What is an IEP and will is stigmatize my child?
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Anonymous
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Hi,
My son is acting out a lot at school. I believe it is temporary due to a number of transitions and some issues with the school itself. The want to evaluate him and get him on an IEP. Will this stigmatize him and put him in a lower education track in the long run? What are the positives and negatives of having an IEP for a Kindergartener? |
Anonymous
| Anyone had a good experience with a school's special ed service team lately? I'd love to hear about some good examples. |
Anonymous
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Having an IEP does NOT mea a lower education track. Many children with IEP's are extremely gifted.
An IEP, when done well, is a wonderful thing. Instead of a "bad" child who may annoy other children and teachers, you have a solid plan that will benefit your child and everyone who works with your child. We have a wonderful iEP team for our K child. |
Anonymous
I want to clarify "bad child" -- I mean that children with difficulties who act out get labeled regardless...they get labeled as bad/defiant/whatever. The IEP team and related professionals will get to the root of the issue. You might come out with a label, but it's a heck of a lot better than the alternative. Sometimes a label and IEP can be quite protective. |
Anonymous
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Post to the DCUM Special Needs forum for advice and support.
Definitely not a stigma. IEPs, and special education in general, cover a huge range of needs. Evaluations are easy for most kids. For parents, the results can be helpful in figuring out how to help your child now, even if it's just dealing with temporary changes. This could be a good thing. Whether or not he has an actual disability like Autism or is going through some tough changes, the school should help you. Don't let the school throw a bunch of acronyms and technical terms at you. Get the principal involved. If they are a good leader, they will be eager to work with you and respect your views. If what they're saying doesn't make sense, ask them to explain it again and get it in writing. Let them know what your concerns are both short term and long term, small or large issues. DCPS info http://dcps.dc.gov/DCPS/In+the+Classroom/Special+Education/Frequently+Asked+Questions#6 You can get more information for kids under 6 years old at Early Stages if your child is under 6 years old. http://www.earlystagesdc.org/what-we-do/process Things will work out. You are a great parent for reaching out for info! |
Anonymous
| IEPs are given when a child has academic/educational or other special needs. If a child requires additional support because of behavior and/or emotional needs usually the student qualifies for a 504 behavior plan. You might want to clarify with school exactly what the concerns are |
Anonymous
| Start with a request for evaluation by the special ed department. There are clear, specific timelines and guidelines that follow when you make that specific written request. In many cases, teachers will be relieved and very helpful once they know the parents are on-board with trying to figure out what is causing the problems. |
Anonymous
If it is truly a temporary issue due to transitions, he will not even be eligible for an IEP based on the testing. But, the psychologist and the IEP team should be able to determine that through testing and it doesn't hurt to have him tested. It is best for a child for an IEP to be put in place as young as possible (and then reviewed/adjusted every year as needed). |
Anonymous
I agree with the pp. Our K child has had an IEP since preK and there has been no stigmas or negatives from having an IEP. We recently had our parent teacher conference and both DH and I left with huge grins on our faces. Very pleased with how school is going for our DC and a huge difference from how it was prior to the IEP. An IEP is tailored to your child. The evaluation will most likely include an WIPPSI - an IQ test - so that the school knows what to expect from your son academically. If your DS qualifies for an IEP, he will get help and supports in those areas that have an educational impact which means your child will have a much happier experience at school. GL! Our DC's IEP has made school wonderful for our kindergartener and we could not be more pleased. |
Anonymous
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By all means, take it! DCPS may still struggle with traditional special education and accommodating the truly needy children, but it does well with the special needs that arise commonly in classrooms, especially so in the younger grades. IEPs can be as simple as helping a child navigate the schedule and the day with a behavior chart or it can involve some pull-outs to build emotional literacy and help a child express anger and frustration better. Which child would not benefit from that! Indeed, my child was pulled out for a couple of years due to a supposed reading deficiency. In retrospective, this was nothing short of G&T because he turned out to be extremely literate, never bothering to sound anything out, just reading in full words and sentences one day.
And the diagnostics will help you see if there is something temporary or if there is the possibility of an underlying issue. There is nothing at all to be gained from not knowing that! |
Anonymous
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OP, I hear you. We are in a similar situation and I shared your concerns in the beginning. The simple answer is no, if you are at a good school with solid resources your child will not be stigmatized or put on a different educational track, and the academic expectations will not be any lower. What you will receive is guidance and strategies to help your child work through this developmental phase and overcome the challenges he/she is facing. It's hard as a parent to hear these things about your child, but take the advice others gave me - focus on what will help your child be the happiest, healthiest child they can be and to succeed to the best of their abilities in school.
Set up a meeting with the special education coordinator and ask all of your questions. They will explain the process (which is 100% voluntary and can be revoked by you at any time) and I guarantee you that you will feel much more comfortable with the process. One other thing - there are benefits to having your child evaluated in school. One - it is free. Two - the evaluations do not disrupt your child's routine. Three - you and the school will be able to work together as a team to help your child. Take a deep breath - it really will be okay. I promise. |
Anonymous
I am the PP and yes, so far so good. Very caring people whom I trust and they are very open to our feedback and concerns. DC is improving and is very happy at school. |
Anonymous
| 9:32 again. Want to clarify that we are at a DC charter school. One of the language immersion schools talked about all the time on this board. Their Sp Ed services and supports are terrific as is the entire Sp Ed team! |
Anonymous
| 10:24 here. We are also at a charter but I understand that the processes/resources are similar between charters and DCPS. |
Anonymous
| 9:32 are you at MV? can you post more about your experience at MV? We are too. |