How to Prepare for an IEP Meeting as A Parent

How to Prepare for an IEP Meeting as A Parent

IEP meetings offer a place for parents to discuss their child’s Special Education needs and develop their Individualized Education Program (IEP) with the school staff. They occur on an annual basis, though parents can request additional IEP meetings at any time for specific issues.

Parents serve as crucial advocates of neurodiverse children or children with disabilities during IEP meetings, and preparation is critical for a successful meeting. This is because adequately preparing for the meeting allows you to feel confident in what is going on and ensures you and the IEP team develop an accurate and effective IEP for your child.

If you have an IEP meeting scheduled, performing the following preparations ahead of time will help ensure the meeting goes smoothly.

Review Your Child’s Records

As a parents, it is important for you to attend the meeting knowledgeable about your child’s schoolwork. To do so, pull out copies of all official documents, including recent progress reports, report cards, and your child’s current IEP (if they have one). Review these documents ahead of time and bring them to your meeting.

It also helps to bring recent notes from teachers, tests, homework, and any of your own notes. By gathering all this information ahead of time and taking the time to review it, you won’t be scrambling during the meeting to try and keep up with the information presented. You will also be better able to advocate for your child’s needs based on their recent work.

Prepare Questions and Recommendations

After reviewing your child’s documents and work, write down any questions, concerns, or recommendations for your child’s new IEP. Doing this ahead of time ensures that all the points you want to discuss are written down and won’t be forgotten during the meeting.

Additionally, doing this ahead of time gives you plenty of time to consider what would best benefit your child, instead of trying to decide in the company of the IEP team. For example, the parent of a child with Autism will want to consider their child’s strengths and weaknesses, and how the school can best meet these unique needs.

Invite Guests and Advocates

You are welcome to invite family members, friends, professionals, or advocates to the meeting, and it is best to consider ahead of time if their support is needed and how they can help. It also helps to meet with them before the meeting to discuss what information you have compiled and what questions and recommendations you have so that they are also well-prepared for the meeting. After receiving their input, you can then work with them to plan an approach.

Inform the School of any Guests or Accommodations Needed

If you have decided to invite any guests to the IEP meeting, let the school know who will be joining you and their relationship with you or your child.

This is also the time to tell the school of any accommodations you need, such as a translator or videoconferencing, which promotes a smoother IEP meeting on the day of.

The Role of the Parent

While the IEP team can offer insight into the child’s time at school, as their parent, you know them better than anyone else, which is why your presence at the IEP meeting is crucial. By following the steps above, you will be able to properly prepare for the meeting so that you can feel confident in your ability to advocate for your child and their strengths, weaknesses, interests, and skills. The goal of the IEP meeting is to ensure a bright education for your child, and your preparation is vital for this.