IEP | A Dash of the Unexpected

In a season of firsts, we can add another: We attended our first IEP meeting for Lina today.

IEP stands for Individualized Education Program and is the required legal document that has to be in place in order for a student to receive special eduction services through the public school system.

This is our first IEP meeting, because Lina is turning three in less than a month. On that day, her therapies and other services will transition from Tennessee Early Intervention (a division of the department of education for qualifying babies and toddlers) to the local school system.

We met with Lina’s IEP team, which consisted of:

the assistant principal, who oversees the early childhood program for our designated school,
two early childhood teachers (one representing special ed, the other representing regular ed),
physical, occupational and speech therapists,
the school psychologist
and one additional new teacher there to observe.

It was a full room.

The meeting was long and detailed, but it was fantastic. We were so impressed with the warmth and professionalism of every person there. I had typed up a document listing Lina’s areas of strength and goals we wanted to work on, and it was remarkable how in line that was with the assessments and goals the IEP team had prepared. We came away with a signed IEP we are very happy with, listing specific goals and services.

So now we know:

As soon as Lina turns three, she will begin the Early Childhood preschool.
She will attend 8:30-11:30 a.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.
A speech therapist will be in the classroom all day two days/week and an occupational therapist will be there the other two days.
In addition, Lina will be pulled out for 30 mins. twice/week for individual or small group speech therapy and the same for occupational therapy.
She will also receive 20 mins. each week of individual or small group physical therapy.
Her class will be around 12 kids (between 10-14); six of those kids are typically developing, and the others will have a range of special needs.
There will be four adults in the classroom all day: one teacher, two assistants and a speech or occupational therapist.
Lina’s teacher is wonderful and has a master’s degree in early childhood special education. She also has worked with the KidTalk research program at Vanderbilt (which Lina has been participating in this summer).
The Early Childhood program for our area is at an elementary school about 20 minutes away. The building is six years old, open, brightly-lit and very clean.

I am so grateful. I get a little teary thinking about the difference this program will make for Lina. I think often of kids with challenges like hers who live in places without access to these kinds of resources, and it about breaks my heart. I know how lucky we are.

And then, there’s this: in less than a month, I won’t be driving Lina all over creation for therapy appointments!

Jon and I attended Lina’s first school transition meeting yesterday. We drove down to the county administration building and met with Lina’s TEIS (Tennessee Early Intervention Services) coordinator and a school psychologist who took down initial information about Lina’s current progress, goals and needs. There wasn’t much new information at the meeting, since we’ve already talked quite a bit with the TEIS coordinator about the early childhood special education program. We got a few answers to questions, but the meeting mostly served as an official introduction to the school system and the kick-off for the transition process. From here, the wheels turn until her first day of preschool on September 14.

The next steps, as we understand them, are:

1. Soon – probably in the next few weeks – we will know for sure which school Lina will be assigned to. Early childhood preschools are not offered at every elementary school in the district. Our zoned elementary school is in a “swing zone,” meaning we could end up at either of two preschools, both of which are about 20 minutes away. There is also a chance the district will open a third program, which could potentially mean a closer option.

2. Sometime over the summer, Lina will be scheduled for a full evaluation, which will include motor, communication, social and cognitive assessments. These assessments will show where she is in her development and will be the basis for her qualification for special education services.

3. Once the assessments are complete, the school system will schedule our first IEP (Individualized Education Program) meeting. This will be the biggie, where we sit down with school administrators, teachers and therapists and outline very specific goals and strategies for Lina. We will be attending regular IEP meetings for the rest of Lina’s educational experience. The IEP is a critical tool for making sure she is receiving the support and resources she needs to reach her full educational potential.

4. In August, we will schedule a tour to see the preschool in action so we have a better idea exactly what to expect on Lina’s first day.

It was a pretty uneventful meeting. The most involved discussion we had was about cognitive testing, which some parents refuse out of distrust for the accuracy of the testing and a concern that an IQ score will result in limiting expectations. But really, it was pretty simple, and we were out of there in about 30 minutes. It’s funny, though; I still felt a bit like a wrung-out dish rag. Even when the logistics are straight-forward, a meeting like that requires a higher level of emotional energy. I think any parent who has been in a school meeting to discuss a challenge can probably relate. I have been to similar meetings with her current school or therapists, but this was the first one Jon was able to attend. He commented last night on how it was emotionally a little bit hard; I felt relieved to share that experience with him. He won’t be able to go to every school meeting, but we agreed it’s important for him to be involved whenever he can. I am hopeful the educational realm we are entering may make it a little easier for Jon to be involved in setting goals and knowing what we’re all working towards.

On a less serious note, I’ll share a few pictures from the last day of my cousin’s visit. We had such a good time with family we see too rarely, and we miss them now that they’re back home in Michigan.