IEP Program

individualized educational program Any student in an exceptional ed program must, by fed law , must have a written plan reviewed once a year and a new one written. It list the child's problems and what the school plans to do and provide for the child. areas are academics,physical.self health. social. sorry forgot the rest. You are suppose tobe at the meeting and help write the plan. DO NOT SIGN IF YOU DISAGREE WITH IT. PUBLIC LAW 94142 hAVE THE SCHOOLSYSTEM EXPLAIN ANYTHING YOU DO NOT UNDER STAND.!

Here are a few links to help you out. An IEP is a really great way to hold the schools accountable for FAPE and making sure your child is learning what he needs... :) Just my opinion.

http://www.bridges4kids.org/IEP/iep.goal.bank.pdf

http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/iep.index.htm (and there is ALOT more info if you just do a search on here for IEP)

http://www.patientcenters.com/autism/news/ed_issues.html ( know this is Autism based, but this applies to all kids with an IEP)

http://www.mckay-iep-matrix.org/index.php?module=pagemast...

http://www.untangleautism.org/0300hfa1.htm (sample IEPS--this is geared towards PreK, but this will give you ideas)

http://www.bridges4kids.org/IEP/SampleLetters.html

http://www.ed.gov/parents/needs/speced/iepguide/index.html

http://specialchildren.about.com/od/specialeducation/f/ie...

and I have more info if you need help...:) Hope this gets you on the right track.

http://www.yellowpagesforkids.com/help/fl.htm (a listing of places to help out kids with special needs)

My son has an IEP and it has been the best thing for him. He wasn't doing well in school because he wasn't in the right environment for him to grasp the information. He is in 8th grade and has a schedule of both mainstream classes and then for the areas of difficulty he has a specialized class. When I finally let him be testedin the 6th grade and they put together an IEP for him - he began to enjoy school. He has a B average and he never had that before. He won't be labeled unless you make him feel that way. Be encouraged and know that he will now get the full benefit from his educational experience - and that's what we want right??

Blessings,

A.

I have a nine year old daughter who has recently been diagnosed with Dyslexia and ADHD. I, like you didn't want my child labeled, not to mention I was scared for her. After she was diagnosed, our doctor spoke with us regarding an IEP, and I am so glad we did it, because it has helped her so much... An IEP allows your child to have extra time, extra help, and so on (actually you and the teachers decide what will go on the IEP).... You will always have a say in what the IEP actually contains. It has helped my daughter tremendously. This is a private matter, and it is kept confidential. For more information you can go to www.wrightslaw.com, and www.nichcy.org/idea..
These are websites that will provide you a lot of information. In my situation it took us a while to get the IEP actually implemented, so don't wait around to long. One thing I have learned from all this is..... You know your child better than anyone, and YOU are your child's best advocate.

Hi LP

It depends on what part of the area you live in. In some places you could use that IEP to get him into a better school on a McCay scholarship and you'd probably find fewer issues. Have you considered homeschooling? Have they offered drugs as a solution for his behavior? Many questions to consider. I'm sure others will tell you what IEP stands for, I'll just tell you it does tag him in school and that if you could get him out of the system if possible it would be better for him. We educate parents all the time about homeschooling possibilities because of issues that arise in the public school system. You are welcome to call me at ###-###-#### Homeschool Corner. Let me know if I can be of assistance. Thank you
D.

IEP simply means Individual Education Plan and it does ensure that your child gets the best opportunity for learning within his special circustances, requirements, needs. My daughter is in speech 2 times a week for a 1/2 hour each session and she has an IEP for that - we get reviews of her progress often a plan is laid out for her at the beginning and the end of each year and updated throughout the year as needed and she has opporunities for more help and programs if needed. I love that she has an IEP - she can really focus on the areas she needs to, and shines in all other acedemic areas as a result.

