Take Notes as You Travel the IEP Path

While parenting my child with developmental differences, I frequently come back to the famous poem by Robert Frost: “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by.” Children with different learning and developmental needs are simply on a different path. An individual education plan (IEP) provides a roadmap along that lesser traveled road as the child navigates school. An IEP is designed to have the parent, special education teacher and providers, general education teachers and a district representative all in agreement for a child’s individual goals, accommodations and even a discipline plan if necessary. Yet, obtaining an IEP can require some perseverance and advocacy on the parent’s part.

Understanding my struggle, which for us began at a speech delay and has plateaued at a diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), has helped me recognize the benefits of early access to services as soon as a need is identified. I’ve also discovered that so few parents know where to start or what to expect as they traverse the world of special education services.

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