WEBVTT 00:00:07.520 --> 00:00:10.759 Welcome to Unlimited Parenting. This is a show 00:00:10.759 --> 00:00:13.740 where we talk about what it's like having children 00:00:13.740 --> 00:00:16.620 with disabilities and or special health care 00:00:16.620 --> 00:00:20.800 needs. This is part two. Part two. Part two of 00:00:20.800 --> 00:00:24.260 the 10 steps to special education. So if you 00:00:24.260 --> 00:00:26.399 haven't listened to part one, it may be a good 00:00:26.399 --> 00:00:29.530 idea to just pop back over. But if not. you probably 00:00:29.530 --> 00:00:32.950 follow along but i figured it out yes okay uh 00:00:32.950 --> 00:00:35.390 -huh part one was making the referral to special 00:00:35.390 --> 00:00:38.549 education and getting that evaluation okay so 00:00:38.549 --> 00:00:41.570 it's again it's me allison here with melissa 00:00:41.570 --> 00:00:44.789 the PTI director for IPUL and we are just popping 00:00:44.789 --> 00:00:47.770 through these 10 steps to special education to 00:00:47.770 --> 00:00:50.329 make sure that you are empowered and prepared 00:00:50.329 --> 00:00:53.109 for the beginning of this upcoming school year 00:00:53.109 --> 00:00:57.200 yeah buddy so welcome in So today we're doing 00:00:57.200 --> 00:01:00.460 two steps, just like we did last week. Last week's 00:01:00.460 --> 00:01:03.439 two steps were just mentioned. So this week we're 00:01:03.439 --> 00:01:07.040 doing, or this episode. Yeah. Don't let them 00:01:07.040 --> 00:01:10.879 know we record weekly. Step three, eligibility 00:01:10.879 --> 00:01:16.599 decision. And step four, which is that your child 00:01:16.599 --> 00:01:21.090 has been found eligible for services. I kind 00:01:21.090 --> 00:01:23.450 of wish these were just one step. I know, because 00:01:23.450 --> 00:01:25.450 a lot of times, even steps one through four get 00:01:25.450 --> 00:01:28.469 all crammed all into one, but steps three and 00:01:28.469 --> 00:01:34.310 four very much are. Yes, they really are. Next, 00:01:34.310 --> 00:01:37.290 next time, steps five and six are going to be 00:01:37.290 --> 00:01:40.650 a much longer. because it's the actual IEP meeting 00:01:40.650 --> 00:01:43.090 and going over. But we're briefly going to talk 00:01:43.090 --> 00:01:44.569 about because that's something you also need 00:01:44.569 --> 00:01:47.030 to know if you've been found eligible, you know 00:01:47.030 --> 00:01:49.890 what to do to prepare for the IEP meeting. So 00:01:49.890 --> 00:01:51.989 we'll talk a little bit about that today. But 00:01:51.989 --> 00:01:54.650 step three is eligibility. And that's really 00:01:54.650 --> 00:01:58.670 the decision point of the whole thing. That's 00:01:58.670 --> 00:02:00.730 when you're going to find out, you know, was 00:02:00.730 --> 00:02:02.909 I found eligible and then what's the next step 00:02:02.909 --> 00:02:05.109 from there? And if I wasn't found eligible, what 00:02:05.109 --> 00:02:07.359 do I do now? And to be found eligible, that's 00:02:07.359 --> 00:02:09.460 when students are meeting all those three prongs. 00:02:09.699 --> 00:02:13.759 Right. And I guess I would say a lot of times 00:02:13.759 --> 00:02:17.219 families get kind of hung up on that eligibility, 00:02:17.479 --> 00:02:23.659 that category, right? Is it autism? Is it OHI? 00:02:23.680 --> 00:02:26.099 Other health impairment? Is it multiple? And 00:02:26.099 --> 00:02:29.879 we always tell people that eligibility is what 00:02:29.879 --> 00:02:32.180 is going to drive your related services, not 00:02:32.180 --> 00:02:35.419 that category. So what? What comes out of those 00:02:35.419 --> 00:02:38.000 assessments and eligibility is what is driving 00:02:38.000 --> 00:02:41.639 the services, not that eligibility category. 