Think…Before you IEP! Is a family training designed to prepare parents to work with Individual Education Plan (IEP) teams. Parents will leave this three series workshop with a better understanding of special education law, the IEP process, communication strategies, organizational systems for education documents and IEP planning strategies.

Think…Before you IEP! Session 1 focuses on a short introduction to special education history and law in order to help families understand the role of parents and advocates in the development of Special Education Services.  The history of special education provides parents with a framework for understanding the workings of the individual education planning process. Families are then provided with four communication strategies to use during the individual education planning process.

Think…Before you IEP! Session 2 focuses on understanding the components of an IEP, how to work with your team to write appropriate goals and objectives, and provides families with an organizational systems for IEP materials that families can use to track IEP goals, objectives, issues and progress over several years. This session empowers families to be an active member of the IEP team. 

Think…Before you IEP! Session 3 focuses on comprehensive educational planning systems for students with autism that can be utilized by IEP teams. Parents will understand that by utilizing comprehensive planning systems services can be truly individualized, provided in a sequential format, and increase student outcomes.  Families will be introduced to three comprehensive planning systems designed for the classroom setting.