Individualized Education Plans are a vital component for success, bringing together a core team of people on behalf of the child to create a plan of services specific to his needs.
What is an Individualized Education Plan?
According to the U.S. Department of Education, Individualized Education Plans were created as part of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) for children with disabilities. An IEP is personally designed for the student and allows teachers, parents, and special services faculty to work together to improve education for children with disabilities. Every public school child who receives special education or any related services must have an IEP. The purpose of an IEP is to allow parents and the administration to help the student learn most effectively, while simultaneously ensuring that the student is in the least restrictive environment.
How IEPs Help Students With ADD
Individualized Education Plans help students with Attention Deficit Disorder in a number of ways. The IEP helps develop concrete goals and objectives for the student to ensure his academic success. The IEP team will consider the use of positive behavioral interventions and supports to address negative behaviors.
Every attempt will be made to keep the ADD student in the general education classroom. However, teachers may need to present information to the student differently. Teachers may have to alter traditional methods of learning for the ADD student. For example, if the student has a concurrent learning disability and has difficulty learning to read, new methods may be implemented through the IEP.
ADD students may also qualify for:
- Speech and language therapy
- Psychological or counseling services
- Preferential seating in class
- Photocopied notes of lectures
- Use of a daily planner
- Oral rather than written quizzes
- Extended test times
- Modified assignments
- An available quiet room to complete tests or assignments
- Teachers may also be instructed to give directions to the ADD student on a one-on-one basis and to establish concrete consequences for negative behaviors.
What Does the IEP Process Entail?
First Step – States are required to "identify, locate and evaluate all children with disabilities" who need special education or other services. Teachers and parents may also request that a child be evaluated to see if they have a disability.
Second Step – All appropriate people come together as a team to look at the student’s unique needs. These people may include:
- One or both parents; parents are key members of the team, as they know their child best and can often offer insight that others do not have
- Any general education or special education teachers, who are also vital components to a successful IEP
- Anyone who works on behalf of the child, including psychiatrists, social workers, speech and occupational therapists, or a parent advocate or attorney
- The child, if appropriate
The school must make significant efforts to ensure that one or both parents attend. In addition, if requested, the school must provide an interpreter for parents who have a hearing impairment or who do not speak English.
Third Step – At the initial IEP meeting, the team will discuss the child’s current educational performance and determine what measures will be taken to evaluate the child for a disability.
Fourth Step – The child will be evaluated by appropriate personnel in a reasonable time frame from the first meeting. Personnel may include the school psychologist, speech therapist, outside medical physician, and other appropriate persons. Following evaluation, the child must be diagnosed with a disability to qualify for services. Additionally, the disability has to be found to have an adverse effect on the child’s educational process.
Fifth Step – If the child has been found to have such a disability, a subsequent meeting will be scheduled within 30 days of being determined eligible. This meeting will include all of the above persons and will involve the writing of the actual IEP.
What Information Does an IEP Contain?
The Individualized Education Plan will state all of the goals that the child may reasonably accomplish within a year, broken down into short-term goals. These goals may be academic, behavioral, or physical. The IEP will list the special education services that the child will be provided to meet these goals. These services may include speech and language therapy, devices for the blind and visually impaired, behavioral therapy, classroom learning tactics, and more.
Parents are encouraged to discuss their view of the IEP before it is finalized. If they strongly disagree with the recommendations, they can ask for a future mediation appointment or file a complaint. In most cases, however, parents are compliant and the IEP is dated and signed with no problem. It should be noted that some states and school systems require different information in their IEPs in addition to federal requirements.
After The IEP is Finalized
After the Individualized Education Plan goes into effect, the child will begin receiving services immediately. Schools are required by law to make sure the IEP is being properly carried out, and each staff member will be made aware of his own responsibility in fulfilling the IEP. Parents or teachers can ask for a review of the IEP at any time, especially if they are requesting revisions or additional testing. By law, the child must be formally re-evaluated at least every three years.
Conclusion
An Individualized Education Plan can be a vital component to a successful education for an ADD student. Special services can reinforce learning in a positive environment and help the ADD child learn what works for him. And IEP should be implemented early on, so that good study habits can take root long before the more difficult years of schooling begin.
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