00:02:41.800 --> 00:02:44.500 It doesn't matter. And I and for someone like 00:02:44.500 --> 00:02:48.530 your student, right, he could fit. almost 13 00:02:48.530 --> 00:02:51.810 of 14 categories. Absolutely. But he just gets 00:02:51.810 --> 00:02:54.530 filed under OHI, Other Health Impairment, even 00:02:54.530 --> 00:02:57.289 though he could meet autism, he could meet speech 00:02:57.289 --> 00:03:01.210 and language, he could be blind, visually impaired, 00:03:01.330 --> 00:03:03.610 he could literally meet anything. So it's less 00:03:03.610 --> 00:03:06.229 about what category you fit in for that first 00:03:06.229 --> 00:03:09.330 prong and more about what are the services that 00:03:09.330 --> 00:03:11.330 you were found eligible for. Yeah, because sometimes 00:03:11.330 --> 00:03:14.250 parents will call and they will say, oh, you 00:03:14.250 --> 00:03:17.360 know, yeah, we're categorized under OHI. But 00:03:17.360 --> 00:03:21.360 he has an autism diagnosis. So if we were categorized, 00:03:21.520 --> 00:03:23.659 they think that they might get more services 00:03:23.659 --> 00:03:27.300 under that category, which is not the case. It's 00:03:27.300 --> 00:03:31.099 not the case at all. So I guess what we're trying 00:03:31.099 --> 00:03:34.319 to say here is it's about what services you were 00:03:34.319 --> 00:03:37.280 found eligible for. So if you're frustrated because 00:03:37.280 --> 00:03:39.819 you think they need more, changing the category 00:03:39.819 --> 00:03:43.699 isn't going to support that. Right. It is those 00:03:43.699 --> 00:03:47.789 assessments. Right. And that's part of the reason 00:03:47.789 --> 00:03:49.689 that we spent so much time in the last episode 00:03:49.689 --> 00:03:53.530 talking about that's why you have that meeting 00:03:53.530 --> 00:03:56.830 to discuss what assessments are going to be conducted, 00:03:57.009 --> 00:04:00.629 because that determines what services that student 00:04:00.629 --> 00:04:03.610 is going to be found eligible for, which is why 00:04:03.610 --> 00:04:06.830 we gave the example of autism. Even if your child 00:04:06.830 --> 00:04:11.169 speaks verbally. you're still going to have an 00:04:11.169 --> 00:04:13.870 slp there because that's just part of the battery 00:04:13.870 --> 00:04:17.170 of assessments that typically go along with autism 00:04:17.170 --> 00:04:20.170 so if you were concerned about potentially blind 00:04:20.170 --> 00:04:23.250 low vision that's not something that's automatically 00:04:23.250 --> 00:04:26.230 going to come along so you might have to have 00:04:26.230 --> 00:04:28.870 to advocate for that yeah and that's part of 00:04:28.870 --> 00:04:30.689 the whole point of that meeting is to say well 00:04:30.689 --> 00:04:33.029 this is what the teachers have noticed now mom 00:04:33.029 --> 00:04:37.009 dad guardian yeah what is it that you have noticed 00:04:37.009 --> 00:04:39.939 so that we're we're really Taking that whole 00:04:39.939 --> 00:04:46.459 child and assessing. Exactly. So eligibility. 00:04:47.620 --> 00:04:52.180 So once your evaluation has been completed and 00:04:52.180 --> 00:04:54.600 they know, obviously they've had the meeting 00:04:54.600 --> 00:04:56.339 about the assessments that they're going to do, 00:04:56.500 --> 00:05:00.779 the speech person, the OT, the PT, the psychologist, 00:05:00.939 --> 00:05:03.800 everyone's done everything. The school then holds 00:05:03.800 --> 00:05:07.019 a meeting to determine if your child qualifies. 00:05:07.759 --> 00:05:10.680 For special education services under the Individuals 00:05:10.680 --> 00:05:15.259 with Disability Education Act, IDEA. And this 00:05:15.259 --> 00:05:17.800 is referred to as the eligibility determination 00:05:17.800 --> 00:05:21.040 meeting. I can't guarantee that that's what it's 00:05:21.040 --> 00:05:23.680 called in every state, but I can almost guarantee 00:05:23.680 --> 00:05:25.459 that that's what it's called in every state. 00:05:25.579 --> 00:05:29.860 Yeah. This meeting has to take place within 60 00:05:29.860 --> 00:05:32.579 calendar days from the time you gave your consent 00:05:32.579 --> 00:05:34.839 for evaluation. I'm just going to pause here 00:05:34.839 --> 00:05:38.600 to say that's why. We say so often that it's 00:05:38.600 --> 00:05:41.040 so important to put that request in writing because 00:05:41.040 --> 00:05:44.800 it makes it easier to follow this timeline. Yep. 00:05:45.639 --> 00:05:50.199 So eligibility team will always include you, 00:05:50.339 --> 00:05:53.279 the parent or guardian, a district representative, 00:05:53.639 --> 00:05:56.339 general education, special education teacher, 00:05:56.540 --> 00:06:00.180 and the professionals who conducted the evaluations 00:06:00.180 --> 00:06:04.439 or those who can interpret the results. And that's 00:06:04.439 --> 00:06:06.720 that key point right there, because there are 00:06:06.720 --> 00:06:10.759 some assessments that may be completed that require 00:06:10.759 --> 00:06:14.459 a clinician to interpret those results, right? 