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As specialists in special education, you play a pivotal role in shaping your student's academic and personal development. To set a strong foundation for the year ahead, let's dive into the essentials of Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) - the heart of personalized support for our exceptional learners.

Use our IEP Timeline Tracker to keep track of each student on your caseload. The purpose of the first page of this resource is to keep track of an individual student's due dates to complete their IEP. The purpose of the second and third pages is to provide a monthly overview to input all of your students' due dates.

Use our IEP Snapshot to keep track of related services and other important student information.

Monitoring your kids' progress is a very important task that requires educators to be precise in their observations and monitoring. To help you organize your monitoring for each of your kids, you can use this Progress Monitoring Plan to aid you in providing the necessary support each of your kids requires.

This Progress Monitoring Plan tracks and records your kids' progress throughout the school year. The resource includes a data table and a mastery graph. Keep this resource for your records and share it with your fellow educators for their knowledge and the betterment of your kids. This Progress Monitoring Plan is versatile in that it can be printed and used this way, or accessed digitally and used that way.

Not only will this document help you stay on top of your students' progress, but it'll also allow you to deliver accurate and detailed reports during annual IEP meetings. This will ensure that all parties - families, therapists, and school administrators - clearly understand how each child is performing in school. Using the information you've recorded, you can demonstrate whether an IEP works as it should or could be done with a re-think.

Understanding your kids' capabilities and monitoring their learning progress is an important task every educator has to do for the betterment of their kids. Suppose you are monitoring your kids' IEP. In that case, you can use this helpful Progress Monitoring Note to organize your observations and notes when keeping an eye out for your kids under special education.

This Progress Monitoring Note is a great resource that you and your fellow teachers use when monitoring your kids' progress. Use the resource to record each of your kid's IEP goals. You can list your kid's strengths, areas for improvement, and possible strategies to help them succeed and achieve their goals. Keep this form for your records, which you can share with fellow teachers and parents. This Progress Monitoring Note is an eco-friendly resource that saves ink when printing copies.

Use this Behavior Intervention Plan Data Collection resource when compiling information for a behavior intervention plan.

Our Behavior Intervention Plan Data Collection resource includes all the fields you need to record and track student behavior. These fields include student, teacher, observer, and target behavior. Boxes are then provided for you to fill in the date, time, location, antecedent, behavior, and consequence for each behavior displayed.

Best of all, once downloaded, you can print this resource as many times as you like. We suggest printing our Behavior Intervention Plan Data Collection resource for each student, to help to keep organized and track individual student behavior.

These forms are also a handy reference for parent meetings and conferences.

Communicate with families about upcoming IEP meetings using the IEP Meeting Reminder Editable Notes. This editable note makes sending home a reminder quick and easy. Simply edit, print, and send home.

Here's to a successful and fulfilling academic year ahead, full of growth, achievements, and a celebration of every student's unique abilities!

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Welcome back to another exciting school year! As we prepare to embark on this growth, learning, and empowerment journey, we must ensure that every student's unique needs are met with the utmost care and attention. An IEP is a personalized educational plan designed to meet the unique needs of students with disabilities.

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My daughter, Natalie, a third grader with attention deficit disorder ( ADHD or ADD), has had an Individualized Education Plan and IEP accommodations since preschool, but I still feel like the new kid in class when it comes to advocating for her effectively. It's not for lack of trying. I read books, I search for information online, I ask questions. But my advocacy remains clumsy, at best. There's so much to know - legal rights, educational strategies, my child's unique strengths and needs - it can feel overwhelming.

What Accommodations Work Best in an IEP for a Student with ADHD?

ADDitude' s "Back-to-School IEP Challenge" invited parents to share real-world accommodations that worked for their kids. The idea was to create the most comprehensive list of accommodations used successfully by real kids in existence.

And, the more ideas, the better. After all, what works for one child with ADD won't necessarily work for others, as one reader confirmed: "I'm a special education staff developer and I train others on IEPs, so my son has a pretty nice one. When you said 'real life' accommodations, you were right on. These must be based on the child's needs, not what they give to most of the kids. Every kid has unique needs!"

By the end of the challenge, more than 30 parents had contributed their hard-won wisdom. This treasure of parent-to-parent sharing is summarized here. Please, continue to comment, and add your accommodations-of-choice.

