How can I improve this IEP?

[debs40]

I hope you don't mind but I was hoping yoou might be able to give me some suggestions on improving this IEP.

DS is 6 and has social communciation difficulties - probably Aspergers.

The social communication problem is not mentioned on the IEP which describes his weakness as 'lacks of self-esteem, mumbling'

It goes as follows:

Target

To develop social skills in small group situation

Success criteria

To take turns when playing a game. To share with other children

Target

To take part in adult 1:1 conversation. 10-15 minutes

Success criteria

To take part and appear less anxious (minimal hand to mouth licking). To give adult eye contact.

Target

To develop early morning routine independently.

Success criteria
To put dinner name, reading book and bag in the correct places independently.

Teaching strategies

To work in small groups in the classroom.
1:1 converstaion time
Show and tell session

Provision
Play games
2/3 TA sessions a week and 1 social skills session a week

There is no provision set to help with morning routine. This routine is important as his homework does not get marked if he does not hand it in himself. Nor do his books get changed.

There is nothing about assisting with asking for help. SALT made suggestions which have not beem implemented or acknowledged

Each target should jave a how something the teachers/ta are supposed to do to facillitate.

To develop social skills in small group situation

Teacher to play a game with a small group of children such as duck duck, goose goose for 10 mins twice a week.

Success criteria

To take turns when playing a game. To share with other children

So just prescise and clear and in small steps not big jumps.

They have tried to put this into teaching strategies and provision. It just needs to be more specific?

Target

To take part in 1:1 conversation. 10-15 minutes

How

*Teacher/TA to get children to ask each other what they had for breakfast each day" 10 minute activity.

Success criteria

(name) iniates with teacher/ta or other children and asks them what they had for breakfast

yes thats right more specific and obtainable.

Target

To develop early morning routine independently.

How
Teacher/TA to make sure (name) has his visual morning routine timetable every morning and to help guide him through this

Success criteria
To put dinner name, reading book and bag in the correct places independently.

You are a star!! Thank you.

They have been told to take the eye contact thing out already

The Hows should be specific to each target not to all targets.

Target

For (name) to take part in show and tell sessions.

How

(name) to bring an object from home once a week. Teacher/ta to make a comment on it if (name) can not/does not.

Success Criteria

For (name) to initiate a comment on a object he brought from home himself.

Your welcome. Now go and have a cup of coffee and don't forget to look after yourself!

Am i reading it wrong, what are their concerns, they dont appear to be very clear?

For example

Target
To develop early morning routine independently.

What is the concern and where is the help to achieve this?

Concern: X often does not get his book marked or change his book.

Action: X will use his NOW/NEXT visual sequence chart, supplied by x. Miss X will prompt X to check his chart to see what the process is. A sticker will be given for doing well as incentive.

Target: X will be able to use his visual timetable to help him with the morning rountine.

Miss x will observe X during this time and fade out prompting when appropriate.

Precisely! I think the formats for these IEPs differ from area to area. Here they have a box for strengths and one for weaknesses.

The weakness box (presumbably their concerns) says 'lacks self esteem, mumbles'...er.. wonder why that is?

Debs, my IEP was exactly the same, the concerns read like a story, rather than bullet points. Then you had to flick from page to page and try decipher, which concern matched with what help and target (if any).

I have pointed out to them the IEP should be understandable to everyone concerned and easily be implemented by a teacher who had no knowledge of ds or his problems.

Looking at your IEP, i found it confusing, i wouldnt realise that your ds had problems changing his books. I would be standing waiting for him to do it independently and what has it got to do with his self esteem and mumbling?

Precisely!! Blimey they are useless aren't they? They have said they would welcome suggestions so I'm going to refocus it on SCD and then use the suggestions here to alter it.

The book routine is becoming important in relation to accessing his education and that is the bit he needs help with!

As far as im concerned there are only 3 areas im interested in, they can add strength and weaknesses, home/school book and outside help etc, etc, somewhere else. If it means changing their format, then so be it!

CONCERNS: Specifically what the problem is.

ACTION
? What help will be given?
? How the help is to be given?
? Who will give the help?
? How often the help will be given?

TARGETS
What are the achievable target?
How will progress be monitored?

Sorry i did ask, do you want a copy of what i have, to get some ideas, i forgotten what you replied, dont want to ram it down your throat!

For the independent morning routine - is this written down and displayed prominently in the classroom somewhere? If not - it needs to be, to enable your DS to become more independent. This is something the teacher or TA needs to sort out IMO.

It's not anywhere. They are supposed to have a card for him but it's never shown to him.

I think a general list for the class is a good idea.

Do you think it's appropriate to suggest he do a show and tell about a topic which isn't star wars? Every day is a show and tell about star wars for DS! To suggest another topic would be what takes him out of his comfort zone to make some progress.

Debs

Hi

You don't want too much on an IEP. I think three targets - particularly for a young child, is enough and they should be achievable. Wassuups suggestions are great (Wassuup - can you write all my IEPS for my students please!)

Your Star Wars thing - hmmmm - this is quite a biggie because he is actually succeeding in doing show and tell which quite a few Aspie kids would be flatly refusing to do. What perhaps needs to be worked on is beginning (he's only 6) to develop the skill that not everyone is as interested in his all consuming interest as he is.

They should have an IEP target that relates to something that the SALT has recommended. Although on saying that our SALT came after our IEPs were written so for our terms ones they don't at the mo.

Thanks flyingmum, I wasn't sure myself. I think you're right -simple, basic achievable tasks.

It makes my job easier as wasuup's ideas tweak what is there and will be easier (hopefully) to agree with the teachers.

Morning Debs, how your draft of IEP going?

Just doing it now!!