00:06:14.560 --> 00:06:21.459 If I get, what, a BASC or what? A WISC. A WISC. 00:06:21.779 --> 00:06:24.180 I'm not going to be able to interpret those results. 00:06:24.560 --> 00:06:28.480 I'm a parent. And so we need somebody to be able 00:06:28.480 --> 00:06:31.040 to give us that clinical interpretation. That's 00:06:31.040 --> 00:06:33.759 why those people are there. especially because 00:06:33.759 --> 00:06:36.579 then they can talk about what supports might 00:06:36.579 --> 00:06:39.579 be necessary as a result of this specific score. 00:06:39.720 --> 00:06:41.579 Absolutely. And I would just take this opportunity 00:06:41.579 --> 00:06:44.040 to also say that these are assessments that you 00:06:44.040 --> 00:06:47.980 may not be given a copy of those results because 00:06:47.980 --> 00:06:51.220 of exactly what we just talked about. You can't 00:06:51.220 --> 00:06:54.579 interpret it. So that would be, it would be pointless 00:06:54.579 --> 00:06:58.000 to say, here you go, this is your results, and 00:06:58.000 --> 00:07:02.529 me as a parent not be able to even. identify 00:07:02.529 --> 00:07:05.589 what any of that means. But I will also say that 00:07:05.589 --> 00:07:07.310 there are some people in this office who did 00:07:07.310 --> 00:07:09.529 receive their assessments results beforehand. 00:07:09.990 --> 00:07:12.470 So that's not saying that it doesn't happen. 00:07:13.389 --> 00:07:16.709 But if you don't get yours and your friend did, 00:07:17.029 --> 00:07:22.389 it's not written into IDEA either way. But the 00:07:22.389 --> 00:07:24.750 reason you didn't get yours is because you are 00:07:24.750 --> 00:07:27.269 not. It's for the same reason the doctor doesn't 00:07:27.269 --> 00:07:29.750 send you your lab results. Yeah. And some districts. 00:07:30.240 --> 00:07:33.620 Do some districts don't? And again, Idaho is 00:07:33.620 --> 00:07:36.379 a local control state. So your friend in West 00:07:36.379 --> 00:07:39.560 Ada may or may not get it. And then, you know, 00:07:39.579 --> 00:07:44.480 you in Periwinkle School District, you. That's 00:07:44.480 --> 00:07:46.480 near Orofino, right? Yeah, I guess. I don't know. 00:07:46.480 --> 00:07:49.899 It's just our hypothetical. Anyways, talking 00:07:49.899 --> 00:07:52.939 about a mock scenario, though, let's pretend 00:07:52.939 --> 00:07:56.660 like Carlos, he's in twin. His daughter, Janelle, 00:07:56.819 --> 00:08:00.589 she has ADHD. And she struggles with her organization 00:08:00.589 --> 00:08:04.089 and focus. After her evaluation, the team finds 00:08:04.089 --> 00:08:07.470 that Chanel does require specialized instruction 00:08:07.470 --> 00:08:12.069 because she has met all three prongs. So again, 00:08:12.269 --> 00:08:15.209 number one, qualifying disability. So she does 00:08:15.209 --> 00:08:20.350 have ADHD, which falls under. What? Oh, OHI. 00:08:20.410 --> 00:08:24.129 Yeah, sorry. I love doing that to you. I will 00:08:24.129 --> 00:08:26.889 never get tired of you. But you look like you're 00:08:26.889 --> 00:08:30.370 so, like, reading a script. Anyways, okay, I 00:08:30.370 --> 00:08:33.049 will pay better attention. And, as mentioned 00:08:33.049 --> 00:08:35.470 above, it meets the second prong of adverse effect 00:08:35.470 --> 00:08:38.029 because it, I'm just kidding, affects her ability 00:08:38.029 --> 00:08:42.850 to stay on task. And finally, the third prong, 00:08:42.850 --> 00:08:44.649 she does need specially designed instruction 00:08:44.649 --> 00:08:47.350 for those executive functioning skills. Okay. 00:08:47.820 --> 00:08:50.580 so carlos is participating in this meeting he's 00:08:50.580 --> 00:08:54.460 asking lots of questions and just like we mentioned 00:08:54.460 --> 00:08:57.700 earlier he is helping the team to understand 00:08:57.700 --> 00:09:02.220 how this affects janelle at home because that's 00:09:02.220 --> 00:09:04.200 the piece that they're not getting yep so he 00:09:04.200 --> 00:09:07.100 could be saying oh i also am potentially concerned 00:09:07.100 --> 00:09:08.860 about her vision because again that might not 00:09:08.860 --> 00:09:10.320 have been one of the things that they assessed 00:09:10.320 --> 00:09:14.029 right away with adhd So Janelle has been found 00:09:14.029 --> 00:09:17.029 eligible and the team plans for her next step, 00:09:17.110 --> 00:09:21.590 which is the IEP meeting. Now, in some cases, 00:09:21.850 --> 00:09:25.490 you don't need to know about this next part, 00:09:25.570 --> 00:09:28.389 which is the 30 calendar days after the decision. 