wind for these often jaded professionals of a parent that actually cares, and supports them. They will be more receptive to finding ways to help, of pointing out often not publisized resources and in tweeking programs so that they better fit your childs needs.
2. Remember that although all members of the team do generally have the best interest of the child as thier goal they also have secondary goals that differ due to thier position. the Teacher or house manager not only has your childs interest but the interests of educateing or providing supports to the other individuals in the classroom, The Dietian is concerned with the nutrition (and ingeneral this means wieght) of the individual. so on and so forth, its important to realize this not as a conflict but as a balancing act.
3. Do your prep work, the professionals of the Team are going to have already talked and have nice printed up plans all ready, If you want to have real influence in thos plans you need to talk in a positive constructive way with the teammembers asking both what they have to accomplish and providing not just problems but possible solutions, Most Teammembers are required to have thier draft documents in approx one month prior to the actual ISP/IEP so contacting them about 5-6 weeks prior and asking for an informal sit down will suprise you just how much of your ideas end up in thier plans.
4. Come to the table with solutions not just problems, its important that you bring to the Teams attention issues that you feel need addressing, but if you have been thinking over this problem you have also had time to come up with one or two possible solutions. better yet if you can test those solutions in the home prior to bringing them to the team, and show some successful data the team is far more likely to listen and do as you wish, or at a minimium be be unable to say "well We don't have any plan to deal with that".
5. Demand Impererical data, there will be a series of programs presented on what services and improvements the Team will be attempting, and how they intend to attempt them, It is VITAL and required that they have some documentable proof that they are implimenting these programs, DATA is that proof, if they say that they are going to teach the ABC's then they should be able to show written data of the individuals progress. but be warned this leads to "pencil whiping" the act of just filling in the form without conducting the training, the method to beat this is to bring to class/grouphome/workplace a copy of the program and ask them to run it while it is being observed, if the individual is having a normal day, and is not familiar with the program, or if the individuals normal staff is not familiar with how the program is run, or if the individual is unable to go through the program to the level of proficency claimed in the data collection you probobly have an issue with Pencil whiping.
6. Support your first line suppervisor, be the voice for your first line workers, You as a Parent can for the most part not be thrown off the Team for being a strong advocate for you child, Teachers, House Managers Aides, and Techs are routinely transfered off of the team if they advocate too strongly, Its well understood within these groups just how far they can go in Team Meetings even if you as a Parent insist they be part of the team (and yes you can ask for aides, or support techs, community friends of the individual or advocacy groups to be part of the team in additional to those required by the policies and law) Teachers, House Managers, Aides and Support TECH's are probobly the second most knowlegable group of people about your individual, they are also the ones that are going to have to impliment the programs that are agreed to, thier input is vital to both having good programs, and in having those programs implimented effectively. Talk to the teacher, aides, House Manager, Tech's build a relationship where they feel that they can speak freely and openly about issues with your individual, Be willing to present thier own concerns which they can not voice due to thier position as your own, (you might take a little heat but they can't fire you as a parent or transfer you to another child ) Loyalty show to good teachers, aide's housemanagers and tech's will pay off a hundred fold in the day to day support given to your loved one. One Warning on this This does not mean a personnel relationship, nor does it mean that you should be "hovering" its a balancing act. They need to know your there for them but ya shouldn't always be there. Also do not overstep the chains of command EVER The House Manager/Teacher should know whatever the Aide/Tech's know, Do not contridict the instructions of a teacher/housemanager to thier subordinate, go to the teacher and voice your concerns directly to her in a respectful manner away from subordinates, This isn't just a matter of ego, you will end up with better results also you might just find there is a very good reason for the procedures in place in the home/classroom
TRY EVERYTHING, COLLECT DATA, DO WHAT WORKS, this sounds really simple but all too often an idea or program is not tried because someone doesn't like it, doesn't THINK it will work, or doesn't like its source due to non proffessional reasons. its important to not let personnel likes or dislikes affect what is best for the child/individual you advocate for. Don't let personnel prejudices, personnel beliefs rule out at least trying something. Much like most of our parents told us "how can you say you don't like it if you've never tried it" This is a problem also for the Professionals on the other side of the table often more so because they can often show that in 80% of kids this works, so were not going to be willing to try the alternatives (remind them that your INDIVIDUAL may be part of the 20 percent that a different method works).
Teach self advocacy, This is a very contriversal issue in some ways, many parents don't want thier child involved in the discussion and interplay that goes on in a team meeting, they feel that labeling and blunt discriptions will harm thier child, Likewise many professionals feel they have to switch to child mode if there is one in the room and thus can't talk in the clinical speak that they are more comfortable with and also is more accurate in discriptions. MY opinion about it, is that your child should be involved to the level he is able, its important that you ask what is important to him even if it is in your pre meeting with him (he/she IS a teammember required by law to make up part of the team) and that as ability grows that involvement in charting his own course be increased. The practical side of the house is our own mortality, as some point the riens of control will be passed to someone else, and if the individual is able the he should be mentally prepared to take over in as much as he can, This is far more desireable then having a public gaurdian with a case load of often over a thousand individuals being in a position of controling this important meeting.
Do not threaten at ISP's this simply puts everyone in a defensive mode, Threaten someones job and that individual is going to follow the letter of the law, they are not going to put forward anything that might have any risk involved regardless of the possible great benifit. If your going to take legal action, or go to higher ups, address those issues AFTER the ISP. good functioning ISP/IEP's are ones where all parties feel they can have free and open discussion of all possibilites without consiquence, And then come to mutually agreed on and supported comprimises.
Finally APPRICIATE YOUR PROVIDERS: after ISP's/IEP's touch base, a thank you card/short call or doughnuts brought to the meeting (or a pound of starbucks sent to the break room teachers/providers live on that stuff *L*) all help these hard working individuals realize that dispite frank discussion of issues you appriciate the hard work they put in. Sending something to the teachers lounge for a special occasion or at the end of the school year shows the whole school or house that you back them and that your teacher gets recognition from her peers and supervisors
as I said starting this, This is not a qouting of any policy and proceedure, it is a practical set of observations about of what works, and does not work in obtaining the best possible outcome at theses absolutely vital meetings.
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