What does research say about the education of children with IEPs?

Readiness: Not a State of Knowledge, but a State of Mind

Contact talks with your child daily, involving shared time, can help build healthy attachment, support self-esteem, social skills, thinking, and language abilities, and enhance physical development. These conversations can occur anytime, day or night, and are essential for a child’s understanding of the world and its people.
Children’s reasoning skills begin developing at age 3. They don’t think like adults, and their understanding of reality is different, so supporting creative thinking builds brains.
Young children’s conflicts are often mistaken behaviors, not misbehaviors. They have limited life experience and are still learning to express emotions. Adults should view these conflicts as errors in judgment, not misbehaviors, due to their incomplete brain development.

Children with ASD struggle with language comprehension, but excel in visual processing and spatial thinking. Visual supports, such as pictures, objects, gestures, and text, can significantly improve communication in the classroom.
We can help children with Autism Spectrum Disorder by marking, carpet squares, or classroom rugs with defined seating areas and tape lines in hallways so the children know where to sit or stand.
Teachers can use picture-based schedules for classroom activities. These schedules can be manipulated and carried, and detailed schedules can be created for specific activities or tasks.
Visual explanations and visual representations of calming strategies and self-regulation skills for positive emotions can help develop emotional and social skills.

Children with motor delays may struggle with painting or drawing on tabletops due to small hand and wrist muscles. Using easels and board books can help them stand and use bigger arm movements. These modifications are enjoyable for everyone.
Observe children, build trust, set learning goals, and assess progress. High but realistic expectations are essential for children with disabilities or developmental delays.
To support children with disabilities, consider arranging classroom furnishings, creating predictable routines, using peers to model positive prosocial and communication skills, managing noise to improve learning and behavior, and modifying materials to enhance independence.
Ensuring a clean and accessible space, ensuring materials are within reach, and avoiding clutter and unstable flooring can help.
Using visual supports and creating opportunities for refugee parents to share their traditions can also help children with disabilities feel more comfortable and engaged in the learning process.

The point an IEP is to help children not just reach goals, but also to strengthen the skills of the child.
The point an IEP is to help children not just reach goals, but also to strengthen the skills of the child.
Parents often focus on the finish line, while school staff think from year to year. However, parents’ anxiety stems from their children’s exit from the system. Recognizing different perspectives can help resolve disagreements.
IEP classification matters, as it determines the type of services provided to a person, not just their emotional distress.

About 7 million special education students in America rely on state and local education agencies for funding. School levies often lead to budget cuts, as public investment in K-12 schools has declined.
It’s unclear if local districts have to cut general education budgets to maintain services or if special education services are being reduced to fit available funding.
The 1975 law aimed to provide free and appropriate public education for children with disabilities has never been fully funded, with the federal government only paying 17% of the promised 40%.
This has led to delays in evaluations, rejections of Independent Educational Evaluations (IEE) requests, and inappropriate changes in placements and services for disabled students. This has resulted in schools failing to properly implement IEPs, highlighting a significant issue.
Knowledge is power when it comes to knowing the structure and motivations behind the current IEP. Know that you have the right o find an adequate IEP that supports all your children’s needs.