I've just returned from my third IEP meeting this week. These IEP meetingss were for children, all in grades 4-8, with Autism Spectrum Disorder, all high functioning, two were students who would be better diagnosed with Asperger's Disorder.
Oddly none of these IEP's mentioned an intervention for social cognitive deficits! None! There were concerns for behavioural issues (that's usually how I get asked to a meeting, because I specialize in behavioural disorders), academic problems and anxiety, two IEP's mentioned anxiety.
An IEP needs to FOCUS on the disorder which lead the child to be classified or designated ("coded" in BC schools) and bringing about the IEP. At the team meeting I discovered the reason for this lack of focus on the student's social cognitive deficits: No properly trained staff to implement an intervention. Sad, but true!
Academic goals were the most common issues addressed in the IEP. Parents of course want their children to do well academically so they often go along with an IEP that addresses one academic goal after another. Who doesn't want their child to do well in reading or math? But the child is receiving support services for a deficit of social cognition - not an academic deficit. Why don't these IEP's address this issue?
Almost always there was this, "Tommy will learn to ....." Fill in the blank. Seldom did the IEP mention how he would "learn to...." And seldom did it mention any issue in relationship to the psychoeducational assessment the student should have had prior to the IEP? (I can't tell you how often I go to schools in BC and find no real psychoeducational assessment for a child that is "coded." This is NOT suppose to happen, but it does. )
The psychoeducational assessment should be on the table, literally on the table, at every team meeting. It contains valuable information on the student's strengths and weaknesses that can help us determine which interventions will be successful, and which will not be. Often the "list of strengths and weaknesses" is nothing more than a list of comments taken at the beginning of the meeting. Don't waste this valuable information! And every parent should review the psychoeducational assessment with the school psychologist to see how the real data (as compared to opinions) relates to the IEP.
If your child has autism spectrum disorder, Asperger's Syndrome or another related problem with social cues and communication his or her IEP needs to address that. The IEP needs to say what the deficit is, how it will be supported, what tools and techniques will be use, who will implement them, how often for how long (so important!) and how we will measure the outcome. How will we know things are getting better. It's as simple as that.
Here is a simple IEP outline I like:
http://trainland.tripod.com/sample.htm
Ontario's IEP can be found here:
http://www.ontariodirectors.ca/IEP-PEI/IEP-PEI_Eng_Downloads/autism%20-%20sec.pdf
What's important is to ask yourself, "Are the areas that had deficiencies during the assessment for my child's diagnosis addressed in the IEP?" (This means the original assessment for the autism diagnosis done at the hospital or by a private clinician - you were asked to supply this in order to get services, and the psychoeducational assessment that was either part of that or came later.)
This means sensory issues, social cognition/social reciprocity (NOT social skills!), communications, behaviour, motor issues. These must be covered!
Recently I spoke with a parent who told me that she didn't get a copy of her son's IEP, but the school would send it if she wanted it... I was rather surprised to say the least. I asked what services her son was getting. Remember, he has autism, has an IEP, his school gets specific funding to provide support. Her answer was: "They are keeping an eye of him." Regretfully I've heard this too many times. Keeping an eye on things means we will wait for failure, then act. That's not a plan.
A key issue to remember is this: Your child, no matter how high or low functioning he or she is, needs to develop a set of skills they can use to approach life with. These skills are best taught when things are going well. Not during a crisis. This is why I tell parents and teachers not to avoid the use of basic tools like visual supports - so often abandoned because "my child is more advanced..." Visual supports, anti-anxiety skills, relaxation skills.
An IEP is an important document. It's a contract between you and the school. Make sure it tells you enough to know what to expect as outcomes for this year ....and upon graduation. Take the IEP process serious. Look up sample IEP's on the web. Talk to other parents. See a psychologist and ask him or her to look over the IEP before you sign it. Bring someone to the IEP with you. Go to every meeting.
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