Hi there. My 8 yr old son also has ADHD. My 5 1/2 yr old son was diagnosed at 2 1/2 yrs old with Moderate Autism so I am very familiar with school plans.... My autistic son is on an IEP and my ADHD son is on a 504 plan. It has really helped him. On his 504 plan, he gets free after school tutoring, extra time on tests and he gets help reading questions on tests. He failed first grade badly before we got him on the plan. However, last year he made A/B honor roll the entire year! He can do the work, he just needed that extra bit of help. He doesn't feel labeled in his classroom because there are several other students that get the same kind of help. There are many kids with ADHD these days. We were told by the doctor who diagnosed him that he is the poster boy for ADHD. He has every classic symptom.

Just an interesting side note.....did you know that ADHD and Autism come from the same parts of the brain? I believe that my older son was able to handle the toxins in his vaccines just a little better than my younger son. That's why my older son only ended up with ADHD instead of full blown Autism.

Good luck and God Bless!

C.

I was an Exceptional Education teacher before becoming a Mommy so I can explain this to you. IEP stands for Individualized Education Plan and they are developed for children who are served in some sort of exceptional education program (Speech & Language, Physical Therapy, SLD and so on). I had 54 students throughout the day my last year of teaching and all of them were labeled ADHD however, they all also were SLD (specific learning disability). I personally have never seen an IEP strictly for ADHD because it's something that can be controlled through diet, medication and proper dicipline. If your son is performing well in the general education classroom they you're going to be hard pressed to get him any kind of help through an IEP. Unfortunately, any child with an IEP is considered "labeled" because the school gets more funds for those children. With an IEP you have to meet 1-2 times per year to discuss your child's progress on meeting his IEP goals. Like I said, I've never seen an IEP for a child with just ADHD. You can discuss something called a 504 Plan with the Staffing Specialist at your son's school. The 504 Plan will allow your child to have accomodations on things such as the FCAT but not much more than that. If you have any questions let me know!

It's been awhile, but I was in the Florida Special education program as part of the ESE program (which was called gifted back then). There were kids in ESE that also had dyslexia and other learning disabilities--and some that were considered "hyper" (I'm old so there was no ADHD when I was young--LOL) but these issues where all addressed in the IEP.
The IEP in an individual education plan that is written specifically for your child based on his talents and disabilities (though I don't think ADHD is considered a learning disability). It maps out education goals for the school year. Every child in a special education program has an IEP--including those in ESE (exceptional student education). A child can be in both ESE and have a disability and the IEP will address that. It's basically a custom plan for any children that don't fall within the "norm." As a parent you can and should take part of creating the IEP, getting your own thoughts and goals into the plan.
As far as labeling--it's what we humans do...it doesn't have to be negative--if anything with his teachers, it will give them a heads-up and they will be able to use different techniques to teach him based on their understanding of him. Kids themselves label other kids, but if it's not ADHD then it's something else, so the key is to help your son reach his highest potential and keep reinforcing self-esteem so he knows his potential too!

You will need to become the best educated advocate your little boy has. I wouldn't fight the "label" so much as I would want to make sure meds and special classes were the last thing tried...(And - if meds ARE necessary, please make sure they are used minimally, and not to control behavior...your son needs to learn to control himself...it will be critical for his successful adulthood.)

A little about my background on the subject...my 3 kids (and their two parents) all very clearly meet ADHD criteria... everybody made it through school without Ritalin - graduating on time with their classmates in regular classes. Oldest child once had a report card that was a straight flush (A,B,C,D & E) - but - he retook that failed class and got an A the next time...

Write to me and I will find the namesof some books that saved us...All my children are now successful adults, leading productive lives and lovingly caring for their families...

IEP can definitely save your kid a great deal of anguish - if put together as a plan to provide your child with the quality education he deserves. You will want to make sure that your child's IEP fits him with realistic, useful goals. It should mainly include adjustments the school will make in teaching. Make sure that it does not excuse your child from getting an education or learning to respect the rights and feelings of others, the latter of which is more critical to successful life as an adult than the former.

