Special Education; Parents' Library of Useful Information

IEP Meeting notes; a part of the IEP process that is often overlooked, or does not reflect what the IEP team agreed to.

IEP meeting notes allow parties not on the IEP team to understand and effectively implement the special program program.

In any dispute between parents and school districts,  the notes help mediators and others who are analyzing the IEP to, again, understand the itent of the IEP team.

With this episode, I am providing a link to a writing by a prominent California law firm that represents district in disputes with parents.  

Parents can use those recommendations as a guide to what should be in notes, and how they should be memorialized.

Here is a link the law firm's note recommendations:

Lozano Smith: essentials of note taking:

https://www.lozanosmith.com/docs/resources/IEP_Note_Taking.pdf

Summary

David Poeschl explains the critical role of accurate IEP notes in preventing confusion and conflict. He advises parents to audio record meetings, use transcripts to challenge inaccuracies, and understand their rights to add exceptions to the IEP. Key recommendations from a law firm that advises school districts are summarized, along with encouragement to hold districts accountable.

Key takeaway

Importance of Accurate IEP Notes

Ensure IEP notes clearly explain the team’s intent regarding goals and services to avoid creating confusion and conflict.

David states that IEP notes are one of the most overlooked parts of the IEP and that incomplete or inaccurate notes can create problems.

Recording Meetings and Using Transcripts

Always audio record IEP meetings and use transcription to highlight inaccuracies or omissions in the official notes.

David recommends recording without exception and using an AI or non‑AI transcription app to produce a word‑for‑word transcript, enabling parents to point out errors. He notes that districts are usually reluctant to change notes, but parents can add a clarifying document to the IEP file.

Parent Rights to Add Exceptions

Parents can insist that their exceptions to an IEP be added with page numbers, making them an integral part of the legal document, though not all districts willingly comply.

David mentions that in California parents have the right to have exceptions added with page numbers, but in his Northern California area districts are not always willing to do so. Without page numbers, added documents are not considered a legal part of the IEP.

Law Firm Recommendations for IEP Notes

Follow law firm guidance that IEP notes should document parent participation, summarize the FAPE offer, and avoid boilerplate language, terms of art, inconsistencies, and accusatory language.

David summarizes recommendations from a prominent California firm that advises districts: document parents’ questions, concerns, agreements, disagreements, and requests; clearly summarize the offer of FAPE, especially when multiple meetings occur; and avoid boilerplate language, inconsistent content, and accusatory language. He provides a link to the full document.

Accountability and Reforming Practices

Hold your school district accountable by using these steps to contribute to bettering IEP practices and reforming special education.

David concludes that taking the steps described is an effective way to hold the district accountable and improve special education practices.

Thanks to  Soundimage.org for the free access to the AI generated music used in this podcast (https://soundimage.org/) 

Interoception, the ability to recognize  bodily signals like heart rate, hunger, temperature..., is often a significant  source of  stress and anxiety in autistic youth.  

They may struggle to control the overload their body is experiencing by being unable to recognize the physical symptoms they are experiencing, leading to a potential crisis when the build up becomes too much.

Or, an autistic youth may go without eating or drinking anything for an entire school day.  A student may wear clothes that are inappropriate to the weather, seeming not to recognize heat and cold.  

Or, some may experience both depending on the situation and stimulus. 

The study that I used for this episode explores the issue and presents effective ways to lessen to impact of interoceptive weaknesses.

Here are links to resources used in the episode:

file:///Users/davidpoeschl/Desktop/ASD%20and%20anxiety/Autism%20and%20Anxiety%20-%20Autism%20Research%20Institute.html

https://www.google.com/search?q=Experiences+of+interoception+and+anxiety+in+autistic+adolescents+%E2%80%93+CRAE&oq=Experiences+of+interoception+and+anxiety+in+autistic+adolescents+%E2%80%93+CRAE&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQIRiPAjIHCAIQIRiPAtIBCDE0ODVqMGo3qAIAsAIA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Thanks to  soundimage.org for the free access to the AI generated music used in this podcast (https://soundimage.org/) 

Positive Behavior Support. Maybe you've read all sort of definitions and descriptions, but what it actually is seems still  vague.

In under 5 minutes, you will get a clear and understandable description.

If you then want to learn more, I have a longer version in an earlier episode, and an hour long YouTube video of a training I do for my employer (Matrix Parents) in Marin County California. Here is a link to the YouRTube video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WBTCmuTWD4

Thanks to  soundimage.org for the free access to the AI generated music used in this podcast (https://soundimage.org/) 

It has been clear for years that the school system in the United States is not welcoming to neurodivergent (ND) students.  School is an intensely intimidating and frightening place for many ND kids.

As the percentage of identified ND students grow (the percentage of the total student population in California is currently 20%) the number of children damaged by the school system grows as well.

Research is clear as to both the inappropriate structure of schools, and the long-term emotional damage it does to these kids.

In this episode, I summarize a research article that condemns the current school structure as we know it.

As the researcher/author writes, “Mainstream schools…are not currently safe spaces for ND children. Whether it is possible, with significant policy change, political will, and considerable investment, to transform mainstream schools into smaller, sensory-sensitive, nurturing, flexible, and truly inclusive places for ND children to be, is an open question.” 