By working together, parents, we can attend our next IEP meetings feeling more like star students, and less like class clowns.
[Quiz: How Well Do You Know Special-Ed Law?]
Pre-K and Kindergarten IEP Accommodations for Students with ADHD

Excess Energy: IEP Accommodation
"Knowing that my adopted son, Aleksi, nearly 6, had some issues, I got an early start with Early Intervention and formal evaluations. Besides ADHD, Aleksi has a non-verbal learning disorder, plus anxieties, and some sensory issues.

"Among other services, Aleksi will be receiving OT. For movement, they have provided a balancing ball to sit on versus a chair, and will permit him to stand up to eat snack or write on an easel, if that suits him better than a flat desk.

"Aleksi is VERY ACTIVE. The child needs to move around. The IEP also includes scheduled 'motor breaks' during the day, either in a sensory room equipped with a swing, trampoline, and the like, and/or the teacher is supposed to include more motor breaks in the class for all students. He will be taken out of class as little as possible, to avoid too much disruption, but enough so that he is not so distracted and can focus better on a one-on-one basis. He has visual-spatial issues, so copying from a board will be impossible. For such tasks, an aid is supposed to be available to guide him and reiterate the lessons of the day. ( Auditory processing is challenging.) "Handwriting without Tears" is the method to be used to help improve letter-writing skills."
-posted by East Coast Mom
[Every IEP or 504 Plan Should Include These ADHD Accommodations]
Grade School IEP Accommodations for Students with ADHD

"I have two kids with IEPs, and a third grader who does not. (Yet!) Here are our favorite accommodations:
1. Both have extra sets of textbooks for home. (Can't say 'I forgot my social studies book!')
2. Both sit up front.
3. My fifth grader still needs fidgets (rubber ball, squeezy things etc.).
4. My fifth grader gets to run "errands" for the teacher.
5. My seventh grader has math and language arts in the morning.
6. They both know they have advocates because the teachers, counselors, and mom/dad are all in sync and on their side!
-posted by Karen W. Bass

Excess Energy: IEP Accommodation
"My second-grade son does not have an IEP but has a 504 Plan. The basic accommodations are:
1. A taped area around his desk where he can move freely and be counted as "in his seat."
2. Proprioceptive input/heavy work activities to combat sensory issues.
3. Special paper and pencil grips to help with his poor handwriting.
I would say the most important is the accommodation that lets him move freely when he just can't be still. He would be punished constantly without it."
-posted by adhdmomma
[Free Download: 40 Winning Accommodations for Your Child with ADHD]
Tests: IEP Accommodations
"My son is starting fourth grade, and has received services since he was an infant. He has ADHD, sensory processing disorder, PANDAS (a tic disorder), OCD and anxiety. He's taking Vyvanse and Tenex and he's doing great. His accommodations include using an Alphasmart for all extended writing tasks in the classroom and on standardized tests, and he has a ton of testing accommodations.

"I drafted my requests based on our state education department's testing accommodations manual and proposed them at my son's IEP review. They are: double time on tests longer than 20 minutes, with a 5-minute break per 20 minutes of testing; use of a visual timer set for 20-minute intervals; separate location for standardized tests; answers recorded in test booklets instead of answer sheets; use of on-task focusing prompts; use of word processors for extended writing tasks on tests; test directions and questions read aloud...and there are a few more. Best of all, he feels comfortable when he takes these tests, and he is doing very well, meeting grade level standards! His accommodations help him succeed in an inclusion class and we're hoping he will be able to mainstream to a general ed class in the next few weeks - with accommodations!"
-posted by gummie22

"My daughter and her class started preparing for the FCAT in first grade, though it did not count until third grade. (The FCAT is a Florida test that rates schools on how well they prepare students in reading and math.) I had my daughter's IEP include accommodations for a separate testing room with a proctor (and a few other students), along with extra time so she wasn't hurried. She scored one of the highest scores in third grade!"
-posted by chb123

"My son, who is entering fourth grade, has sensory integration dysfunction, ADHD symptoms, and high anxiety. He receives extended testing time with the option to take tests outside the normal classroom setting, and some tests are read to him. Tracking from the board is difficult, so his teachers must provide his board-work in written form. He has had an IEP since preschool, and this year we are adding the option for him to learn typing, since his motor delays make writing difficult.
-posted by vanstac

