If your child is given an IEP you will have your first meeting to discuss your child’s goals. At the meeting will be you, the school specialists who will work with your child (PT, OT, Speech, etc), a school representative, the general education teacher, and the special education teacher. As your child ages you can also have them present for the meetings to encourage them to advocate for goals that are important for them.

One thing to keep in mind with the IEP’s is that they are legal documents. If it is written into theIEP the school has to provide that accommodation for your child. If it is not written, then they don’t have to do it. If something is important to you, say that your child have a 1:1 aid during the school day-get it in writing.

The IEP form will discuss your child’s assessment data, their strengths, their needs, the educational impact of that need, and your input. The school will then create SMART (Specific,Measurable, Attainable, Results-Oriented, Time-based) goals for your child. A great way to tell if your goals are well written you should look at each goal and ask this question: If you gave this goal to someone unfamiliar with your child, would they understand the goal and be able to work on it?