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Prepare for Your IEP Meeting or Else!

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Preparation is the key to success no matter what professional field, sport, or activity you engage in. The same holds true for IEP meetings. If you want to have a great IEP meeting then you must prepare ahead of time or else let the school tell you what is best for your child.  When I accompany parents to IEP meetings as a professional advocate I prepare ahead of time and don’t just show up to the meeting and try to wing it.  I learn about the child by talking to the parents, relatives, teachers, and reviewing pertinent records. I have to have a clear purpose for the meeting so that we can focus our efforts on getting a great IEP. 

You have to be prepared in advance since IEP meetings typically last between one and three hours. There is so much conversation and dialogue during these IEP meetings that it’s easy to lose focus of the purpose and your goal. I suggest you plan ahead so pull out a piece of paper and at the top of it write this statement down.  I believe the purpose or goal for this IEP meeting should be:___________________________.

 This clearly defined purpose will help you keep on track and ensure that the IEP members stay on task. These are common questions that you will be asked about your child during the IEP meeting. Consider these in advance so you are prepared.

What are your child’s strengths?

What motivates your child to learn?

What are your child’s areas of weakness? 

Have you found any techniques or strategies helpful in addressing your child’s weaker areas?

Do you have a goal or anything in particular that you would like your child to learn this year?

By taking the time to prepare for the IEP meeting now you are making an important stride in helping your child gets a great IEP.  At www.SeeMyIEP.com they offer parents expert IEP advice and a library of real IEP goals and IEP objectives that you can search to help you prepare for IEP meetings and get a strong IEP for your child.

25 Ways to Help Your Teen with ADHD

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Some teens struggle socially and teens with ADHD must have good people skills in order to live life to the fullest.  After all, building relationships is one of our primary functions as a human being.  In order to help your teen I recommend using the book 25 Ways to Win With People, by Drs. John C. Maxwell and Les Parrott.  It’s packed with practical ways to build relationships.  The writing is readable and not at dense or technical. It includes many stories to illustrate the 25 key points.  And the book is small.  It won’t overwhelm teens that are immediately turned off by thick, textbook-style volumes.  I encourage parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and important adult friends to read the book ahead of time, or together with the teen. This allows for important common grounding. In other words, everyone has the same information. That opens the way for discussion and shared experiences or ideas. How might your family work this valuable book into your routine? There are two ways you might do so:

Save this book for summer reading, when the academic demands of school lessen.  Read the book in advance, and let your son know that over the summer he’ll be reading an excellent and potentially life-changing book called 25 Ways to Win With People. For the first 25 weekdays of summer, he’ll read a chapter a day. Reassure him/her – the chapters average less than seven pages. It will take five weeks to complete the book. Each day, you’ll ask him/her to write a short summary of the key point and discuss it with you.  Role-playing is another effective practice tool. You can practice these new skills within the supportive context of your home, where he/she shouldn’t be as self- conscious as he/she might in public. 

 Make learning and applying the 25 points a family project. Together, the family agrees to read one chapter per week. Some parents set aside part of the day on Saturday or Sunday to have a short talk about the key point. For the entire week each family member works on applying the step. Family members practice with each other as well as out in their school, work, or daily activities. If the family has dinner together, they should talk about their experiences.  

Even though a new point is introduced each week, it’s important to keep in mind that earlier points don’t get discarded. Apply them as much as possible, especially if there are one or two you have found highly useful. This is what I call the “rent to own” philosophy.  We are teaching our teenagers to try the point out (or rent it) for a week.  If he/she finds it useful, he continues to rent it and use it. At some point your teen may decide that this point is so helpful that they’ll decide to own it and apply it on their own, because he/she has recognized its value in his/her life. 

 Think about your family and decide which way would work best for you.  Your teen will soon have 25 ways to become more successful with people.

Prevent Being Held Back

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Be proactive.  If you suspect your child may have learning or behavior issues at school, contact me.  I find that most moms are very intuitive about their children so trust your instincts.  My advise to you is don’t take a wait and see approach.  Time is too valuable as there are only five months of school remaining and FCAT testing is close.  Historically, school districts move slow when supporting kids that struggle. 

The results of my evaluation will identify your child’s strengths and weaknesses.  I make sure to tailor the evaluation to answer your specific questions!  It is accepted by public and private schools.  This documentation can speed up the help your child receives in school.  Without written documentation, your child’s school won’t usually make any adjustments.  These are called reasonable accommodations and they are required by law if your child has a learning disorder.  There is still time to give your child an academic boost to get through the school year.

A proactive investment in your child’s future can save you from wasting your money on hit and miss search for answers.  Your child’s school can give extra help and support if you have the proper documentation.  Answers await you.  Don’t wait for your child to fail before getting help.  Your child will thank you and you’ll have peace of mind.

Teaching Problem Solving Using Books

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I love learning and believe we can learn a lot by reading and educating ourselves.  Sure, degrees are nice but real learning often takes place outside the classroom.  Think about a time you had a problem.  How did you solve it?  Perhaps you turned to a book or internet site. 

My brother in law  used a book to help him learn how to change his leaky sink faucet.  I used a book to help me learn how to become a better parent.  Some of my favorite self-help books are written by Dr. John C. Maxwell www.johnmaxwell.com.  He  great books such as Developing a Winning Attitude, Talent is Never Enough, and Failing Forward. 

Books can help kids too.  There are many books that teach problem solving skills.  I enjoy many of Bill Cosby’s books about Little Bill.  When my son was 4 and 5 we read most of them.  My favorite one was The Meanest Thing to Say because it taught a problem solving strategy called “So.”  He learned to use it if other kids said mean things to him. 

I attached an article that I wrote and that was published in a popular teacher journal.  Parents can find it useful too and it lists many kids books to read with your child.  Help your child identify with the book’s character and then learn the problem solving strategy.  It works!

Why It’s Important To Only Work With a Licensed School Psychologist

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A licensed school psychologist is a person who has studied both the field of psychology and education and has earned at least a master’s degree or higher.  In a school neuropsychology training program, psychologists learn typical and atypical child development, brain functioning, cognitive and emotional development, statistical and research methodology, and specialized educational interventions, at minimum.  A school psychologist spends over 4000 hours working with children under supervision, before becoming licensed.

A person representing themselves as a ‘learning specialist, reading specialist, educational diagnostician, etc.’ does not have this level of training or experience. Equally important, all public and most private schools only recognize the evaluations of licensed psychologistswhen writing IEPs or making learning accommodations. Parents that seek help from so called learning specialists are wasting their hard earned money.

My advice to parents is to talk with only licensed psychologists and ask them questions about their philosophy and experiences.  Make sure they work with children of the same age as yours and with the issues you suspect your child may have.  Then you won’t be disappointed.  In this field the adage, “You get what you pay for” really applies.