October 2010 Resources updated, August 2012 Families, most particularly parents, are vital participants in early intervention. Your contributions are invaluable: at the individual level where you are intimately involved in determining the services that your own child will receive; and at an organizational level determining policies and scope for EI programs. The resources below have been identified because they address the many dimensions … [Read more...]
Writing the IFSP for Your Child
Updated, December 2012 After your young child's evaluation is complete and he or she is found eligible for early intervention services, you, as parents, and a team will meet to develop a written plan for providing early intervention services to your child and, as necessary, to your family. This plan is called the Individualized Family Service Plan, or IFSP. The IFSP is a very important document, and you, as parents, are important members … [Read more...]
Parents on the IEP Team
September 2010 This information in Spanish | Esta información en español Parents have been recognized as vital members of the IEP Team since the passage of Public Law 94-142 in 1975. Everyone agrees that parents have an enduring and passionate interest in the well-being and education of their child. So it makes perfect sense that Congress would ensure that parents are represented on the IEP Team, front and center. The school must … [Read more...]
Scheduling the IEP Meeting and Notifying Parents
September 2010This info in Spanish | Esta información en español Here are the particulars of what IDEA requires public agencies to do when scheduling any IEP meeting. IDEA’s provisions involve both common sense and courtesy, and are intended to ensure that parents have every opportunity to attend the meeting and contribute. In a nutshell, the school and parents have to agree when and where they are going to meet.IDEA's exact wordsNotifying parents … [Read more...]
Is an Interpreter Needed?
September 2010 This info in Spanish | Esta información en español School systems must take the necessary steps to give parents the opportunity to understand the proceedings at an IEP team meeting. This includes... "...arranging for an interpreter for parents with deafness or whose native language is other than English." [§300.322(e)] Although this requirement is not new in IDEA, it is an important obligation for public agencies and … [Read more...]
Parental Right to Participate in Meetings
December 2010 In Spanish | En español The right to participate in meetings related to their child is one of the most important and powerful of parent rights. Parents have the right to participate in meetings with respect to the: their child's identification, their child's evaluation, their child's educational placement, and provision of FAPE (free appropriate public education) to their child. This includes the right to participate … [Read more...]
