Our First IEP

[twinsplusone]

Oh my goodness. I can't believe it. We are less than a month away from our first IEP. I am so nervous. I have heard of so many "fights" and struggles. I am guessing/hoping that for preschool, there shouldn't be much to disagree on. It's just that every time I think I've got it figured out and I've decided what I think is best, I learn something new that changes my mind. Did any of you NOT send your child to structured (special) ed preschool? I do see how there can be some benefits, but I also think that Adison would do o.k. in a "regular" preschool classroom, especially with an aid or something. Uggghh. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[momofrussell]

BRING FOOD!!!! Don't read the horror stories....go in smiling and work as a team! It will be JUST fine.........

A.

[wrblack]

Our first IEP meeting was about 8 years ago, maybe a bit more. We had no problem. They pretty much gave us whatever we wanted. Study team member started hawing about something, but rep from sending school district said, no, not a problem.
Miss Adison is probably too much the lady to do this and can't really recommend it, but for our first IEP meeting there were about 20 people crammed into a rather small and not all that well ventilated room. Charlie, with his usual sense of great timing, really loaded up a very malodorous diaper. I just sat there holding him, pretending to be unaware. But nobody wanted to waste any time. Meeting proceeded expeditiously, everybody seemed to want to get it done and get out of there.
Good luck,
Bob

[alisonzmom]

I second A's suggestion to bring goodies!!! Also bring a picture of your little gal to show the team just who they are talking about! As a parent member of our district's CPSE & CSE, I've seen where the picture can make a BIG difference!

Good luck, all will well!

Barb

[Kristin]

My daughter spent half of her day in a regular daycare/preschool and the other half at the special needs school. It worked out well. She gained many appropriate social skills. As far as the IEP goes, you can take a friend with you. I took an advocate from our parent's group with me the first time. She had an older child with different special needs, but she knew the system and that made me feel better. She sat and took notes as to what was said, which allowed me to review things later. My other advice, never sign an IEP the day it is written. Take it home (or a copy of it), read it over, and see if anything was left out. I've found honest mistakes and other items I needed to consider for a day or two before signing.

[Kaylis]

I also suggest bringing someone "outside the picture" a bit, like a friend or case manager or someone to take notes and help remember what went on. I was also told that the best thing you can do is bring the child themselves. I guess a picture would help, but having the child there really points out their strengths and their needs. We had our first actual IEP this winter and I brought both Mikah and his case manager from the community services board. She and I then sat down after and analyzed what went on. That helped me get it all straight in my head.

As for what Mikah did for preschool, he attended a full-time regular daycare with a full-time aide. The school and I agreed that the aide wasn't necessary for his participation, but that it would help him learn to his fullest ability and help with toileting stuff (he wasn't toilet trained yet). The program was set up like a preschool, but included more activities because of the length of the day. He was in a class of 3-5 year olds and adored it. He also learned a huge amount socially and quite a bit intelectually and skill-wise.

Good luck!

[michellew]

My best IEP tip besides those already given is - request a draft of the Present Levels, suggested goals, and any assessments a week or so before the IEP so you have time to process everything before the meeting. Good luck!

[twinsplusone]

Thanks for all the great advice. We got through it and it honestly wasn't bad at all. We currently attend a parent nursery school (co-op) and I was really hoping to keep her there with her brother and sister. The "team" recommended a combination of Head Start and the structured preschool classroom. We are going to ease into that recommendation with planned visits to the classroom to see if we are comfortable continuing that way. They really seemed to respect our concerns. Thanks again for all your advice. I did type up an "all about me" page with several pictures of Adi. They all seemed really impressed with that. Also, we haven't yet signed the IEP; as suggested, we are going to continue to review it.