IEP 2017: (Building a 2017 Individual Education Plan)

18May
by Somaya Sanchez

The IEP, or Individual Education Plan meetings tend to happen in March, which marks the end of the school year for my son; much earlier than the rest of the students.

This year’s IEP meeting went well, to an extent. My son met most of his goals this year, but he can still improve in the areas of speech, math and must occasionally be reminded to walk and not run because he could hurt himself.

Because my son is autistic, he will be transferred to a school that has a curriculum for kids on the autism spectrum for the 2017-2018 school year.

When we had the IEP meeting this year, I was okay with the curriculum but not the school that the district administrators had picked for him. The school that they wanted to transfer him to is 2.1 miles away from our home. My son has to ride the local school bus, so we needed a school closer to where we live.  Finally, after several weeks, school district staff called me to say they had  found a school with a similar curriculum located only 1.1 miles  from us.

As the parent of a special needs child, I always ask questions. If am not okay with one answer I will ask more questions. I will not settle for the first school that district staff recommends if I am not comfortable with it. You should always go to the school that your child might attend and walk the campus. Are you okay  with the school ? Does it feel like a safe place? Do you think your child will thrive and learn there? The more questions you ask, the more at ease you might feel.

For me, finding a school closer to home was very important. My son has had many emergencies during this past school year.  That means I have to get there to be by his side as quickly as possible. School busses are not always  reliable. At this moment I think I made the right decision for my son . We will see what happens when the new school year begins. I hope he thrives and learns at his new school.   

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Somaya Sanchez

Somaya Sanchez , is a stay at home momtrepreneur .Having a child with a rare disease and then the child being diagnosed with Autism spectrum disorder changed her life. Learning about Autism : it's just another way of learning. Going through the school system and advocating for her child's needs. Not settling for just one answer but getting second opinions.

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