THE ABC’S OF IEP’S In our last issue, we discussed creating appropriate academic goals for students who qualify for By Sheila Wolfe IEP Services an IEP (Individualized Education Plan). Not all IEP goals address “typical” school subjects. Many students with special needs have deficits in non-academic areas such as language, behavior, sensory processing, fine and/or gross motor skills, social skills, and emotional processing to name a few. It has been my experience that creating these goals presents a bigger challenge for the Case Conference Committee. Each child’s needs are different and specific. It is important to make sure the goals created in the IEP address that student’s skill level and need. While SLPs (speech-language pathologists) are very adept at writing speech goals (which involve how a child speaks), it is a bigger challenge to write goals which develop language skills in a non-verbal, or language-delayed child. This process is extremely intensive and requires extensive services. It is often a struggle for parents to obtain an appropriate level of service from their school so that their child makes meaningful progress. Frequent standardized testing in this area can help evaluate what progress is being achieved.
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28 Special Needs Living • April 2021
Similarly, many students require social skill instruction. It is common for schools to create social skill classes or lessons for groups of students who all require help in this area. While this can provide some benefit to the students who attend, the skills are often not transferred to the natural environment because there is no process to prompt or track the skills to make sure they are being generalized. Parents need to be aware of what social skills are being taught and what kind of progress monitoring is being done. If the data is only being collected in the instructional environment, we would have no way of knowing if the student can use that skill in any other environment. Parents need to advocate for social skill instruction that is appropriate and meaningful for their child and insist that the skills being taught are practiced in the natural environment. In addition, our students very often experience fine motor (handwriting, fasteners, shoe tying, dressing, etc.) and gross motor (walking, running, climbing steps, navigating different surfaces safely, and anything done in PE class) skill delays. Fine motor skills are addressed by an OT (occupational therapist) and gross motor skills are addressed by a PT (physical therapist). These skills are often downplayed when developing an appropriate IEP. It is critical that students receive these vital services whenever a documented delay exists. Providing early intense services can very often “close the gap” for many kids. An OT would also provide services for students needing help with visual-motor integration. This is a critical skill in handwriting development and copying from the board. OTs are also responsible for addressing sensory processing issues. This is usually done through the provision of a “sensory diet,” which addresses the specific needs of the student. It is important for parents to know that a sensory program should be designed to be proactive and not reactive. By providing the necessary sensory input throughout the day, we can help keep a student in balance by assisting them in regulating their focus, mood, and emotions. One of the most critical areas of need for many students with special needs is behavior. If you know or suspect your child is struggling behaviorally in school, request an assessment called a functional behavior assessment (FBA). This assessment involves careful observation of the student in a variety of environments. Data is collected during these observations, which we refer to as ABC data. “A” stands for Antecedent; “B” for Behavior; and “C” for Consequence. By looking at accumulated data we can often see patterns between the Antecedents (something that happens immediately prior to the behavior), the actual Behavior, and the Consequence (the thing that happens immediately after the behavior. Next month we will discuss in-depth how we evaluate and address behavioral needs appropriately in an IEP. In my experience, this can be one of the biggest challenges any Case Conference Committee faces. Sheila A. Wolfe | IEP Services, LLC sheilawolfe@sbcglobal.net
