IEP Meeting - what should we expect?

[Anonymous]

We are having our first meeting with our DS's school to see if he qualifies for a IEP. What should we expect to happen during the meeting?

For those with an IEP, are you happy with services? Our DS has ADHD and sensory processing issues.

TIA

[Anonymous]

This is what happened for us. The educational team, which included the guidance counselor, special ed teacher, school psychologist, class room teacher, and assistant principal, met to discuss the behavioral and academic concerns of my son. We all got questionairres to fill out in advance which were, for lack of a better term, graded. At the meeting, we identified testing that needed to be completed so that we could determine whether my son qualified for services and what services he needed.

There was a time limit for getting the testing done, which I want to say was 90 days but can be extended for maybe another month for good cause. Then, we had another meeting to determine whether he qualified for the IEP and what services he would get.

We do have an IEP and, yes, I am happy with the results. My son doesn't need much in the way of services - mostly behavioral in nature because he also has ADHD and a regulatory disorder which manifests itself in an inability to display proper classroom behaviors. But, the key to his success in school has been the accommodations that he is offered.

[Anonymous]

Thanks PP. Your son sounds a lot like mine. Thankfully, we already have a full-blown educational and OT evalution which was done last year. So that's less hoops we need to jump through.

Is your son in a MoCo school? If you wouldn't mind sharing, did you ever consider private for him? Or do you think that his school is giving him the same amount of attention that he would get in a private?

[Anonymous]

PP here. We are in MoCo. I could be wrong, but I think we get better services in public than we would get in private school. The reason is this. I'm not making excuses for my DS, but he just can't follow what I call school rules - raising hand before talking, staying in his seat, sitting quietly on the carpet, etc. And, I know this can make him really annoying. But, his school has embraced him and really worked to make the environment one that is positive, healthy and successful for him given his limitations. I had my older DS in private school for awhile and it seemed like the school was less flexible and would not have been able to create such an accepting environment for my younger son.

Good luck with your IEP meeting. I hope your school is as much of an advocate for your son as our school is for my kids.

[Anonymous]

thanks PP. Your son and my son sound identical. Did it take a while for the school to "embrace" him? Or did they catch on right away?
also, how old is he? my DS is 7, so this is very new for us!