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10 IEP Meeting Ground Rules Every IEP Team Should Follow | The Intentional IEP

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IEP Meeting Ground Rules - The Intentional IEP

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Do you have established ground rules for IEP meetings? If you don’t or haven’t thought about it, you should - because IEP meetings can be tense affairs. There

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Incorporate Strength-Based into IEP Process

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20 IEP Meeting Questions to Ask (That Get Results) - Advocate for Your Child

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Stop feeling lost in IEP meetings! 20 proven questions that ensure your child gets the support they need. Used by 10,000+ parents to advocate effectively for their children.

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A Tale of Two Conversations Study Guide | CADRE

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Introduction A Tale of Two Conversations is a two-part video showing actors playing a parent of a child with special needs and a school administrator.

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Make IEP Meetings More Person Centered.docx

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Tips to Welcome Students and Help Them Effectively Participate in their IEP Meetings | CADRE

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Inclusive schools that have maintained success over time have a very important commonality: They engage family members in meaningful school and classroom activities. Family involvement is an important component in nurturing a school environment of acceptance and support.

Family structures in our country and around the world are increasingly diverse. Our students come from immigrant families, adoptive families, single-parent households, blended families and other configurations that encourage us to be open-minded and think creatively about ways to foster positive relationships.

There are several ways to encourage family involvement. If you already have a strong relationship with families in the community, it is important to think about ways to keep them involved.

Some ideas include:

Try different ways to communicate with family members. Make phone calls, write notes home and use email to convey your message. Keep a log of how each family prefers to communicate.

Acknowledge that most families are very busy. Keep your meetings/conversations brief and to the point.

Initiate communication with families for positive reasons. Make sure that each interaction includes some encouraging news about their child.

Ask parents to be a part of classroom activities that don't involve a lot of preparation. Dropping by the classroom for 20 minutes to read a story may be more enticing to a family member than baking 40 cupcakes.

Engage families in culturally relevant activities. Many parents, older siblings and grandparents enjoy sharing information about their cultural heritage. Ask them to participate by sharing stories, teaching language skills, cooking or making crafts.

Empower families by giving them the opportunity to organize and lead an event or activity. Taking full responsibility for a project without receiving orders from the teacher can be a positive experience for family members.

The concept of truly inclusive schools goes far beyond logistics and the use of effective teaching strategies. Family involvement is the key to a successful educational experience for students and the entire school community.

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Inclusive schools that have maintained success over time have a very important commonality: They engage family members in meaningful school and classroom activities. Family involvement is an important component in nurturing a school environment of acceptance and support. Family structures in our country and around the world are increasingly diverse....

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What we can learn from families of children with disabilities about inclusive family, school, and community engagement

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The FSCE initiative summarizes its April 2024 workshop and discusses how families and schools can work to support children with disabilities.

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Least Dangerous Assump in Decision-Making for CST

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How to prioritize effective relationships to drive learning, at every level.

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Accurate and updated information as of July 2021 In Spanish | En español This article describes how the IEP meeting is scheduled, who comes, and the special factors that team members must consider when writing an IEP. IEP teams are made up of individuals who bring different perspectives and expertise to the table.

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Before I outline how to create your own One Page Profile for your child, I wanted to share with you why I think this concept is so important for our children.

About 5 years ago I attended a learning session on how to create a Person Centered Plan and the One Page Profile. Roberta Dunn, the Founder of FACT was leading the session and it was so eye opening for me. Person Centered Planning is a positive, strengths-based approach to mapping out your child's future. Your child's team comes together to create strategies to help them be their best self, as well as find solutions for support in the areas where they may be struggling. And as Ellie grows, she will be driving this process of determining her future.

Roberta explained that this method can be used when your child enters a new grade, moves to a new school, if they are transitioning from Early Intervention into the school system, or even going to a new daycare. In any situation where you want your child's team to have a better understanding about your child this would be the time to use it.