00:09:28.529 --> 00:09:32.710 The school needs to hold an IEP meeting to create 00:09:32.710 --> 00:09:37.000 the IEP because in some cases. The eligibility 00:09:37.000 --> 00:09:39.659 meeting and the construction of the actual IEP 00:09:39.659 --> 00:09:42.279 happened back to back. That did happen in your 00:09:42.279 --> 00:09:44.500 case, right? It did. It absolutely did. Yeah. 00:09:44.580 --> 00:09:48.639 But that's not. It's not in every case. Again. 00:09:48.740 --> 00:09:51.440 And I will say that did not happen in my case 00:09:51.440 --> 00:09:55.419 because my son was a gray area child and they 00:09:55.419 --> 00:09:58.799 weren't entirely sure that they were going to 00:09:58.799 --> 00:10:01.399 qualify him. But during the meeting, I kept expressing 00:10:01.399 --> 00:10:04.850 these persistent challenges that he had. And 00:10:04.850 --> 00:10:07.210 they determined that it might be in his best 00:10:07.210 --> 00:10:09.809 interest, especially when we're talking about 00:10:09.809 --> 00:10:13.029 the fact that he was three and it was early intervention 00:10:13.029 --> 00:10:15.450 and he'd been an infant toddler program. And 00:10:15.450 --> 00:10:17.509 that's why the parental voice is so important 00:10:17.509 --> 00:10:21.269 because they were ready to not qualify him until 00:10:21.269 --> 00:10:24.330 I expressed all of my concerns. And then they 00:10:24.330 --> 00:10:27.669 did. So that's where they had then had the 30 00:10:27.669 --> 00:10:31.590 days after the decision to hold a meeting, create 00:10:31.590 --> 00:10:38.080 the IEP. And that, I think that that is where 00:10:38.080 --> 00:10:41.039 some parents might get, or even professionals, 00:10:41.340 --> 00:10:43.779 a little bit hung up because they're like, what's 00:10:43.779 --> 00:10:47.259 the 45 and then the 30? Yeah. Or the 60 and then 00:10:47.259 --> 00:10:50.440 the 30, I mean. And it's, well, it's 60 from 00:10:50.440 --> 00:10:53.799 start to finish, but you could also have the 00:10:53.799 --> 00:10:57.220 30 in there, but the 30 fits within the 60. It 00:10:57.220 --> 00:11:00.299 gets, yes, there's timeline. We'll link the timeline. 00:11:00.639 --> 00:11:04.139 There is a quick guide for Idaho. does a really 00:11:04.139 --> 00:11:06.779 good job at explaining because then we also have 00:11:06.779 --> 00:11:09.779 to add in school days versus calendar days. Right. 00:11:09.960 --> 00:11:13.960 That caveat. Right. So it all of this to say 00:11:13.960 --> 00:11:16.279 that that's why we at Idaho Parents Unlimited 00:11:16.279 --> 00:11:18.580 strongly suggest putting things in writing because, 00:11:18.659 --> 00:11:20.700 again, it starts these timelines and these timelines 00:11:20.700 --> 00:11:26.820 can get so intricate and and sticky. So put it 00:11:26.820 --> 00:11:30.840 in writing. And then, yes, we have we have we 00:11:30.840 --> 00:11:34.360 have to develop we. We have 60 days to go through 00:11:34.360 --> 00:11:37.179 those assessments. And sometimes, like Allison 00:11:37.179 --> 00:11:39.559 is saying, sometimes these meetings happen seamlessly 00:11:39.559 --> 00:11:43.879 and don't have two separate meetings. Yeah. Sometimes 00:11:43.879 --> 00:11:48.700 there's not a lot of, you know, if you have a 00:11:48.700 --> 00:11:51.679 child with Angelman syndrome who is non -speaking 00:11:51.679 --> 00:11:56.580 at 15, there's not a lot. of questions versus 00:11:56.580 --> 00:11:59.080 if you have someone like my child who's really 00:11:59.080 --> 00:12:02.539 dancing on that line but could really benefit 00:12:02.539 --> 00:12:06.980 from some services to get farther away from the 00:12:06.980 --> 00:12:11.940 line. Right. So let me throw out another scenario, 00:12:12.220 --> 00:12:17.940 can I? Of course. So what if we get to that eligibility 00:12:17.940 --> 00:12:21.080 meeting, so step four, and we come together as 00:12:21.080 --> 00:12:24.870 a team and the team says, We've met three or 00:12:24.870 --> 00:12:28.110 we've met two out of the three prongs. We don't 00:12:28.110 --> 00:12:30.169 meet all three