Plans present challenges

IEPs for children with special needs

When a child has special education needs, parents can feel overwhelmed by the process of writing an Individualized Education Plan.

Area teachers estimate that five or six children in every classroom have an IEP that en-sures compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. That's the federal law that school systems use as a guide to determine special education and related services that must be provided to eligible children and youth with disabilities.

Getting an IEP for a child doesn't happen automatically and can frustrate parents. The form includes 26 possible modifications to a child's learning environment. Some parents have formed support groups to share strategies for success.

Jill Touchberry, whose twin sons attend Raleigh's Millbrook High School, has experienced both sides of educating a child through the Wake County Public School System -- one with an IEP and one without. She says IEPs are like children and snowflakes; no two are alike.

Having twins made it easier for Jill to determine that her son Christopher was a good candidate for an IEP. Early on, he often forgot to turn in his homework and didn't do well on tests that required putting answers on a separate sheet of paper.

In the fourth grade, the differences in the twins' learning experiences became more pronounced. Because Christopher earned mainly A's on his report card, the teacher didn't recommend him for an IEP evaluation. Jill decided to have Christopher evaluated by a private testing organization. The evaluation confirmed that, given Christopher's aptitude, he should be scoring better on standardized tests.

The next stop was a pediatrician, who confirmed that Christopher suffered from Attention Deficit Disorder. Jill went back to the teacher and requested a school IEP evaluation. The school administration quickly set up a preliminary IEP team meeting that included Jill and her husband, the regular teacher, a school representative who could interpret Christopher's evaluation results and someone with special expertise regarding his academic needs.

Writing the IEP was a fairly straightforward process. The standard form made it easier to check off Christopher's specific deficit areas, and an IEP was developed with accommodations that included folder checks for homework, extended time on tests and being allowed to circle answers in the test booklet instead of filling in circles on a separate sheet. Strategies included measurable short-term goals of turning in homework on time and long-term goals of improved scores on standardized tests.

Every year, an evaluation has been done on Christopher's IEP and, when necessary, changes made, including dropping the folder check requirement and extended time on tests.

Jill says Christopher's experience has been good. Once implemented, the IEP has been easy to follow, helping teachers and others on the team know how to advocate for his best interests.

Parents will get a chance to learn more about Wake County's special education services, including IEPs, from 10 a.m. to 12 noon Jan. 21 at Martin Street Baptist Church, 1001 E. Martin St., Raleigh. The seminar will be sponsored by the Coalition of Concerned Citizens for African American Children.

For more, contact Calla Wright at cccaac@nc.rr.com.