Grades? One you have your diploma, it does not matter what the grades were. The President and a former V.P. of the U.S. clearly did not get the BEST grades in their classes - yet their social skills took them far! :-)

I will have the names of the books I want to recommend to you at home and will write back to you if you are interested and write to me...

Valerian Root helps ADHD.....another thing that helps check all foods with Red Dye in it.....keep him off as much of that as you can. As hard as it can be teach him everything you can, like he is a normal child...My son is now 31 and also grew up with this condition....it's a long road but he turned out great

Hi LP, not knowing where you are in the process, it's hard to address the general question of what is an IEP (Individualized Educational Program...used to create accommodations and goals for students who have been identified with a disability, ADD is not a disability as far as I know). I didn't know if you want him on an IEP, or you have been called into a meeting to discuss your son's progress, and you are worried about him being placed on an IEP.

I am a former Sp.Ed. teacher from SC, I know things are a bit different here, but most processes are based on federal law, so there shouldn't be too much difference. I think the main thing is that unless he has been tested by a school or private psychologist, and has been diagnosed with a learning disability, he should not be on an IEP. With a medical diagnosis of ADD, you can request a meeting to discuss accommodations which would be allowed under what's called a 504 plan. The team (school personel, you, psychologist) would need to agree on this. This just states that his teachers will follow the plan set to create the best possible learning environment for him. Accommodations can include things like sitting close to the front, oral directions on tests, untimed testing etc. 504 plans are reviewed 1x a year.

You should request information from your school about Exceptional Student Education. That will tell you the processes and help you understand the options you have. Above all, it is a team decision, not a given. If I can help you further, please feel free to ask. I would also google IEP process, Florida. There is alot of information out there.

An IEP (Individual Education Plan) is a legal document that children with diagnosed disabilities are required to have in the public school system. The IEP is updated yearly (or more often if necessary). In order to qualify for an IEP the child must first be tested by a school psycologist, then, based on the testing results, the child may or may not qualify for ESE (exceptional student education) services. Only children that qualify and receive a diagnosis (label such as specific learning disabled, emotionally handicapped, mentally handicapped) have IEP's.

Once the child qualifies for services then an IEP is drafted, usually by an ESE teacher. The IEP is comprised of the child's current level of performance (what the child is able to do now such as comprehend passages read at a 4th grade level, sit in his seat for 3 minutes without getting up, use the bathroom with some assistance, etc.). Goals are drafted based on what the child's current level of performance is and what the goal would be for the next IEP (such as comprehend passages read at a 5th grade level, sit in his seat for up to 5 minutes without getting up, using the bathroom without assistance, etc).

The IEP is just that, a plan for an individual child's educational goals. It more closely monitors the child's current level of functioning and has specific goals for the ESE teacher to focus on in addition to the standard academic and social skills program.

I was an ESE teacher for 9 years but have been a SAHM for the past 16 months. The last I knew ADHD was not viewed as a disability that qualified for ESE services. If your child has been tested and given an ADHD diagnosis then he qualifies to receive medication from his doctor but not special services in school, including an IEP. Your school district may be different than the one I was in but check with your child's school, specifically the school psychologist and/or staffing coordinator to make sure. He may qualify for a 504 plan which is another legal document that provides some of the things an IEP does but it is not as in-depth. Children that do not qualify for an IEP may often get a 504 instead. Something else to ask about.

You may contact me if you have any more questions but your school ESE dept., including the staffing coordinator, is your best source of info.

Best of luck!
S.

The other 2 responses did a good job explaining what an IEP is. I am an ESE teacher and work with these daily. A child with ADHD does not qualify for an IEP with only that diasgnosis. IEP are written for students with any tested exceptionality (speech impaired, language disordered, Emotionally hadicapped, etc.) THere is however something called a 504Plan (which my 14 year old is on) that always for accomidations in the classroom and in testing situations for student with any medical diagnosis that effects their learning (ADHD for ex) THis plan will allow for flexible setting, extended time, etc. in the classroom and on test like the FCAT. Ask about that plan at your child's school.