prongs. And that's then when this 00:12:30.169 --> 00:12:34.649 stops becoming an IEP eligibility meeting. And 00:12:34.649 --> 00:12:36.769 that's when the conversation shifts to potentially 00:12:36.769 --> 00:12:39.929 support through a 504 plan. Right. So I wouldn't 00:12:39.929 --> 00:12:44.490 just say like you're not. Oh, sorry. No special 00:12:44.490 --> 00:12:47.700 education. No support. exist if you don't meet 00:12:47.700 --> 00:12:49.659 the three prongs. That's not the case. No one 00:12:49.659 --> 00:12:51.480 throws you to the wolves. No one throws you to 00:12:51.480 --> 00:12:53.259 the wolves. They shouldn't, at least. There should 00:12:53.259 --> 00:12:55.799 still be some conversation and continued support 00:12:55.799 --> 00:12:59.519 through different means, like a 504 plan. Because 00:12:59.519 --> 00:13:02.080 pro tip, what you do is you take the eligibility 00:13:02.080 --> 00:13:05.019 report that outlines where all of the deficits 00:13:05.019 --> 00:13:09.200 were or the areas of opportunity and need. and 00:13:09.200 --> 00:13:11.659 you take those and you say okay what's the what's 00:13:11.659 --> 00:13:15.019 this adverse effects accompanying accommodation 00:13:15.019 --> 00:13:19.799 that i can use to craft into the 504. so if my 00:13:19.799 --> 00:13:22.919 son is blurting out in class what is an accommodation 00:13:22.919 --> 00:13:26.299 that he can have so yeah you're still supported 00:13:26.299 --> 00:13:30.019 you just don't require specially designed instruction 00:13:30.019 --> 00:13:33.610 exactly But those eligibility determinations 00:13:33.610 --> 00:13:36.809 have given us some really good insights to supports 00:13:36.809 --> 00:13:40.409 that could be beneficial for the child. Exactly. 00:13:40.669 --> 00:13:43.110 Exactly. And that's where you can also get kind 00:13:43.110 --> 00:13:47.049 of the how do we do this? Like occupational therapy 00:13:47.049 --> 00:13:50.299 on console. Yeah. Yeah. silas is really struggling 00:13:50.299 --> 00:13:52.980 with his handwriting i've tried this i've tried 00:13:52.980 --> 00:13:54.740 this can you just give me one more thing to try 00:13:54.740 --> 00:13:58.059 yep so maybe silas doesn't need 30 minutes of 00:13:58.059 --> 00:14:01.279 ot he just needs the ot to come in and say oh 00:14:01.279 --> 00:14:03.179 well have you tried this and then bam that's 00:14:03.179 --> 00:14:05.799 it that's all we need and that consult can happen 00:14:05.799 --> 00:14:09.580 with the with the teacher or you know just and 00:14:09.580 --> 00:14:13.009 it gives the teacher added tools to be able to 00:14:13.009 --> 00:14:16.190 help Silas. Exactly. Because the IEP team is 00:14:16.190 --> 00:14:18.970 also considering during this eligibility meeting, 00:14:19.190 --> 00:14:22.029 if we're talking again about a gray area child 00:14:22.029 --> 00:14:26.409 like mine, if he does receive this therapy, if 00:14:26.409 --> 00:14:29.149 we do say, okay, mom, we're going to give him 00:14:29.149 --> 00:14:32.389 this IEP, is that hampering his independence 00:14:32.389 --> 00:14:35.490 by doing that because he was right on the cusp 00:14:35.490 --> 00:14:39.129 of a skill? And now you're pulling him out of 00:14:39.129 --> 00:14:41.889 class or even if you push in services. Sure. 00:14:42.009 --> 00:14:44.929 Either way, are you still making him rely on 00:14:44.929 --> 00:14:48.169 it? So it's really a dance. It is. It's that 00:14:48.169 --> 00:14:50.409 least restrictive environment dance. Yeah. Are 00:14:50.409 --> 00:14:53.190 we stifling? Are we going to give too much support? 00:14:53.490 --> 00:14:57.230 Are we going to remove some independence? It's 00:14:57.230 --> 00:15:01.049 a dance. Because I would have sworn. that my 00:15:01.049 --> 00:15:03.070 middle child needed one -to -one support. And 00:15:03.070 --> 00:15:05.990 the team kept saying, no, no, no. And it wasn't 00:15:05.990 --> 00:15:08.649 a resource issue. No. Because I know that other 00:15:08.649 --> 00:15:10.850 kids at that school receive one -to -one support. 