It begins with a Vision Statement. The Vision Statement I used in Ellie's One Pager was courtesy of Laura Buckner. Laura was our keynote speaker at a DSDN Rockin' Moms retreat. I remember there wasn't a dry eye in the house, as Laura explained the vision statement she brought to all of her son's IEP meetings. Her son is now an adult who lives a happy and productive life. She is an amazing advocate and mother. She told us to get out our pens and to write it down, this is it in it's entirety:

We envision Ellie living a life of choice.
We envision her having relationships she finds meaningful.
We envision her spending her days at work and other places that she enjoys and finds productive.
We envision her living with people she chooses to live with in places she chooses to live.

A life of choice, this says a lot doesn't it? I really loved the vision statement and tweaked it a little for her One Pager, she's was only 4 when I first made it after all :) But I plan on editing it as she grows, but it will always remain that we envision Ellie living a life of choice.
I also wanted to share the link to the Person Centered Planning information from FACT. It is a wealth of information and I highly suggest reading it. I poured over many One Pagers to create Ellie's, it's so helpful to see what other parent's are doing.

Another tool that inspired me was the video We All Belong which was created by NWDSA and All Born In. I sent this video to Ellie's teachers, therapists, and the school Principal. It's very impactful and I believe will help to reiterate your vision for your child.

And now I will walk you through how to create a One Page Profile for your child. To create Ellie's profile I used a graphic design website called Canva. There are many other templates in there if you don't prefer the one I made. I will list below how to take the existing template I created and edit it to your child's needs. Please reach out if you get stuck or have any questions!

Step 1: Canva finally updated their system to allow for "templates" so no more worrying about making a copy first! WHEW! I have provided the template link HERE. I have also included a white version with black type to help reduce ink wastage if you'd rather have a white one! Find it HERE.

Step 2: A new template will open, you can edit this copy as you please. And every time you log in to Canva it'll be there. So each year you can make a copy and create a new profile and only update what has changed!

Step 3: You can rename your template here:

Step 4: Start with your child's pic, their adorable face will be looking back at you as you write down all of their amazing strengths!

To add a photo into the photo area, click on the left hand side under "uploads".

Once you click under "uploads" you'll see a button for "upload your own images". Click here and add your child's photo. From here you can drag and drop the photo into place.

Step 5: Background Color. Click on the left hand side under "background" and choose a color or pattern that you like.

Step 6: If you would like to change the font, highlight the text you'd like to change, then the font box will pop up. Here you can edit the font type as well as size.

Step 7: Edit the text. If you want to change up what the template says, click on the text and a text box will appear. Here you can go in and edit as needed:

Step 8: Are you all finished? Now it's time to save off your masterpiece so you can print it! Go up to the "download" button and save as either a png or jpg. I have printed both options and they are similar in quality!

Step 9: I always end up saving the copy to my desktop so I can find it easily. I have used a printing service (I uploaded the document directly to the printing site) to make color copies, or just printed on our home color copier.

Step 10: Now you are ready to share with your team! And as I mentioned above, in Canva your template is now saved, so next time you log in you can go to File: Make a Copy and edit your One Pager each year as your child grows! It's fun changing it up and seeing how your child has grown.

A few helpful tips: Don't edit from a phone. A desktop is your best bet. Also, your internet browser can change the font! I prefer to use Google Chrome.

I always end every blog post with a song. There's just something about this one that fills me with all the feels, like you want to raise your hands up and close your eyes, it's one of my all time faves:
The River - Leon Bridges

Ellie's first day of school - age 3!

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How to Make a One Page Profile, Ellie Style

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Before I outline how to create your own One Page Profile for your child, I wanted to share with you why I think this concept is so important for our children. About 5 years ago I attended a learning session on how to create a Person Centered Plan and the One Page Profile.

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Strengths and Strategies article and example

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IEP Vision Statements - The Karg Academy

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The Karg Academy is a private, grass-roots, informal "not-for-profit" special education organization created in 1996 by and for parents of children with neuro-developmental disabilities to educate and assist each other in the ever increasingly arduous battle for the free and appropriate public education (FAPE) services our children are entitled to by the current State and Federal special education (IDEA) and disability (ADA) laws of the United States of America.

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A Tale of Two Conversations Study Guide | CADRE

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Frequently asked questions to help direct families of children and youth with disabilities to CADRE’s most valued parent and family-centered resources

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New Jersey Family Engagement Hub | Family Engagement Hub

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The New Jersey Family Engagement Hub (NJFEH) provides technical assistance (TA) and training to the New Jersey (NJ) State educational agency (SEA) and local educational agencies (LEAs), educators, administrators, family organizations, family leaders, families, and community-based organizations (CBO) in the implementation and enhancement of systemic and effective family engagement (FE) policies, programs, and activities that lead to improvements in student development and academic achievement.

