What is the purpose of an individualized education plan?

Assessing your child’s abilities is one of the first things that you and your child’s school team should do before meeting to create an IEP. This step involves reflecting on your child’s strengths and different areas of their development:

• Affective (they are self-confident, independent)
• Autonomy
• Organizational (they are organized, able to concentrate)
• Social (they have strong friendships, demonstrate respect for others)
• Behavioural (they are usually thoughtful rather than impulsive, calm rather than restless)
• Sensory (they are agile, have good fine motor skills)
• Language (they express themself well, understand instructions)
• Academic (presence of any learning disabilities or behavioural issues)
• Etc.

Your child’s needs are related to the challenges they face. When their needs are not met, they risk developing certain learning and behavioural issues. This is why properly identifying and addressing your child’s needs is so important. Examples of where they might need help include:

• The time it takes them to finish their homework
• Their ability to concentrate
• Their self-control when agitated
• Their self-esteem
• Their ability to follow instructions
• Etc.

Now that your child’s abilities and needs have been identified, the next step is to work with your child and their school to establish clear goals. Once you have a list of clear goals, such as the examples below, you can start mapping out practical ways to achieve them:

• Regulate their emotions without the help of an adult
• Maintain concentration for 10 minutes
• Raise their hand before speaking
• Develop effective work methods
• Improve reading comprehension skills
• Etc.

There are many potential ways to help your child overcome the challenges they face. The key is to develop practical strategies that will allow them to achieve the goals established in the previous step. These strategies can be adjusted later if needed (usually during the annual IEP review). Here are a few common examples:

• Use reading methods taught in class (specify which ones)
• Regularly ask questions to make sure your child is paying attention
• Have them sit near the teacher’s desk in class
• Give them time to get a drink of water before and after every activity
• Give them small tasks
• Set up a quiet corner where they can decompress
• Apply rules consistently
• Etc.

An IEP is the shared responsibility of all those involved (i.e., you, your child, the school team). Everyone agrees to prioritize the goals of the plan in order to do the following:

• Help your child progress in their learning
• Improve communication between you, your child, and their teachers
• Create a calmer classroom
• Boost your child’s self-esteem
• Use adapted teaching methods
• Etc.