00:15:11.269 --> 00:15:16.029 It was really like an independence issue. Like 00:15:16.029 --> 00:15:19.029 we're making him dependent on an adult to be 00:15:19.029 --> 00:15:21.350 there. And again, that's why you have to have 00:15:21.350 --> 00:15:23.470 these conversations because every situation is 00:15:23.470 --> 00:15:27.419 so incredibly unique. And that's why it's really, 00:15:27.600 --> 00:15:31.200 in your case, like you have such trust and such 00:15:31.200 --> 00:15:33.399 collaboration with the team because you guys 00:15:33.399 --> 00:15:35.879 have had, you've established that open and honest 00:15:35.879 --> 00:15:38.039 communication and collaboration from the get 00:15:38.039 --> 00:15:41.779 -go. And you're able to have some, not super 00:15:41.779 --> 00:15:44.039 fun conversations sometimes, but they always 00:15:44.039 --> 00:15:47.879 have your child at the center of. Always. Right? 00:15:48.019 --> 00:15:51.899 Always. You guys have, you've established some 00:15:51.899 --> 00:15:54.580 of those really good. I think another thing. 00:15:55.279 --> 00:15:58.620 Another key thing about an IEP or a 504, like 00:15:58.620 --> 00:16:00.919 any kind of team for your child at school, is 00:16:00.919 --> 00:16:04.639 when everyone agrees collectively to never take 00:16:04.639 --> 00:16:08.000 anything personally. Ever. I need every team 00:16:08.000 --> 00:16:12.399 to just agree to that right now. If I come in 00:16:12.399 --> 00:16:14.519 frustrated, maybe I just got off the phone with 00:16:14.519 --> 00:16:17.039 Medicaid. Maybe I was just on the phone with 00:16:17.039 --> 00:16:21.320 another provider. Maybe I'm exacerbated because... 00:16:21.690 --> 00:16:24.169 This is the ninth time this has happened to my 00:16:24.169 --> 00:16:26.730 child. But you don't know that. And it's just 00:16:26.730 --> 00:16:29.470 overwhelming. And no one ever. It's just like, 00:16:29.509 --> 00:16:31.690 oh, I'm sorry. This is really hard for you. I 00:16:31.690 --> 00:16:35.029 promise we're doing our best. It's never personal. 00:16:35.909 --> 00:16:39.210 Never personal. And I love that. You've established 00:16:39.210 --> 00:16:42.070 that. Enough about my child, though. Yeah, sorry. 00:16:42.429 --> 00:16:45.169 I didn't mean to. No, no, no, no. You know I 00:16:45.169 --> 00:16:47.129 could talk about my kid for forever. We all could. 00:16:48.240 --> 00:16:51.340 Let's assume that you're not my child and you 00:16:51.340 --> 00:16:54.320 have been found eligible. What can you, if this 00:16:54.320 --> 00:16:57.320 is your first rodeo, what are you expecting to 00:16:57.320 --> 00:17:01.639 come out of an IEP? So IEPs are always going 00:17:01.639 --> 00:17:05.799 to have PLAPs, PLOFs, PLAFs, present levels of 00:17:05.799 --> 00:17:08.400 academic and functional performance or present 00:17:08.400 --> 00:17:12.799 levels of performance. If it's a PLOP, it's interchangeable. 00:17:13.059 --> 00:17:15.759 We just say them because they're fun. It's just 00:17:15.759 --> 00:17:18.700 essentially saying. Where are you at right now? 00:17:18.700 --> 00:17:21.779 It's our benchmark. Yeah. Measurable annual goals. 00:17:21.839 --> 00:17:25.480 Again, this next episode, part three, is going 00:17:25.480 --> 00:17:27.299 to be really fun and really long because we're 00:17:27.299 --> 00:17:31.200 going to go into this in great detail. But present 00:17:31.200 --> 00:17:33.500 levels of performance, we're going to create 00:17:33.500 --> 00:17:37.559 goals. We're going to talk about what specifically, 00:17:37.859 --> 00:17:40.240 especially design instruction the student needs, 00:17:40.299 --> 00:17:42.799 what related services they need, that B -I -O 00:17:42.799 --> 00:17:48.230 -T -P -T, speech, accommodations. and how are 00:17:48.230 --> 00:17:49.890 we going to measure progress how are we going 00:17:49.890 --> 00:17:54.750 to report on that progress all of that and if 00:17:54.750 --> 00:17:56.829 you haven't gotten anything else out of that 00:17:56.829 --> 00:17:59.430 this episode it's just remember that you help 00:17:59.430 --> 00:18:02.609 decide what your child needs yeah you are one 00:18:02.609 --> 00:18:05.890 of the four core members of that iep team right 00:18:05.890 --> 00:18:08.750 but you are not writing these goals you are giving 00:18:08.750 --> 00:18:12.410 input to goals But you are not responsible for 00:18:12.410 --> 00:18:14.369 creating these goals. And I think that sometimes 00:18:14.369 --> 00:18:17.069 parents are, they call us and they say, help 00:18:17.069 --> 00:18:19.750 me write an IEP. I'm like, oh, slow your roll. 00:18:20.109 --> 00:18:24.089 Your team's got this. Your team should write 00:18:24.089 --> 00:18:28.230 the IEP. It's almost like the first draft. And 00:18:28.230 --> 00:18:29.990 then you get together and you're like, well, 00:18:30.170 --> 00:18:32.609 I don't know how I feel about that. Yes. Because 00:18:32.609 --> 00:18:35.960 parent input is required. Because you're the 00:18:35.960 --> 00:18:38.920 expert in your child. They're the experts in 00:18:38.920 --> 00:18:41.200 their field. You're the expert in your child 00:18:41.200 --> 00:18:43.859 and you all come together and you work together. 