Below are some of the common terms you may see or hear in
your child's IEP planning...
- Push-in minutes: related service therapy (i.e.: speech, OT, PT, etc) that takes place in the classroom
- Pull-out minutes: related service therapy (i.e.: speech, OT, PT, etc) that takes place outside of the classroom in an alternate location during the school day (i.e.: speech office, hallway, etc.)
- Direct Minutes: related service therapy minutes provided to the child either in small or large group or one-on-one with a therapist
- Consult Minutes: minutes the therapist spends consulting with the teacher and team before or after school to discuss progress and tips for carry over of skills in each setting throughout the child's day (consult minutes do not service the child directly)
- Receptive Language Skills: (language input) ability to understand/comprehend what is heard or read
- Expressive Language Skills: (language output) ability to put thoughts into words
- Paraprofessional (a.k.a.: "para"): a term some districts use to refer to an aide or teaching assistant. (TA/aide/para's are not certified to provide core instruction, but rather help a student access his/her education)
- Program Aide: one of the teaching assistants assigned to the classroom to assist all students in that class
- 1:1 Aide: a teaching assistant assigned to help just your child
- Accommodation: changes how the child learns the material
- Modification: changes what the child is taught or expected to learn
- Self-contained placement: a setting, where a child spends 60% or more of his/her school day apart from the general educational environment
Be sure to ask questions if you hear these terms, especially
if you don't understand or agree with any for your child's unique needs.
Bringing an IEP consultant/advocate with you to a meeting
can help translate this jargon, can consult with you before, during, and after
the meeting to ensure you fully understand your child's IEP, as well as advise
you along the way. If there are any parts of the IEP you disagree with or don't
understand, a consultant/advocate can also help you come up with a plan to
ensure your concerns are not only heard, but addressed, utilizing negotiating
strategies.
If you have a request for an IEP blogging topic you would
like to read about, feel free to comment in the comment section below!
Written by: Carly Quinlan, IEP Consultant &
Advocate with IEP Consulting, LLC
IEPconsultingLLC@gmail.com
About the Author:
With over 8
years experience as a special education teacher and IEP case manager, and as a
sibling of a brother with Down Syndrome & Autism, Carly has a unique
perspective and knowledge base of the world of IEP's. With many years of
experience on both sides of an IEP table and "behind the scenes" of
special education services, she can help you get the most out of your child's
education, by knowing the questions to ask and the rights you have as a parent.
Carly's
goal is to help families get to a place with the school where they are happy
with all components of the IEP, including placement, accommodations, goals,
related services, etc. Her services include phone consultation, IEP report
review, and letter writing to your school district. Carly can also help you
organize and prepare for your next IEP meeting and attend the meeting with you
as your IEP advocate.
More about Carly's background:
- Wrightslaw IEP Advocacy training as a non-lawyer advocate
- BA in Special Education & Early Childhood
- 8 years experience in IEP case management and teaching experience in both inclusion and self-contained settings for severe & profound disabilities
- Experience and training in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), as well continual professional development in best practices in special education and methodologies
- Sibling of a brother with Down Syndrome & Autism
- Former program leader for Gigi's Playhouse "Fantastic Friends"