"My third-grade daughter was diagnosed with ADHD last year. Spelling is a huge struggle for her, and she always feels rushed during spelling tests. For her IEP, she takes her spelling test in a separate classroom with an FM system, so she is not rushed and can focus."
-posted by JLHoover

"My second-grade son has ADHD with distractibility. He is not normally hyper, so his case sometimes confuses teachers. He also has dyslexia. In his IEP, they have provided him with special assistance. If they are having a math test, they will cut the paper in half and allow him to do only half and get them correct, rather than being overwhelmed at the whole page and just writing down any number and getting them all wrong. They are also reading his tests and papers to him so he will be able to keep up with learning to read."
-posted by overitnow5

Middle School IEP Accommodations for Students with ADHD

"My sons were so tired of forgetting to bring the right books home that they were carrying all their books around, resulting in 40-plus pound backpacks. The accommodation is that their textbooks now stay in the classroom and there are extra copies at home. That lightens the load in their backpacks and saves them the fear of forgetting."
-posted by GinaK

"My daughter is entering sixth grade and is just receiving her first IEP. In addition to ADHD, she has dyscalculia and a perception disorder. She has a very difficult time with place values, and struggles to write numbers in an order that is easy to read. To help her with this, she will use her lined notebook paper landscape."
-posted by ski

"My sons are involved in meetings with their teachers. It surprised their teachers at first, but now they are used to it. We always start the meeting by telling my sons, 'This is the team that wants to see you do well at school. They want to know what will help you. Can you tell them what you think will help you do your best and why you think it will help?' The kids tell them how windows distract them, or which students distract them, or how a hand on their shoulder with gentle pressure reminds them to focus again without embarrassing them. The kids know the teachers are on their 'team' and the teachers understand why the accommodations are important. Also, I take my ADDitude magazines to the staff lounge for them when I'm done. I have also been known to make copies (shame, shame) and send them to the teachers with notes on them."
-posted by GinaK

"My son has had an IEP since fifth grade. He is now entering eighth grade and one effective part of the IEP is reduced classwork and homework, as needed. This way it does not become a crutch. For example, if math homework has similar problems, then he can do every other one. Sometimes, he forgets he has this accommodation, and ends up doing them all. That has happened over time as his attention improved. But there are some nights where he struggles and he uses that accommodation. Another important part is dictating long writing assignments, as writing is a painful process for him."
-posted by KatieS

High School IEP Accommodations for Students with ADHD

Other IEP Accommodations in High School
"My 14-year-old son has brain damage from a brain tumor, along with ADHD, a math disorder, ODD, depression, and cognitive disabilities. He has an extra set of books at home, limited math assignments, a goal of completing 75 percent of his homework, and a calm down spot when he needs it. Most tests are read to him, and he gets to do errands for teachers. He also has a separate behavior plan. I have asked for OT to be done this year and the school is going to work that in. He is medicated with Lamictal, Prozac and Ritalin LA. My 11-year-old has ADHD that is controlled with the Daytrana patch and does not need an IEP."
-posted by WendyS

"My tenth-grade son has had an IEP for years. His transition to high school last year was not the best, but the school hired a new special education assistant principal who seems very creative and understanding of what parents are going through (she has a child with ADHD). In addition to a case manager, she is providing a male staff member of the school who is a retired engineer (which is what my son aspires to be) to have lunch with him and keep on top of him with his organization and assignments. This mentor will communicate with my husband and I, as well. I feel like my son may finalize realize how important his "job" is right now and what is will take to be successful. He will finally hear it from a mentor, not just his parents!"
-posted by crikard

More IEP Accommodations

"I am a teacher and I suggest auditory cuing to sustain attention by asking, 'How will you remember this?' This is used during class or one-on-one discussions of important concepts. For example, when teaching geometry shapes, ask 'How will you remember this is is called a pentagon?' This question requires student attention (thus can be repeated), allows processing time for memory, allows creativity of mnemonics, and gives arousal to the executive function. It can be written into the IEP as: 'Student will be asked twice during class how he will remember facts or rules.'"
-posted by Roy

"For tests or graded classwork/homework: My son is given an opportunity, at another time or the next day, to complete answers left blank, or with 'I don't know,' '0,' or '?' on the answer line. (He is clearly having trouble focusing, is frustrated, zoned out, or shut down when he answers like that.) When given the opportunity to complete/change the answer, if he does not change anything, the grade stands."
-posted by rookie