00:18:44.319 --> 00:18:49.759 Can I give an example? Please. My child is a 00:18:49.759 --> 00:18:53.000 non -speaking individual. We know that because 00:18:53.000 --> 00:18:56.519 of his diagnosis, he won't be a speaking individual. 00:18:56.599 --> 00:19:01.599 So we try to very much... When we created his 00:19:01.599 --> 00:19:04.880 first IEP or one of the first IEPs, we want functional 00:19:04.880 --> 00:19:08.319 communication. So the utilization of an AAC device 00:19:08.319 --> 00:19:11.960 or the utilization of some hand signs or vocalizations. 00:19:12.940 --> 00:19:18.660 And it was really imperative that I, in one of 00:19:18.660 --> 00:19:21.339 the first IEPs, we had a speech language pathologist 00:19:21.339 --> 00:19:23.799 who didn't understand my son's diagnosis and 00:19:23.799 --> 00:19:26.880 very much wanted him to make farm animal noises. 00:19:26.940 --> 00:19:30.130 And that was a... That was a goal in his IEP. 00:19:31.309 --> 00:19:34.150 And knowing what I knew about his diagnosis, 00:19:34.150 --> 00:19:38.150 about kind of long term and what we wanted from 00:19:38.150 --> 00:19:41.789 a parent standpoint, I had to kind of go to bat 00:19:41.789 --> 00:19:44.630 and say this is not an appropriate goal. And 00:19:44.630 --> 00:19:47.750 so, you know, that's all to say, yeah, your child, 00:19:47.829 --> 00:19:51.029 you know, your child's diagnosis and you are 00:19:51.029 --> 00:19:54.640 the one that. They can provide that overview. 00:19:54.640 --> 00:19:57.420 Because the provider is thinking when we're talking 00:19:57.420 --> 00:19:59.519 about creating speech language sounds, these 00:19:59.519 --> 00:20:02.660 are some of the first sounds we do. So let's 00:20:02.660 --> 00:20:04.559 work on these first sounds. But then you as the 00:20:04.559 --> 00:20:07.420 parent say, listen, because of my child's diagnosis, 00:20:07.680 --> 00:20:10.200 we know that that is probably never going to 00:20:10.200 --> 00:20:12.440 happen. Sure. So we don't even want to play that 00:20:12.440 --> 00:20:16.039 game. I want you to teach this child how to tell 00:20:16.039 --> 00:20:18.160 me I have a headache. Yep. I have a stomachache. 00:20:18.259 --> 00:20:21.119 He's never going to move. I don't need to interview. 00:20:21.539 --> 00:20:25.960 Exactly. The booing is not going to help him 00:20:25.960 --> 00:20:29.039 in any way. Right. But I have a headache is. 00:20:29.140 --> 00:20:32.299 Yeah. Unless that's. Yeah. Unless he moos when 00:20:32.299 --> 00:20:34.259 he has a headache. But I mean, even that's functional 00:20:34.259 --> 00:20:36.460 communication at that point. Who cares? But that's 00:20:36.460 --> 00:20:38.180 not what we were going for. Anyways, I digress. 00:20:38.579 --> 00:20:42.299 So what what if you don't agree? What if you're 00:20:42.299 --> 00:20:45.160 in there and they say your child has not been 00:20:45.160 --> 00:20:49.460 found eligible and you don't agree or. Your child 00:20:49.460 --> 00:20:54.000 has been found eligible, but not for what you 00:20:54.000 --> 00:20:56.240 thought and you don't agree. Well, first thing 00:20:56.240 --> 00:20:58.480 I'm going to suggest is you call us and we're 00:20:58.480 --> 00:21:00.359 going to talk it through because sometimes parents 00:21:00.359 --> 00:21:02.079 will call and they say, I don't agree with the 00:21:02.079 --> 00:21:04.059 disability category. And then that's when we're 00:21:04.059 --> 00:21:06.839 going to educate and say, actually, I don't think 00:21:06.839 --> 00:21:08.920 that means what you might think it means. Here's 00:21:08.920 --> 00:21:10.799 what it really means. And then you're like, oh, 00:21:10.920 --> 00:21:12.900 great. That's perfect. Thanks. It's a five minute 00:21:12.900 --> 00:21:15.650 call. I feel so much better. Exactly. But in 