Although an IEP meeting can take place anytime during the year, schools traditionally set aside several weeks in Spring to review the special education services kids with IEPs receive and the progress they’re making.

If your child has diagnosed learning differences, you understand the importance of their IEP (Individualized Education Program): it’s the roadmap for their education and is critical to their success in school. That’s why Smart Kids with LD is devoting this month’s newsletter to providing you with the information you need to be the advocate your child deserves when the IEP team meets. Our special issue includes these featured topics:

• The SK Guide to the IEP Process: A Primer 
• Progress Monitoring of Kids with LD
• IEP Meeting: 5 Rules for Success

Whether you are new to the process or an IEP veteran, these articles offer expert advice, guidance, and reminders aimed at empowering you to be a key member of your child’s school team. Furthermore, by clicking on the many links in each article, you can dig deeper into these topics and others. 

Looking For More Information? 

Check out these titles from the Smart Kids archive, all of which are among the most popular IEP-related articles with our readers: 

• IDEA and the IEP Process: Keep in mind these key provisions of the IDEA (the law outlining your child’s rights) as you prepare for the IEP.
• Essential Elements of an IEP: An explanation of the core elements that every IEP must include.
• IEP Planning: Accommodations, & Modifications: The right accommodations and modifications can make the difference between success and failure. Plus an extensive list of examples to consider.
• Put Social Skills in the IEP: When problems with social skills impact your child’s success in school, addressing them should become part of the IEP.
• Make Room for Talents and Interests: It’s not just about reading, writing, and ‘rithmetic. Children with LD have many talents and abilities that must be nurtured.
• After the IEP Meeting: Depending on the outcome of the IEP meeting, there are a variety of options available to you.
• IEP Meeting: Must-Ask Questions: Asking the right questions will help ensure that your child receives the appropriate support and services.
• Handling IEP Disagreements: What to do when your child’s team does not offer an appropriate program.
• IEPs: 5 Mistakes Parents Make: Renowned disability advocates Pete and Pam Wright share the most common mistakes parents make—and they’re not what you think.

And that’s not all. The ABCs of IEPs, is an entire section of the website where you’ll find even more hints, tips, and strategies for effective educational planning along with answers to your IEP questions.

So dig into these comprehensive resources, and make this the year your child’s IEP is the roadmap to success they deserve.