Taking notes is a great way to document exactly what was discussed in your child's IEP meeting. In every IEP meeting, you may see more than one person on his or her laptop quickly typing away documenting every detail for the school's copy of meeting notes which will be included in the final paperwork you receive at the end of your meeting. However, not every detail that is important to you will be included in their notes.
To ensure you fully understand your child’s IEP, you may want to take your own notes in the following areas listed below. By the end of the meeting, you should understand exactly how the following areas will be fulfilled for your child. If you are not sure, ask! If you disagree, speak up because you are part of the team and CAN contribute your thoughts and ideas!
Note taking areas you may want to focus on:
--new goals your child will be working on for each area
--accommodations & modifications
--behavioral supports (if applicable)
--qualify for Extended School Year (ESY)?
--special bus transportation details
--your child's placement
--amount of time spent with typical peers
--the what, when, where, & how of related service
minutes (i.e.: for speech, OT, PT, social work, adaptive PE, etc)
--the school's responses to each of your concerns, requests,
thoughts and ideas so you can follow up on these later to keep all accountable
Email me for your FREE copy of "A Parent's Note Taking
Template for the IEP Meeting" to help keep your note taking on track
during the meeting. IEPconsultingLLC@gmail.com
It is a good idea to cross reference your notes with the
final copy of the IEP you receive after the meeting, to ensure all areas of the
IEP were updated accurately, as discussed. Sometimes important details and
edits don't save accurately in certain IEP programs due to technical glitches,
and sometimes there is just so much discussing going on, the school team may
forget to update certain things. (I have seen this happen many times.) So if you see any discrepancies, bring it to
the IEP team’s attention as soon as possible, to make an amendment to the IEP.
If you are too overwhelmed in the meeting to take notes or
not sure how to make sure all changes were accurately updated in the
appropriate areas of your child's new IEP, an IEP consultant/advocate can do
this all for you!
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! Also, be sure to like IEP Consulting,
LLC's new Facebook page for updates on IEP advice and tips! Feel free to tag
your friends in your online support groups! The more resources in parents' hands, the
better, so keep spreading the word!
Written by: Carly Quinlan, IEP Consultant & Advocate
with IEP Consulting, LLC
IEPconsultingLLC@gmail.com
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