"My son was getting a huge amount of homework, and we were struggling to get it all done. I then found out it was schoolwork they were sending home. My son would say, 'Oh, I'll do it at home.' It was written into his IEP that he could earn extra recess by completing his work at school. And whatever was assigned as schoolwork had to remain at school. Suddenly, homework was not the main focus of our evenings. He was getting so much more done at school too."
-posted by lisag80123

"The main thing that helped us with our daughter's IEP meeting was taking some charge of the proceedings by presenting an agenda of our own. I wrote a summary of our daughter's strengths as we see them, and asked the team for their input, as well. I then listed things we wanted to see worked on, and asked for input from the team, too. I sent it to the team members ahead of time, so they could have time to look it over and come back with feedback. The meeting went great. We actually spent more time on our agenda than theirs! It also brought out some revelations and ideas that probably would never had come up, had we stuck to the 'usual' plan."
-posted by mothership

"My son gets frustrated at seeing a page full of math problems, and mentally checks out or melts down. It's helped when a teacher put a 'red line' (or blue, green, whatever color they choose) on the paper after the first three problems, had him set a goal to just do those three, checked them, had him take a deep breath and stretch, then put a line under 3 more, and proceeded in smaller increments through the assignment.

"We also had one teacher offer to record the class lecture portion so he could listen to it after class while doing homework. That way he didn't have such difficulty and anxiety trying to keep up with taking notes. When he is trying to write as fast as possible, he misses a lot and doesn't really think about what is being said. These have both helped to lower his anxiety and let him enjoy learning!"
-posted by liz

Updated on April 24, 2018

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Real IEP Accommodations That Really Work

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My daughter, Natalie, a third grader with attention deficit disorder ( ADHD or ADD), has had an Individualized Education Plan and IEP accommodations since preschool, but I still feel like the new kid in class when it comes to advocating for her effectively. It's not for lack of trying.

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A large number of videos created by the National Council for Special Education with the aim of offering support to families.

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Share your videos with friends, family, and the world

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Special Education in contemporary society

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Special Education in contemporary society

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A wealth of resources for families and students. Resources are offered for different disabilities and conditions.

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Sample Individualized Education Program (IEP)

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Agency: _____________ Date of Report:______________

1. Identifying Information

Name of Student:___________ Birth Date: _______ Age:____
School: ________________ Teacher: _____________
Name of Parent/Guardian: ___________ Phone Number: _______
Address:_________________________

2. Special Notations

a. Health Status, Visual and Hearing Acuity: __________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________

b. Observed Learning Style: Mark learns most effectively through a combination of visual and kinesthetic methods (e.g., a multisensory approach)...
c. Other _______________________________

3. Period, Plan

From June, 1991 To June, 1992

4. Present Level(s) of Educational Performance

Academic/Cognitive Levels: (include reading, math, and general abilities)

Reading/reading readiness skills: Mark has difficulty in identifying and naming colors, shapes, and objects. (Counteract environmental deprivation by providing sensory stimulation and opportunities to explore wide variety of media)

Math skills: Mark has trouble in sorting, classifying, categorizing, selecting, combining, matching, and sequencing. (Encourage selecting, grouping, and using art materials)

General skills: Mark has difficulty in deriving relationships of time, space, and number, and in determining cause-and-effect relationships. (Promote abstract reasoning and ability to conceptualize through use of picture/storytelling, cartoon strips, TV story pads, and paper collages. Demonstrate cause and effect in social relationships through discussing what makes children angry, happy, or frightened and what responses these situations arouse)

Communicative Status: (include speech, language and writing skills)

Expressive language: Mark is almost nonverbal (or he is excessively verbal or overly intellectual). (Encourage observation, exploration, and inventive behavior; stimulate imagination and foster school communication skills through storytelling about pictures while respecting the displacement they afford)

Receptive language: Mark appears to be inattentive, with a short attention span. He needs help in following directions. His receptive language is extremely limited by his underdeveloped vocabulary (or by a foreign language barrier). (Encourage dialogues)

Written language: Mark enjoys writing, but his work is not always legible. (Create an illustrated autobiography)

Motor and Perceptual Skills: (include fine and gross motor, visual and auditory perception)

Fine motor skills: Mark has difficulty in grasping and in manipulating objects. (Offer opportunities for modeling clay, cutting and pasting, coloring, sorting and stringing beads, stenciling, using tools)