Many thanks to the researcher/author of the study, Dr. Sinead Mullally ([email protected]

w: www.ncl.ac.uk/psychology/people/profile/sineadmullally.html)

Research article that underpins the “popular” articlehttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37810599/

“Popular” article related to above (and used for the podcast script)

https://researchfeatures.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Sinead-Mullally.pdf

Universal Design for Learning (UDL)(https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/special-education-parents-library-of-useful-information/id1833954970?i=1000722533052)

High School Students with High Functioning Autism; Obstacles and Optimism

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/special-education-parents-library-of-useful-information/id1833954970?i=1000727360172

Autistic College Students Who Succeed at Competitive Colleges and Universities; What's the Secret?https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/special-education-parents-library-of-useful-information/id1833954970?i=1000745302991

Thanks to  soundimage.org for the free access to the AI generated music used in this podcast (https://soundimage.org/) 

Many autistic people are twice exceptional learners (2eASD).  This means they have an area of unique talent or intellectual strength along with an identifiable disability.

The rates of high school failure are elevated for this population, but some are able to not only attend, but to succeed at highly competitive colleges and universities.  

What is the secret to their success?  It probably won't come as a surprise that a lot of it depends on nurturing the special interest or interests that a large majority of 2eASD individuals have.  

Supports that are provided when the concentration is on an interest area help both the student and the adults in their life to be working in a more positive environment where the student is intrinsically motivated.

This extends to non-preferred classes and activities as the student knows the less interesting academic areas are needed to help meet their goal, college success.

Here is a link to the article used for this episode:

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12189878/

Thanks to  soundimage.org for the free access to the AI generated music used in this podcast (https://soundimage.org/) 

Matrix Parent Network and the Marin Center for Independent Living funded and supported the production of this podcast. 

Pairing students with autism with neurotypical peers is proving to be a powerful tool in teaching the critical life skills of self-advocacy and self-determination.

We'll define these terms and explain how they fit together before looking at the research and model programs that use mentoring as a tool.

Articles used for this podcast:

1.) Advanced Autism Mentorship (https://www.advancedautism.com/post/the-role-of-peer-mentorship-in-autism-support-programs)

2.) Peer Support in Autism - Autism Research Institute (https://autism.org/peer-support-in-autism/)

3.) That Connection With Community… it is just a positive thing - Mentoring autistic adolescents participating in community coding programs(https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11933780/)

Thanks to  soundimage.org for the free access to the AI generated music used in this podcast (https://soundimage.org/) 

In this short episode you will learn why the "almost there" times, when a child makes progress on a behavior goal, but there is still a ways to go, those are the times they need to be recognized and reinforeced for that partial success.

The episode may be short, but I have found this concept alien to many educators.  You can make sure partial successes are recongized by your child's teachers.  You can also incorporate this concept into your home immediately. It's a matter of looking at adjusting how you view behavioral success.

Thanks to  soundimage.org for the free access to the AI generated music used in this podcast (https://soundimage.org/) 

Matrix Parent Network and the Marin Center for Independent Living funded and supported the production of this podcast. 

If you are the parent of a child with a disability you have very likely experienced a feeling that you missed something when you walk out of an IEP meeting.  Many parents report that schools seem to go through the steps of the IEP but what comes out is a muddled mix of goals, accommodations and services.

Parents also report that they don't feel like they are true members of their IEP team, that the IEP document they are asked to sign was developed by school staff with little or no input from those who know the child the best.

This episode explores what parent participation really means, that the definition goes beyond school to encompass the child's entire life, in and out of school. 

Research indicates that parents of children with disabilities have strong desires for their children to work on skills at home and in the community versus in school. 

Other parents report focusing on involvement outside of school as a strategy to escape the anxiety and confines of school expectations and potential feelings of judgement from their special education teams. 

article referred to in the episode:

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12356156/

Thanks to  soundimage.org for the free access to the AI generated music used in this podcast (https://soundimage.org/) 

Matrix Parent Network and the Marin Center for Independent Living funded and supported the production of this podcast. 

S.M.A.R.T. Goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Reasonable, Time Bound, are the basis of a good IEP.  Everything either leads to the creation of goals or lead from it in the form or services and placement.

Research indicates there is a direct relationship between parental knowledge and their satisfaction with their children’s special education programs.  In this case, knowledge truly is power.

The most effective way to increase your ability to communicate with your IEP team, and thus avoid conflict, is to learn and use knowledge of the special education process to help your child succeed.

Thanks to  soundimage.org for the free access to the AI generated music used in this podcast (https://soundimage.org/) 

Matrix Parent Network and the Marin Center for Independent Living funded and supported the production of this podcast. 

This month we look at a common barrier to successful transition from school-based programs to adulthood for students with high functioning autism.

 The acronym BIMS stands for burnout, inertia, meltdowns and shutdown.  These are the most common reactions many autistic people experience when facing overload from stress, anger and other negative emotions.

 Being able to respond to the stressors of life without using a BIMS can help autistic people live more successfully in society, and live happier and more fulfilling personal lives.

 Listen to the experiences and feelings of the children and teens who participated in the study to see how they deal with the stressors that lead to the use of BIMS.

Link to article used for this program:

https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.741421/full

Thanks to  soundimage.org for the free access to the AI generated music used in this podcast (https://soundimage.org/)