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Winnie the Pooh and a Social Model of Disability

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Inclusion & Belonging — Joyful Inclusion | Dr. Amy Pleet-Odle

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What is the connection between inclusion and belonging? I’ve been exploring research and professional publications to clarify how these two terms are related and how they are different. I’d like to share what I discovered…

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How to Plan and Then Run a Seamless IEP Meeting

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A longtime special education teacher passes along his step-by-step guide for all parts of the IEP process.

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(Translated) Make IEP Meetings More Person Centered.docx

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Guiding Principles of Collaborative Advocacy | CADRE

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CADRE's Guiding Principles of Collaborative Advocacy combines highly effective communication strategies, facilitative behaviors, interest-based problem solving skills, and most importantly, a collaborative approach to empowering students with disabilities, their families, and other advocates for the student to effectively navigate the IEP process.

Navigating the world of special education is a challenge. Educators and parents of students with disabilities alike are charged with the responsibility of making educational decisions for students that will ultimately impact the trajectory of the student's academic career, social emotional development, and future independent functioning. Understanding the complex system as a parent is difficult, and if done without support can be an overwhelming experience. Many parents rely on the support of a trusted friend or educational advocate to help them better understand the IEP process and the provisions outlined under the IDEA. Through close collaboration with State Education Agencies, Parent Centers, and the full range of stakeholders, CADRE has learned of the critical deficit of resources designed to promote the use of ethical and collaborative advocacy methods. This document is a response to this need.

In creating this document, CADRE received stakeholder feedback from represeantives across the country, including Parent Center staff, parents, advocates and SEA staff. CADRE is grateful to the following contributors:

Nissan Bar-Lev, Director of Special Education, CESA 7

Janice E. Breton, State Director of Special Services, Birth - 20, Maine Department of Education

Cindy Duch, Director of Parent Advising, PEAL Center

Ysela Heim, Parent & Exceptional Student Consultant, Special Education Advocacy Services, LLC

Charmaine Thaner, Advocate, Collaborative Special Education Advocacy, LLC

Ann Turnbull, Retired Distinguished Professor of Special Education, University of Kansas

See CADRE's other resources related to collaboration and communication:

For Educators: Working Together: Building Improved Communicationand Engaging Parents in Productive Partnerships

For Parents: Steps to Success: Communicating with Your Child's School and Educational Advocates: A Guide for Parents

For IEP Team Members: Working Together Online Learning Series

Comments from the field:

As a Special Education Director of 38 school districts, I extend my deepest thanks for this new CADRE much, much needed project.

- Special Education Director

It actually makes me feel really proud because this is exactly how I personally work and wish all advocates would!

- Parent & Advocate

This is a great document and will be so supportive for parents navigating the decision of where to find support.

- Parent Center Director

You have identified a critical, unaddressed need, and your work in this area will fill a significant gap.

- Parent & Education Expert

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Guiding Principles of Collaborative Advocacy

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CADRE's Guiding Principles of Collaborative Advocacy combines highly effective communication strategies, facilitative behaviors, interest-based problem solving skills, and most importantly, a collaborative approach to empowering students with disabilities, their families, and other advocates for the student to effectively navigate the IEP process. Navigating the world of special education is a challenge.

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Authors: Rod Windle, Ph.D. and Suzanne Warren, M.S.

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Collaborative Problem Solving and Dispute Resolution in Special Education: A Training Manual | CADRE

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This manual is designed as an educational tool for understanding and resolving conflict. It offers state-of-the-art thinking in dispute resolution applied to special education situations.

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The Working Together Series includes five interactive self-directed courses. These courses provide families and educators with a number of strategies for working together and through conflict.

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108 Questions for Parents to Ask at an IEP Meeting

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I’ve compiled a list of questions that covers a range of topics, from your child’s educational goals to the effectiveness of the current program.

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Be inspired to hold solutions focused conversations at work and in coaching sessions to maximize the speed of change and positivity.