IEP Process of Special Education

The IDEA is a legislative provision that tackles compassionate issues and establishes a mechanism to protect the interests of students with disabilities. An IEP team and a series of meetings are introduced into the process to handle this, with specifications on what or who is included. As a result, mandates on team members and a reflection checklist are required to accomplish the aims or purposes of IEP and IDEA meetings (“Individuals with Disabilities Education Act | IDEA,” n.d.). As a result, this paper aims to summarize the participants who are expected to attend meetings under the IDEA mandate and those who are not. Additionally, the paper will address the checklist reflection needed in the realization of decision making.

Summary

A mandatory team is necessary when handling sensitive issues surrounding individuals with disabilities. It entails two categories as mentioned earlier which comprise of one section of members who are obliged to attend meetings under the IDEA Act and the other, those not legally bound but, can attend such meetings. For the former, there ought to be a facilitator whose primary role is to chair the meeting. In other words, the responsibility of the facilitator is to ensure that the conference possesses a goal, purpose, guidelines on how to carry the meeting and resolutions to be made on specific discussed topics. For instance, in the video, the facilitator is the principal from the school which Amy attends. Based on the regulations under IDEA, the facilitator should be a neutral facilitator who ensures that the best interests of the child are considered without taking sides. Other parties include a parent or parents of the child with a disability and a regular education teacher(”Individuals with Disabilities Education Act | IDEA,” n.d.). The reason for the latter is because, for instance, Amy attends a ‘regular’ educational environment and the individual may have the necessary neutral assessment of the child. Additionally, a special education teacher should be present and can be more than one. A representative of the local education agency is needed, who should be proficient in the provision of a supervisory role when it comes to the special needs assessment of the child. For instance, from the agency Ms. Brown is a behavior specialist who took time in evaluating Amy’s behavior during learning times.

For the category that is not mandated to attend IDEA meetings, there is the child with a disability. In most cases, it is not recommended unless when needed. Other individuals include personnel who interact with the child such as different doctors or any other special expert handling the child on a daily or routine cases. However, this is at the discretion of the parents or the agency. Finally, there is the need for an interpreter who evaluates the results or may double-up as a person who translates information and language to those who need it(”Region 13 | FIEP: A Facilitated IEP Meeting,” n.d.).

Sections of an IEP

Children with disability are different but, a generalised action plan in their education is necessary and based on general baseline components under the IEP(”Region 13 | FIEP: A Facilitated IEP Meeting,” n.d.). The central portion is the present level. It addresses the performance of the child both at school and outside of school. As such, it relates to the provision of information on the child’s performance and intermittent growth in any environment. During the meeting, the facilitator wanted a generalized evaluation of Amy from both the mother and the pervasive teacher. Another component is the goal or purpose of the IEP. It addresses the benchmarks objectives concerning the child. It is necessary as it provides achievement standards for the child and those tasked to handle the child(”Region 13 | FIEP: A Facilitated IEP Meeting,” n.d.).

The third portion is the measuring and reporting progress. It describes the progress the children make based on the goals. It is crucial as it focuses on the special education development of the child tentatively. Special education serves as another component. It addresses the related services provided to the child including the supplementary aids. It focuses on the special education of the child, for instance, the additional service of reading under a special education teacher. Also, the extent of non-participation which includes doctors and nurses. It contains information about the child’s welfare. It lays the foundational principle in the evaluation of the performance of the child. Finally, IEP meetings and scheduling of meetings through notification. A meeting held to develop the IEP and notify any team member of any meeting. It provides an opportunity to evaluate, participate and recommend solutions to the problems associated with the child’s education(”tb-iep-meetings.pdf,” n.d.).

Checklist Reflection

After an evaluation of the list from the video, some aspects mock the IEP process. One significant aspect of the list was on the recommendation that members should summarize what other members proposed or said. It is contradictory to the point that requires the members to understand an interest or point before debating or defending. Another aspect is by addressing issues based on interests and not positions. It might be prudent if the members discussed on both grounds or a proficient position rather than by interests. Moreover, there is an option for the accommodation of the differences and diversity to be encouraged. It is noted that the basis of an IEP meeting is to address the issues or the high-sensitive topics that relate to the child with the disability. It would be prudent if the meeting allowed a more in-depth discussion on the points presented without jumping into conclusions.

Skill Performance

Hence, there are some skills I feel may be difficult to perform. The first skills would be in decision making and communication. As observed in the video, it takes a lot of control and controlled attitude to handle individuals within a meeting. It may seem easier for the facilitator, but, it takes a lot to maintain sanity and conformity while having delicate discussions(”tb-iep-meetings.pdf,” n.d.).

As such, it may be prudent to work on such skill issues. To improve on such skills, it may require practice on them by taking part in numerous meetings both in a chair capacity and participatory capacity. The diverse roles are necessary as they will aid in the sharpening of the skills. However, the skills are fostered through research on prominent speakers and international talks to modify on my communication skills as well as decision skills.

References

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act | IDEA. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://sites.ed.gov/idea/

Region 13 | FIEP: A Facilitated IEP Meeting. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www4.esc13.net/fiep/fiep-a-facilitated-iep-meeting/

tb-iep-meetings.pdf. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www2.ed.gov/policy/speced/guid/idea/tb-iep-meetings.pdf