| I am a homeschooling
mother of seven. My husband and I have been homeschooling for 14
years. One of our children is profoundly retarded and mildly
physically handicapped as well. I have written an article on writing an
IEP that I feel would be beneficial for NATHAN members. I'd like to
share it."
------Wendi CapehartI EP stands for Individualized Educational Program. Schools are required to
develop IEPs for all their special need students. There are times when
homeschooling parents may find it helpful to have an IEP as well.
I am not an expert in special education. I have no college degree in any
field. I am a homeschooling mom, a housewife, just like many of you. You need
not be an expert in special education to write an IEP. You need only be what
most mothers are, an expert on your child.
I have written several IEPs for one of our children who has multiple
special needs. A number of professionals have seen my most 'official' looking
effort, and even the most hostile have been impressed. One speech therapist
paid me the rather dubious compliment of lifting part of my IEP verbatim and
placing it in her own report as her own words. Several others paid me the even
more dubious compliment of asking me repeatedly who helped me write it, unable
to believe that a mere housewife wrote what they say is the best IEP they've
ever read. I am not an expert in special education. But I am an expert on my
daughter. You are an expert on your child. Remember that, and do not be
intimidated by the task.
What format you want for your IEP will depend upon your audience. Is this a
tool for your eyes only, merely an organizational guide, a lesson plan for you
to use with your special needs child? Is it intended to go in your child's
permanent record, perhaps to be seen by possibly hostile officials? Is this
for a local educator, one who is friendly? Do you need an official looking IEP
for deflecting the negative attention of some official? I will be sharing from
our most formal IEP, the one designed with one particularly hostile individual
with whom we had to deal with in mind. Most of us will not need to be so
formal.
So what exactly is an "Individualized Educational Plan?" It is a road map,
so to speak, of how to get your child from the place he is now to the place he
needs to go. It consists primarily of a list of goals you have for your child
and objectives for those goals. You are writing down what it is you want your
child to learn (the goals), and what steps you and your child need to take in
order to master that "learning objective." So the first step is to determine
what it is that your child needs to learn.
You can do this by having him assessed, by testing him yourself, through
personal observation (simply watching, studying, and thinking about your
child), through talking with others about your child, and particularly through
prayer. I believe that all children have a purpose in life. God has designed
our children with a plan in mind. What is His plan for your child? With these
tools in hand, develop a list of goals you would like your child to achieve.
These can be advanced or quite simple. One year we wanted our daughter to
learn to open the car door for herself. We also wanted her to learn not to hug
strangers around the neck in a death lock grip. Make your list based on your
child’s developmental level. Once you have your list, you have the raw
material for an IEP.
For an IEP that will work for you and your family, simply list the goals
you have chosen. Under each goal, list the steps you and your child will take
in order to reach those goals.
To turn that raw material into a more formal IEP, it helps to look at other
IEPs. Notice their format, the language used, the general feel, the writing
style, the vocabulary. Look at an IEP as a writing assignment. You are to
write a document, not in the style of Dickens or Lucado, but in the style of
special educators. Your library may have some books available on writing
lesson plans and IEPs. There may be information available on the Internet.
When we adopted our daughter she had already been in the public schools for 3
years. I used her former IEPs as a model. If your child has been fortunate
enough never to have been in public school, you can ask your friends who have
special children in the public schools if you could see their child's IEP, or
part of it. Explain that you are trying to write your own and would like to
see a sample IEP to help you. If you know any special educators you could ask
if there are any materials, forms, or old IEPs (with personal information
blocked out) that you could look at to help you develop your child’s IEP. Use
wisdom and discretion in talking to a special educator. Some are friendly and
sympathetic. Some are less so. If you find a homeschooling friendly special
educator, pick her brain and take copious notes. ..."
Blessings,
Wendi Capehart |
