As our kids spend many hours per day in the classroom, their teachers and specialists track their progress (or lack thereof) by following the goals in their Individual Educational Plan (IEP). Supporting your child's daily opportunities to attend to language and to talk thru speech or alternative means will enrich their learning and output each day. Below are some suggestions and examples of increasing those opportunities by pairing them with your child's life experiences. Each year an IEP meeting for the child with special needs is held to set goals for the coming year in school. The parents attend this meeting with trepidation and are often confused as to the true purpose of this long and tedious meeting. In order to maximize the opportunity to support functional goal development, the parents can be ready to suggest ways to help the child communicate and interact with language throughout the school day. Language, after all, is the medium of the total curriculum in reading, writing and speaking. Each goal has a particular focus and purpose with academic and communication or speech/language goals separated. When all goals have an expectation and outcome for interaction with, and learning of, language within them, we have created a trans-disciplinary environment where everyone is working on and supporting all skills. Growth is inevitable. A math goal may state that 'John Doe will identify the mathematic process of the equation' and then be optimized if written as 'John Doe will restate the directions of the word problem, show...

IEP goals should integrate language development, customized to each child's needs for successful learning in all subjects.

Making IEP goals that support Language and Communication: Tweaking the plan in the New Year

As our kids spend many hours per day in the classroom, their teachers and specialists track their progress (or lack thereof) by following the goals in their Individual Educational Plan (IEP). Supporting your child's daily opportunities to attend to language and to talk thru speech or alternative means will enrich their learning and output each day. Below are some suggestions and examples of increasing those opportunities by pairing them with your child's life experiences. Each year an IEP meeting for the child with special needs is held to set goals for the coming year in school. The parents attend this meeting with trepidation and are often confused as to the true purpose of this long and tedious meeting. In order to maximize the opportunity to support functional goal development, the parents can be ready to suggest ways to help the child communicate and interact with language throughout the school day. Language, after all, is the medium of the total curriculum in reading, writing and speaking. Each goal has a particular focus and purpose with academic and communication or speech/language goals separated. When all goals have an expectation and outcome for interaction with, and learning of, language within them, we have created a trans-disciplinary environment where everyone is working on and supporting all skills. Growth is inevitable. A math goal may state that 'John Doe will identify the mathematic process of the equation' and then be optimized if written as 'John Doe will restate the directions of the word problem, show...

When a student qualifies for special education, the school district is required to develop an individual education program or "IEP" for the student. The IEP must include the basis for special education eligibility, measurable goals and objectives, the services, accommodations, and/or modifications required to accomplish the goals, and the type of placement, such as regular education, resource, special day class, etc. Sometimes, however, the school district will determine that a student has a disability but does not qualify for special education. When this happens, the school district may propose a 504 plan instead of an IEP. Most often this is when the school district believes that the student can be successful with accommodations only, and does not require special education services. Often a 504 plan is offered to students with ADD or ADHD who may be struggling, but are managing to keep up in the classroom. A 504 plan can include such accommodations as extra time, taking tests in an alternative location, and reduced levels of homework. A 504 plan does not provide the same level of procedural protections as an IEP does for students who may engage in impulsive conduct that could lead to disciplinary measures. A 504 plan works for some students, but is not appropriate for a student who is failing classes due to inattention or who is performing significantly below grade level on standardized tests. Substantial outside support, such as tutoring and homework assistance, can mask the seriousness of the problem and the need for special...

Deciding between an IEP or 504 Plan depends on if a child needs special education or just accommodations such as extra time.

IEP or 504 Plan: Which is Right For Your Child?

When a student qualifies for special education, the school district is required to develop an individual education program or "IEP" for the student. The IEP must include the basis for special education eligibility, measurable goals and objectives, the services, accommodations, and/or modifications required to accomplish the goals, and the type of placement, such as regular education, resource, special day class, etc. Sometimes, however, the school district will determine that a student has a disability but does not qualify for special education. When this happens, the school district may propose a 504 plan instead of an IEP. Most often this is when the school district believes that the student can be successful with accommodations only, and does not require special education services. Often a 504 plan is offered to students with ADD or ADHD who may be struggling, but are managing to keep up in the classroom. A 504 plan can include such accommodations as extra time, taking tests in an alternative location, and reduced levels of homework. A 504 plan does not provide the same level of procedural protections as an IEP does for students who may engage in impulsive conduct that could lead to disciplinary measures. A 504 plan works for some students, but is not appropriate for a student who is failing classes due to inattention or who is performing significantly below grade level on standardized tests. Substantial outside support, such as tutoring and homework assistance, can mask the seriousness of the problem and the need for special...

Aligning The Mis-aligned... Understanding your Parenting Style and Aligning yourself as Parents Every person enters into the ever so bumpy journey of parenthood with an idea of what it will be like based on childhood experiences and presently held values. When you take that idea and multiply it by two, you can end up with either alignment or misalignment. That alignment is also known as the co-parenting alliance. That misalignment can be downright ugly! Let me begin by defining the co-parenting alliance — it's how parents split up the responsibility of caring for their children and home. In some homes, moms tend to the inside of the house, homework, doctor's visits, and play-dates, while dads tend to the outside of the house, sports, and extra-curricular activities. Parents are aligned when they talk about and agree upon household rules, expectations for behavior, school performance or consequences. I'm not calling it the parenting alliance, but the co-parenting alliance because of the need for there to be an agreed upon balance. It doesn't have to be equal. One parent may become the breadwinner and a handle a few household and child related matters, while the other parent handles the majority of the household and child related matters. And that's okay. Let's review the 4 parenting styles: authoritarian, authoritative, permissive, and uninvolved. They differ on 4 variables: disciplinary strategies, warmth and nurturance, communication styles, and expectations for maturity and control. Authoritarian parenting — this is the parenting style that most...

Explore parenting styles & co-parenting tips for alignment in responsibilities, communication, and child-rearing for family harmony.

Aligning the Mis-aligned

 Aligning The Mis-aligned... Understanding your Parenting Style and Aligning yourself as Parents  Every person enters into the ever so bumpy journey of parenthood with an idea of what it will be like based on childhood experiences and presently held values. When you take that idea and multiply it by two, you can end up with either alignment or misalignment. That alignment is also known as the co-parenting alliance. That misalignment can be downright ugly! Let me begin by defining the co-parenting alliance — it's how parents split up the responsibility of caring for their children and home. In some homes, moms tend to the inside of the house, homework, doctor's visits, and play-dates, while dads tend to the outside of the house, sports, and extra-curricular activities. Parents are aligned when they talk about and agree upon household rules, expectations for behavior, school performance or consequences. I'm not calling it the parenting alliance, but the co-parenting alliance because of the need for there to be an agreed upon balance. It doesn't have to be equal. One parent may become the breadwinner and a handle a few household and child related matters, while the other parent handles the majority of the household and child related matters. And that's okay. Let's review the 4 parenting styles: authoritarian, authoritative, permissive, and uninvolved. They differ on 4 variables: disciplinary strategies, warmth and nurturance, communication styles, and expectations for maturity and control.   Authoritarian parenting — this is the parenting style that most...

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Special Needs
Articles

Making IEP goals that support Language and Communication: Tweaking the plan in the New Year

IEP or 504 Plan: Which is Right For Your Child?

Aligning the Mis-aligned

Find Providers Near You

Special Needs Articles

Making IEP goals that support Language and Communication: Tweaking the plan in the New Year

IEP or 504 Plan: Which is Right For Your Child?

Aligning the Mis-aligned

Find Providers Near You

Special Needs
Articles