Caregivers of children with Autism or other developmental disabilities can feel extra vulnerable this time of year as we begin seeing more back-to-school ads, school supply lists, and endless “what you need to know” posts on our social feeds. It can be hard to navigate how to truly help support your child, collaborate with their new educational team, and start the year off on the right foot.
To help guide you, ACP has put together a series of tips we feel are the key pieces of information that might be most impactful, yet less talked about: your child’s rights as a student with a developmental disability.
Launched as part of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the IEP helps protect every student’s right to a quality public education.
Meaning, your child has legal rights as they enter the public school setting that you can advocate are addressed at the beginning of the school year, so that your child receives the best support possible.
What is an IEP? IEP stands for Individualized Education Plan.
The IEP is a written education plan that is tailored to the unique needs of an individual child. Meaning every child who qualifies for an IEP has the right to a unique plan that is built around their needs, not copied and pasted for all students with the same diagnosis.
An IEP is developed through collaboration between key educational staff and the child’s caregivers.
This staff could include anyone that has an impact on your child’s education, such as their classroom teacher, Special Education teacher, school-based Speech and/or Occupational Therapists, school-based Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA), and more. This is important in two major ways.
First, it ensures that everyone who will support your child’s progress is aware of and is required to follow the same plan. Second, it prioritizes caregiver consent, meaning educational staff could present to you what they think should be in the plan, but it’s your right to agree to or decline any piece. You know your child best, thus the IEP is a collaborative document everyone agrees to follow, and you provide consent for your child to experience what is agreed upon in writing.
This helps protect your child’s education, should something not go as you expected.
The IEP sets learning goals, accommodations, modifications, and more. These must be provided by the school district and/or service providers for your child who has a documented disability and meets eligibility requirements.
The weight of tailoring your child’s experience in the public school setting does not fall on all you; it is legally protected and provided by the school district or providers that, for example, travel to multiple schools to deliver a therapeutic service.
These goals, accommodations, and modifications could be things like additional services, more testing time, a quiet testing space, access to a resource room or Resource Officer, and more. Again, the things outlined in your child’s IEP are unique to your specific child and what would help them succeed academically.
Why was this created? Students with disabilities were falling through the cracks or placed in a separate space where poor or no education was provided. How unfair to a child who is capable of so much and for whom the future is not determined just by the diagnosis they have.
The IEP ensures a more fair and equal public education experience for students with disabilities—something that is just afforded to their neurotypical peers within the design of the school system.
The educational possibilities for students with disabilities are just as endless as those without a disability. It’s crucial we advocate for the fair treatment and protection of legal rights. Individuals with Autism have and always will be an essential, normal part of our society. A kindergartener with Autism could be a future principal, veterinarian, pilot, salesman, computer programmer, or whatever else fancies them. We cannot limit their potential by unfairly judging what school should and can look like for them, which is why the IEP and knowing your rights as a parent are so imperative.
We hope this guide helped you better understand what an IEP is and what it entails. Stay tuned throughout the back-to-school season to learn more about the IEP and how to ensure everyone involved in your child’s education sets them up for the most academic success that is possible for your unique, creative, bright, perfect child.
ACP can help support you in navigating the transition to school or can provide a variety of therapeutic interventions in lieu of school, if that best suits your child’s needs. Want to learn more? Explore our service offerings and then connect with us at 800-679-3609 or Welcome@AutismCarePartners.com.
If your child is needing a Diagnostic Evaluation, we can also help you there. A formal diagnosis is often required in addition to other information to confirm your child’s eligibility for an IEP. Connect with your school support to learn what specifically is required for your child.
