Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) for Autism
What are the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and why should I know about it?
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a federal law that establishes the educational rights of disabled children in the United States. It is one of the primary laws governing the education of children with disabilities. Becoming familiar with this law, its statutes, and regulations is important because it describes what services your child is entitled to and it gives parents a level playing field when discussing services and programs with local educators or committees on special education.
IDEA is a newer version of a law passed in 1975 called the Education for All Handicapped Children Act. IDEA was passed to further define the disabled child’s rights to educational services as well as establish the role of the parent in the development of the educational plan for their child. IDEA has both statute and regulations: The statute is the governing legislation-the language of the law-and the regulations are an explanation of how the law is to be enacted.
IDEA regulations require the following:
– Duration of services. Your child may be eligible for services beyond the 180 days of a traditional school year.
– Identifying and evaluating the disability. Your child must be officially evaluated for having a disability through specific testing procedures. Health, vision, hearing, social and emotional development, intelligence, communication skills, and academic performance must all be included during this evaluation.
– Free and appropriate education. The needs vary for each child with a disability but include education and related services. This is a comprehensive requirement that may include services such as transportation, psychological care, and physical therapy. Medical services are excluded from this provision.
– The education costs for the disabled child will be borne by the state; the parents are not responsible for any of these costs. Although educational services are free, this does not mean they are the best services available. Some services beyond those minimally required may be available on a sliding price scale based upon family income.
– IDEA insists on appropriate education for each child. However, the term “appropriate education” should not be construed to mean “best possible education” or “ideal education.” The law merely establishes the minimal level of acceptable education and services that the state has to provide.
– Least restrictive environment (LRE). Handicapped children are mainstreamed into traditional classrooms with normally developing children whenever possible. Although this is not always feasible or appropriate, attempts should be made to limit a child’s isolation.
– Individualized education program (IEP). Educational programs to fit specific needs are designed based upon the evaluation of a child’s disability.
Meetings are held with school personnel to identify goals and establish a program to help the child with available resources. The parents can participate in and contribute to these meetings and aid in the development of the educational plan.
– Early intervention services for infants and toddlers with physical, cognitive, communication, social or emotional, or adaptive developmental disabilities. This also may include infants or toddlers at risk for these developmental problems, depending upon the state.
– The educational goals and needed services will be established at least once a year in a document called the individualized educational plan (IEP).
Copies of IDEA and its statutes and regulations are available from the government printing office or may be available at your public library. Detailed documentation of this law is also available on the following Web site: www.ed.gov/offices/OSERS/Policy/IDEA
What is special education?
Special education can be defined as educational programming that is designed specifically for the individual student. This instruction is typically provided by the state at no cost to the parents. The instruction is specially designed to meet the unique educational needs of a student, with a goal of developing the student’s maximum educational, social, and vocational potential. Though the term special education is sometimes used to refer to programs for the intellectually gifted, most programs are developed to address the needs of the physically or mentally handicapped.
For the purposes of most school districts, handicapped students are those with the following conditions: learning disabled, speech pathology, visually impaired, intellectually disabled, behavior disorders, autism spectrum disorders, hearing impaired, and physically impaired.
Common services provided for special education students include classroom instruction, physical education, and psychological and social work services. Speech, language, occupational, and physical therapies are also included.
Autistic children are not all the same. Each has unique strengths and weaknesses. What people with autism have in common is a developmental disability, a disorder of communication, which manifests itself differently in each person. Special education programs should be unique also.
Academic programs should begin with a full evaluation of the child’s intellect and intellectual potential. Although it is true that some individuals with autism are below average in intelligence, many are above average. Therefore, academic programs should be individualized and academic goals need to be tailored to the individual’s intellectual ability and functioning level. These programs should be flexible enough to accommodate a child’s behavioral fluctuations and should be reevaluated on a regular basis.
Behavioral modification programs also must have unique goals based on an understanding of the child’s past and current behaviors. For example, some children may need help in understanding social situations and developing appropriate responses. Others may exhibit aggressive or self-injurious behavior and need assistance managing their behaviors. No one program will meet the needs of all individuals with the disability, so it is important to find the program or programs that best fit the child’s needs.
How do I get special education services for my child?
All U.S. children with disabilities are entitled to special education services under the regulations of IDEA law. To be eligible for special education services, the child’s disability must first be objectively established. Disabilities are established either by an examination and report of independent physician qualified to make such a diagnosis or by a special education evaluation sponsored by the local educational agency. The evaluation can be undertaken when the child is first suspected of having a disability (preplacement evaluation) or when your child’s level of functioning changes in one or more areas (reevaluation).
A child can be evaluated under the regulations of IDEA in two ways.
1. The parent can request an evaluation by calling or writing the director of special education or the principal of the child’s home school.
2. The teachers or counselor in the school system who have observed the student may recommend an evaluation.
The school system cannot mandate that a child undergo an educational evaluation and they must receive written permission from the parents before the evaluation can be conducted. Further, parents may refuse a school’s request for a special education evaluation. However, the student cannot be enrolled in a special education class without an evaluation. Evaluations are performed by a multidisciplinary team. The team is composed of specialist in the area of suspected disability (e.g., autism, mental retardation, or cerebral palsy) and at least one teacher. Parents may recommend professionals to the school for these evaluations.
Though these professionals may be recognized experts in the evaluation and treatment of autism, the school is under no obligation to use them. By law, the evaluation assesses many areas, including:
– General health
– Visual acuity
– Hearing
– Communication abilities
– Motor skills
– Learning abilities
– Social and/or emotional status
All of these areas are assessed and the results of each are taken into consideration when developing the child’s educational program.No single area of disability can be used as the sole criterion for determining an appropriate education program for a child, according to IDEA regulations. This evaluation becomes the basis for writing the child’s individualized education program (IEP).
Terms:
Least restrictive environment (LRE) – A federal mandate that to the maximum extent appropriate, children with disabilities be educated with children who are not disabled. This means that the separation of children with disabilities from regular education buildings, programs, and students occurs only as much as necessary to meet the unique needs of special education students.
Individualized educational plan (IEP) – A team-developed, written program that identifies therapeutic and educational goals and objectives needed to appropriately address the educational needs of a school-aged student with a disability; a plan that identifies the student’s specific learning expectations and outlines how the school will address these expectations through appropriate special education programs and services. It also identifies the methods by which the student’s progress will be reviewed. For students 14 years or older, it must also contain a plan for the transition to postsecondary education, the workplace, or to help the student live as independently as possible in the community.
The individualized education plan (IEP) is a written legal document.