Gross motor skills: Mark stumbles a lot and shows a lack of coordination; he may be accident prone. (Employ movement exercises as warm-up to drawing; use of mural paper, large brushes, introduce body image work)

Auditory perception: Mark is easily distracted by extraneous classroom noises. He has difficulty in discriminating among auditory stimuli. (Provide individual work within nonstimulating environment; use simple, concrete language; make expectations clear)

Sensory motor integration: Mark has trouble with hand/eye coordination, directionality, and laterality. (Provide opportunities for handling manipulative objects, and engaging in drawing exercises)

Visual perception: Mark has trouble with sequencing, closure, discriminating differences, distinguishing figure/ground relationships, and spatial relationships. (Utilize cut paper collages, modeling clay, printing materials)

Social/Emotional Status: (include interaction in school, home and neighborhood with adults and peers)

Mark has a short attention span and is easily distracted from a task. (Provide art activities of short duration, structured tasks, opportunity for immediate feedback)

Mark exhibits a low level of frustration tolerance. He is often unable to control his impulses and is frequently aggressive toward peers and adults. (Afford opportunities for sublimation of aggressive impulses and for verbalization of feelings through artwork, puppetry, role play, dramatic play, and direct discussion)

Mark portrays himself as having a poor self-concept. (Arrange opportunities to experience success and develop confidence through pride in personal achievement. Affirm ego through emphasis on individuality and uniqueness, e.g., making self- portraits)

Mark seems to have a poor body image. (Body tracing to address this concern, or to address need for integration of body parts and boundaries)

Mark seems to be extremely fearful. (Furnish nonthreatening environment and safe avenues for self-expression and the elaboration of concerns)

Mark makes excessive use of fantasy. (Engage in reality testing exercises and still-life drawings. Provide clear, dependable structure)

Mark is withdrawn and isolates himself from others. (Supply indirect form of communication with environment, providing for both involvement and detachment)

Attach additional sheets as needed
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________

Prevocational/Vocational Skills: (include in the relevant area abilities in that area)

Mark has trouble in following directions, in adjusting to a work situation, and in completing tasks. He has an awareness of time, but he does not seem to be able to budget time or material effectively. He demonstrates an ability to invest himself in his task, but has difficulty in leaving his project when his time is finished and in returning to it to reinvest himself in the task. (Provide opportunities to test concepts, strengths, and skills. Document development with regard to behavior, activities, completed works. Foster independent function through opportunities to set one's own goals, to challenge oneself, and to master tools, processes. Promote problem-solving ability through the discovery and discussion of alternatives)

Self-Help Skills: (include the degree of independence in daily living skills, study habits, etc.)

Mark has trouble in sustaining himself at work without a great deal of verbal reinforcement. In the classroom, he seems to feel that he can learn only through imitation, although he demonstrates leadership skills with peers in the neighborhood. (Fosters ability to originate, communicate, and appreciate ideas)

Other: (include any pertinent information not stated above)

5. Prioritized Annual Goals:

1.1 Given art therapy (C),
Mark (A) will develop an
ability to make appropriate
decisions in choosing and in using art materials (e.g., through learning painting skills and clay-modeling techniques) (B) 80% of the time (D), as measured by art therapist's observations (E).

Art therapy (individual sessions 2x week)

June 1991 to June 1992

(a) group objects according to size, shape, and color

(b) focus upon a given object or task for an increased period of time

(c) describe previous visual experiences within the environment to give evidence of delayed recall 85% of the time, as measured by art therapist's observations.

Art therapy (individual sessions, 2x. week)

June 1991 to June 1992

9.

1. Description of proposed instructional services:

2. Comments and suggestions to facilitate instructional programming: One-to-one relationships facilitate Mark's learning process. Mark participates in group activities only with specialized individual assistance. Art Therapy recommended, individual and group sessions.

10.

Hours/days per week in regular education

Hours/days per week in physical education

11. Schedule for determining whether short term objectives are being achieved:

1. Annual Review Date(s) June 1992

2. Interim Review Date(s) December 1991

12. IEP Meeting(s)

Participants:

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Autism and IEP resources for families. Local and national Autism supports. New to a diagnosis. Free parent guides.

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Individual Education Plans (IEPs): Resources | education.vic.gov.au

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Online Resources to Enhance Personalized Learning

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Online Resources to Enhance Personalized Learning

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B49_High-Quality IEPs: Online Resources to Enhance Personalized Learning