IEP. She shows us her IEP. Get your minds out of the gutter, People!
Hi! This is Mama Apples, from over at Apples and Autobots. Kelly can’t come to the blog right now because she’s….uhm….otherwise occupied. Yeah. That’s it. She’s busy.
No. I’m not trying to hide any duct tape behind my back.
What? You hear a bumping noise coming from the trunk of my car? Weird.
Anyway, this is the IEP meme, so I’m going to overshare about my son Eli’s IEP. I’m doing this here, rather than at my own blog, because Eli is almost ten, so I don’t want to embarrass him in front of people who actually know him.
First of all, Eli does not have an IEP due to autism. Our district tends to try to get out of the autism exceptionality, and why shouldn’t they? It’s so much “easier” when a child’s exceptionality reads: Other Health Impairments: ADHD—combined type, Asperger’s Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Impaired Environmental Functioning that adversely affects educational performance, fine motor delays, and visual motor defecits. I mean, why would you want to just say Autism!
When Eli was denied the Autism exceptionality, I was a bit disappointed. However, now I’m grateful. With all of this DSM V stuff in the media, I’m really glad that his IEP and services aren’t dependent on that label.
So, on to what we have.
Tools
Calculator during Math, an Alpha Smart for lengthy assignments (they have yet to let him use one), manipulatives (again, they haven’t been implemented), any other Assistive Technology as needed (yes, his IEP says that)—they OT is considering implementing a squishy chair cushion during his last class of the day to help him calm and stay off the floor.
He also gets modified assignments, outlines/study guides, a desktop list of tasks, a homework list, alternative methods of assessment (such as answering verbally instead of writing), model/repeat directions, a communication notebook between home and school, extra time, small group testing, and breaks during work periods, between tasks, and during testing.
Services
Eli goes to a special ed. class for Language Arts. He gets Occupational Therapy for thirty minutes, once a week. He has an aide with him during Reading, Science, and Social Studies.
Goals
There are two goals on Eli’s IEP.
1. When given a targeted word or sentence starter strategies, Eli will punctuate sentences and use correct capitalization on 4 of 5 trials with 80% accuracy for 10 consecutive sessions over the IEP year.
2. When provided with social skills strategies and interventions, Eli will appropriately acknowledge an interaction initiated by others by giving an appropriate response, either verbal or non-verbal on 80% of opportunities across multiple setting over the IEP year.
Eli’s social goal is not even being addressed, and there’s a LOT of social work to be done.
So, that’s it folks. How does mine stack up to yours?
I LOVE that you have Kelly in a car trunk as a tag!
ReplyDeleteHAHA - I always wonder if anyone ever reads those. Now, I need more posts with that as a tag so it becomes one of the big, bold labels. *think, think, think*
DeleteI'm going to add friends to Joey's IEP. Yes, I want friends to be in his classroom, friends who will sing like a canary if something goes wrong, friends who worship him, and friends who I love. Think the district will have a problem with that?
ReplyDeleteI'm also going to request that he be allowed to take the elevator anytime the class needs to go up or down stairs. And that he gets to pick any friend he wants along with the specific aide I'm requesting to be his helper and all.....
Eli has a "peer buddy" who is supposed to help him with his work. THAT didn't go well, but the buddy was one of those sensitive kids that took his job to heart. He diligently watches out for Eli. Last year, he told a bully that if he wanted to hit Eli, then he'd have to go through him first! Does Eli appreciate it? Nope! LOL
ReplyDeleteInteresting how they would not give you the diagnosis and how you find the glass half full in your outlook! I see your 30 minutes of OT per week and it just makes me wonder why we do the OT at all. Does it really help Eli? I really have noticed no help on that front for Tootles. With all this IEP stuff being shared, I'm really beginning to wonder what we are really receiving for our kids at all. It seems like very little. Would our kids make progress even without the "trinkets" the school seems to be providing?
ReplyDeleteI find myself asking the same thing... I would write more, but I have a lot of anger to suppress...
DeleteKaren, I don't know that the school's OT helps Eli much at all. In fact, I probably wouldn't do it if it meant him being pulled from class. His OT is done after school one day a week. Other than helping him unwind that day, it's not much help.
ReplyDeleteI came across your blog because the title is similar to mine in that it has to do with "HOLLAND". I love your blog!!
ReplyDeleteOur school will not write social goals into the IEP. They keep them separate, in the BIP. They insist that the IEP goals have to be academic, which I think is total BS.
ReplyDeleteAnd we never did get OT. Damn them.