My lessons learned for when the school or teachers are not adhering to the IEP

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This message is definitely a YMMV posting. It's a general response to the posts about problems with the school or teacher not adhering to the IEP. For example, not letting the child leave the room for a break when needed. I'm guessing that this is a common problem. I'll tell you what I've done about this.

1. Convene IEP meetings as often as you wish. For about a year and a half in elementary school, I called for IEP meetings every other week. This might be impossible for many parents who don't have as flexible a job as I have. All you need to do is say "I want an IEP meeting", and the school must schedule this. At this point in middle school, I call IEP meetings 3-4 times per year. In addition, I frequently communicate with the spec ed director via email

2. At the meeting take out your laptop and use it to take very detailed notes of the discussion. This is really important. This communicates how serious you are. Ask many questions. When I asked the IEP team to walk through how they would implement my son's breaks from the classroom, it was clear that they didn't really know how they'd implement it. In the course of the meeting, they figured out where my son would go and what to do if his mood indicated that he could use an adult chaperone, and the process for returning to the classroom. (In fact, if you don't have a laptop and can't afford one, I'd see if there is a grant available from some local agency that can be used to buy you one.)

3. I would send out my notes from the IEP meetings. I'd include any next steps, unanswered questions, and ask who would be accountable for the next steps. I see myself as being an important part of the IEP team. For much of my son's time in elementary school, I'd create agendas for the IEP meetings, and I'd make sure that all the topics were addressed, and keep track of new issues to resolve.

Every so often I'd assess whether homeschooling would be a better alternative, particularly with an e-school. But many of my son's social and behavioral goals could only be addressed in a setting like a school. (Also, I like having an income. Eating is very nice.)

Hope this helps.

Reggi Levinreggi@...__________________________________________________