00:21:15.650 --> 00:21:17.109 some cases, your child isn't going to be found 00:21:17.109 --> 00:21:19.410 eligible and you think that they should have 00:21:19.410 --> 00:21:21.690 been. So again, reach out to us. We can talk 00:21:21.690 --> 00:21:24.670 about dispute resolution options. We can talk 00:21:24.670 --> 00:21:28.210 about meeting with the team. We can go through 00:21:28.210 --> 00:21:30.269 all of that with you. Potential next steps. You 00:21:30.269 --> 00:21:36.329 always have options. Yeah, you do. But what can 00:21:36.329 --> 00:21:40.009 you do today? So as a parent who's prepping for 00:21:40.009 --> 00:21:43.890 the school year, you can reach out to us. You 00:21:43.890 --> 00:21:47.099 can... if you have an evaluation right now in 00:21:47.099 --> 00:21:50.180 your hands you can review the results carefully 00:21:50.180 --> 00:21:52.980 highlight what you want to talk about if you've 00:21:52.980 --> 00:21:55.940 got if you've been sent it early highlight what 00:21:55.940 --> 00:21:59.420 you want to have removed review it if you don't 00:21:59.420 --> 00:22:01.740 have it you can ask for a copy of those results 00:22:01.740 --> 00:22:03.940 prior to the meeting i can guarantee that you're 00:22:03.940 --> 00:22:07.859 always going to get it especially if it's something 00:22:07.859 --> 00:22:10.829 that's not easily interpretable Write down your 00:22:10.829 --> 00:22:13.769 questions before the meetings. That was the best 00:22:13.769 --> 00:22:15.670 piece of advice I ever got when I would go to 00:22:15.670 --> 00:22:17.589 my kids' well child check because I get there 00:22:17.589 --> 00:22:21.430 and my brain goes blank. Yep. Blank. And then 00:22:21.430 --> 00:22:23.029 I go home and I'm like, oh my God, you have that 00:22:23.029 --> 00:22:25.349 weird mole I wanted to ask about. And it's like, 00:22:25.369 --> 00:22:28.109 so please write down your questions in advance. 00:22:28.430 --> 00:22:32.630 I have a running note in my phone. Exactly. I 00:22:32.630 --> 00:22:34.690 don't want to ask the team. All summer long you 00:22:34.690 --> 00:22:38.539 think of things. Or bring a friend. Bring a friend. 00:22:38.680 --> 00:22:43.200 Bring a spouse. Bring a community therapist. 00:22:43.299 --> 00:22:46.039 Bring anyone who can speak to how the child's 00:22:46.039 --> 00:22:51.359 disability affects them. So that's it. We covered 00:22:51.359 --> 00:22:54.299 steps three through four. Three. So I could just 00:22:54.299 --> 00:22:56.619 say three and four. Yeah. Of the special education 00:22:56.619 --> 00:23:00.819 journey. Determining eligibility and being found 00:23:00.819 --> 00:23:05.009 eligible. And it can feel... Overwhelming. It 00:23:05.009 --> 00:23:08.369 can. It really can. But you don't have to go 00:23:08.369 --> 00:23:10.450 it alone. We're always going to be here. So next 00:23:10.450 --> 00:23:13.230 time you're going to hear us talk about the IEP 00:23:13.230 --> 00:23:16.390 meeting. Depending on how that goes, it might 00:23:16.390 --> 00:23:20.369 just be step five. It might. Because remember, 00:23:20.490 --> 00:23:22.069 we weren't going to talk very long on this one. 00:23:22.190 --> 00:23:25.450 Yeah, and we can always figure it out. So until 00:23:25.450 --> 00:23:28.589 then, remember, you know your child best. Your 00:23:28.589 --> 00:23:33.900 voice matters. Ask questions. And then, you know 00:23:33.900 --> 00:23:36.019 what? Give us a call. If you still have more 00:23:36.019 --> 00:23:39.140 questions that you can't get answered. I don't 00:23:39.140 --> 00:23:41.480 know about you, but I feel like that's literally 00:23:41.480 --> 00:23:53.019 what we live for. Absolutely. Thank you so much, 00:23:53.019 --> 00:23:55.339 everyone out there for listening in and know 00:23:55.339 --> 00:23:58.579 that if you are in Idaho or. planning on moving 00:23:58.579 --> 00:24:02.180 to Idaho, and have questions on systems or services 00:24:02.180 --> 00:24:04.619 for children with disabilities, please consider 00:24:04.619 --> 00:24:07.839 reaching out to us on our website at iPulIdaho, 00:24:07.960 --> 00:24:13.920 that's I -P -U -L -Idaho .org, or by calling 00:24:13.920 --> 00:24:19.380 us at 208 -342 -5884. Be sure to tune in next 00:24:19.380 --> 00:24:23.539 time. Until then, this has been Unlimited Parenting. 00:24:23.619 --> 00:24:24.720 Thanks for listening!