1. GETTING THE MOST OUT OF YOUR CHILD’S IEP EMPOWERING PARENTS FOR THE IEP PROCESS POAC of Northern Virginia January 11, 2014 Jennifer Engel Fisher, M.S. Director of Advocacy Weinfeld Education Group, LLC jennifer@weinfeldeducationgroup.com www.weinfeldeducationgroup.com

2. The “Big 10”  Problems with social interactions  Problems with flexibility, organization, attention, and other areas of executive functioning  Problems with ritualistic, repetitive, or rigid behavior  Need for predictability  Very focused areas of interest and expertise  Problems with sensory hype- or hypersensitivity  Problems with language  Problems with abstract reasoning  Problems with motor issues including written production  Problems with anxiety, depression, and emotional regulation

3. Janet Price & Jennifer Fisher, 2010 AccommodationsModifications Supplemental Aides and Services Allows a student to complete the same assignment or test as other students, but with a change in the timing, formatting, setting, scheduling, response, and/or presentation. An adjustment to an assignment or a test that changes the standard or what the test or assignment is supposed to measure. It includes the student in the same activities as his/her peers, but individualizes the expectations and materials. Aids, services, and other supports that are provided in regular education classes, other education- related settings, and in extracurricular and nonacademic settings, to enable children with disabilities to be educated with nondisabled children to the maximum extent appropriate 3

4. Four Types of Accommodations 1. Presentation 2. Response 3. Scheduling and Timing 4. Setting Taken from the MSDE Accommodations Manual, 2012

5. Presentation Accommodations  Allows students to access information in ways that do not require them to visually read standard print.  These alternate modes of access are auditory, multi-sensory, tactile, and visual. Taken from the MSDE Accommodations Manual, 2012

6. Examples of Presentation Accommodations  Large Print  Magnification Devices  Tactile Graphics  Books on tape  Human reader, audio tape, or cd or verbatim (or selected sections) of test  Text-to-speech software / Screen-reading software  Recorded books  Visual cues  Notes, outlines, and instructions  Directions presented to student one at a time. Taken from the MSDE Accommodations Manual, 2012

7. Response Accommodations Allows students to complete activities, assignments and assessments in different ways or to solve or organize problems using some type of assistive device or organizer. Taken from the MSDE Accommodations Manual, 2012

8. Examples of Response Accommodations  Scribe  Speech-to-text (software)  Large print response booklet  Electronic note takers and word processors  Writing tools, implements (adaptive paper, slant bards, etc.)  Respond on test booklet  Monitor test response  Mathematical tools and calculation devices  Spelling and grammar devices  Visual organizers  Graphic organizers Taken from the MSDE Accommodations Manual, 2012

9. Scheduling & Timing Accommodations Timing and scheduling accommodations change the allowable length of time to complete assignments, tests, and activities, and may also change the way the time is organized. Timing accommodations give students the time and the breaks they need to complete activities, assignments, and tests. Taken from the MSDE Accommodations Manual, 2012

10. Examples of Scheduling & Timing Accommodations  Extended time  Multiple or frequent breaks  Change schedule or order of activities; extend within one day of over multiple days Taken from the MSDE Accommodations Manual, 2012

11. Setting Accommodations Change the location in which a test or assignment is given or the conditions of the assessment setting. Taken from the MSDE Accommodations Manual, 2012

12. Examples of Setting Accommodations  Reduce distractions to the student  Reduce distractions to other students  Change locations to increase physical access or to use special equipment, within or outside of the school building Taken from the MSDE Accommodations Manual, 2012

13. Enabling vs. Empowering from Jean Watts, In Search of Perspective. Ohio Psychology Publishing Co., 1989 Do not copy without permission from Special Needs Advocacy, LLC.

14. Examples of Supplementary Aids and Services for Students with HFA (Slide 1)  Provide the student with alternative ways to demonstrate mastery of a concept such as writing an outline or creating a poster instead of writing an essay.  Break down long-term assignments into shorter, more manageable pieces with interim due dates.  Allow student to electronically send homework assignments to the teacher.  Seating close to the instructional area  Allow use of highlighters during instruction  Use of multi-sensory instruction for abstract concepts Jennifer Engel Fisher, 2014

15. Examples of Supplementary Aids and Services for Students with HFA (Slide 2) Do not copy without permission  Ask the student to repeat the directions back to the teacher  Provide student with verbal and written directions simultaneously  Use of a visual schedule  Monitor independent work  Use of a self-editing checklist  Use of a self-monitoring system  Verbal and visual cues to begin and maintain a task  Extended time for class work assignments  Provide student with a checklist for the morning and/or dismissal routines

16. Examples Supplementary Aids and Services for Students with HFA (Slide 3)  Provide student with an extra set of books for home  Use of a study carrel  Daily / Weekly check-in with consistent adult to maintain an organization system  Provide student with a quiet area or space when feeling over stimulated.  Teach time management skills  Planned movement breaks  Behavior Intervention Plan  Provide student with immediate feedback Jennifer Engel Fisher, 2014

17. Final Examples Supplementary Aids and Services for Students with HFA (Slide 4)  Provide study guides prior to tests  Use of a word bank for test questions  Reduce the amount of information presented on a page.  Use of graph paper for math work  Use of positive reinforcement  Teacher to sign agenda book daily  Teacher to post homework online Jennifer Engel Fisher, 2014

18. If we have time……

19. MDT Required Members Parent Student, as appropriate Other with special knowledge or expertise Special Educator Interpret evaluations Authority to allocate resources General Educator COPY ONLY WITH WRITTEN PERMISSION SPECIAL NEEDS ADVOCACY, LLC

20. Present Levels of Performance (PLP)  Formal assessments such as: WISC IV or WPPSI Achievement Tests (WJ III) Behavior Rating Scales  Informal assessments / information such as: Teacher’s reports Behavioral data Informal Reading Inventories (IRI) Quarterly academic assessments Statewide Assessments Jennifer Engel Fisher, 2014

21. The 5 Components of a Good Goal 21  It is measurable.  A condition statement  An observable behavior  Mastery Criteria  Timeline Jennifer Engel Fisher, 2014

22. Annual Goal: Reading 22 Given a fifth grade text and a list of strategies for pre-reading, during reading, and after reading, Emma will read the text and answer 4 literal and 4 inferential comprehension questions on 3 consecutive occasions as measured by Informal Reading Inventories, Running Records, and teacher reports. Data to be reported monthly.  Emma will identify the purpose of the text  Emma will summarize the text in her own words.  Emma will make predictions before reading the text and make adjustments during reading.  Emma will answer in complete sentences. Jennifer Engel Fisher, 2014

23. Resources Take Control of Asperger's Syndrome and: The Official Strategy Guide for Teens with Asperger’s Syndrome and Nonverbal Learning Disorder by Janet Price and Jennifer Engel Fisher, 2010 School Success for Kids with High- Functioning Autism by Stephen M. Silverman, Ph.D., Lauren Kenworthy, Ph.D., & Rich Weinfeld (March 1, 2014)