The Last IEP Meeting by Karen Putz

It hit me like a ton of bricks this week when the school counselor remarked, “This is the last IEP meeting for David.” I looked at my son sitting next to me. How did the time fly by so fast? He was a little toddler when Joe and I sat in on his first IEP meeting. David had just turned three and was diagnosed with a profound hearing loss just a short time before that. I had attended many other IEP meetings as an advocate for other families, but it was a whole new ballgame to sit in the IEP meeting as a parent.

One of the hardest things for me to do was to put him on the bus for a 45-minute ride to school. It was hard to trust someone else to drive my child, hard to trust someone else to care for him and protect him. I didn’t like the bus driver, a young man who seemed distracted. My gut feeling kept telling me that something was wrong. A few days later, I went to get David off the bus and spied a half-smoked cigarette on the floor. That was the last time that bus driver picked up my kid and I requested an aide on the bus after that.

David attended a school with a deaf program for three years. In kindergarten, the supervisor ca

me up to me and told me that they felt the best placement for David would be in his home school district. I struggled with that view, because I grew up solo in the mainstream– I was the only kid with hearing loss all the way up until I met Shawn Haines in high school. Then it was solo and a friend. I didn’t want that for my kid. I wanted to make sure he grew up with deaf and hard of hearing peers. So at first, I balked at the suggestion. Joe and I had days and days of discussion, wrestling with the decision. Should we fight to keep him in the deaf program or should we try the mainstream option?

Finally, we came to the conclusion that we would give the mainstream option a try, with the intention of putting him back in the deaf program if it didn’t work out. From day one, I was determined to make sure he had a different experience than what I went through growing up. Our subdivision had built a brand new elementary school right across the street from our house and it was just about to open up. I went in and introduced myself to the principal, Randy Vanwaning. That turned out to be one of the best moves, because Mrs. Vanwaning stayed on our side throughout the whole elementary school experience.

There’s a saying that I learned at a MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) conference years ago: “Bloom where you are planted.” Once we decided that we were going to mainstream the kids, we kept that philosophy with us. We made the best out of it. I volunteered at the school and in the school library so that I could get to know the staff and the teachers. I went into class and read books to the students using sign and voice. I became involved with local playgroups and neighbors. The school hired an interpreter whose parents are deaf. Mrs. Mac is still interpreting today for Steven. Mrs. Mac started an ASL club at the school. The music teacher embraced sign in every single concert that the school put on and Mrs. Mac volunteered her time to teach the students one song per concert. Many of the students signed the school song at assemblies.

There were many experiences along the way that were challenging and it wasn’t always easy. I teamed up with Janet Des Georges to write The Myth of the Perfect IEP as a result of those challenges. I often reminded myself that it would have been the same in any environment– it’s the nature of the journey and of life. There were times when we questioned our decisions and explored options and considered changes. One of the most difficult IEP meetings we ever had was David’s transition to high school. A staff member felt strongly that we should keep him in the home district. We felt differently– we wanted David at Hinsdale South, where he would have deaf and hard of hearing peers as well as a mainstreamed education. We couldn’t come to an agreement at that meeting. That was a meeting where tears were shed– I’ve had a few of them over the years with the three kids for different reasons. We worked out that agreement and it paved the way for a smooth transition for Lauren as well.

At David’s last IEP meeting, I sat and thought about all of this as I watched him talk about his experience at the “Explore Your Future” camp to the VR counselor and the district representative. I sat in awe as I watched him share his views of what he wanted for his future– this little boy of mine has turned into a young man– when did that happen? I thought back to preschool, and how he cried during the Christmas show that the teachers put on. The teachers tried to encourage him to say his lines, but all he did was sit in his chair and cry while the other kids took turns saying and signing their lines. I look back at that time and laugh, because I have a son who can get up on stage and put on a show now. Go figure.

For a long time, I was the parent teaching the child–guiding David through life and sharing what I wanted him to know. Lately, I’ve been aware of how much the roles have shifted, I’m learning things from my son. When we head to the gym together, he teaches me things about muscle development and he becomes my coach as he runs me through drills. “Come on Mom, you have to do one more set”– which sounds a lot like the stuff I tell him at home: “Clean the bathroom and sweep the living room.” Just yesterday, he made a stir-fry dinner while I was glued to the computer and I was surprised at how delicious it was. There he was, sharing his newly-made recipe with me and teaching me how to make a better stir-fry.

I mentor families who are just starting out on the journey of raising deaf and hard of hearing kids and the beginning of the journey always seems so overwhelming, so impossible, so challenging. “Hang on to every bit of time that you have with your child,” I tell them.

Because before you know it, in the blink of an eye, all of a sudden, the last IEP meeting arrives and you wonder how it went by so fast.

Read about the author of this post, Karen Putz (photo left) in the post:
 Meet Karen Putz, Deaf and Hard of Hearing Advocate

Meet Karen Putz, Deaf and Hard of Hearing Advocate

Karen Putz wears many hats and underneath them all is a remarkable woman, mom, writer and deaf and hard of hearing advocate. She is a deaf mom of three deaf and hard of hearing children and her husband is deaf too. She kindly shared her post The Last IEP Meeting with us. First, meet Karen and then share her joy as she tells us about her son’s journey through school in my next post.

Karen works full-time as a Video Solutions Manager for Zvrs and a National Manager, VCO. She gets to travel the country and improve the lives of deaf and hard of hearing customers through videophone access.
Also she provides Deaf Mentor services to families with deaf and hard of hearing children from birth to three years of age.


She is a board member of Hands & Voices  and she founded the Illinois chapter. Hands & Voices, as their mission states, is a parent-driven, non-profit organization providing families with the resources, networks, and information they need to improve communication access and educational outcomes for their children. Their outreach activities, parent/professional collaboration, and advocacy efforts are focused on enabling Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing children to reach their highest potential.

A couple of years ago, Karen decided to pursue writing. She started freelancing for a writing company. She has been blogging at “A Deaf Mom Shares Her World” since July, 2006. Her blog writing also opened up some opportunities for her as well and she has written for Disaboom, Parenting Squad , Chicago Moms Blog and a couple of other places. Karen has been syndicated in several newspapers around the U.S. She has been published in Midwifery Today, and in four books: On the Fence, Don’t Cut Me Again, The Book of Choice, and Discovering Deaf Identitites.


Karen is currently a contributing columnist for the Chicago Tribune Trib Local and you can find her on ChicagoNow at Barefoot in the ‘Burbs.


This prolific writer also runs a blog about Jobs, Careers and Callings  for deaf and hard of hearing people. That blog was born because she realized she wanted her kids to know about deaf and hard of hearing people in the work place– something she didn’t have while growing up.

You can read more about Karen Putz by checking these links. Read her guest post here.

Blog: http://deafmomworld.com/

Twitter: DeafMom

How Schools Communicate With Parents

I have been wearing three hats, that of teacher, that of parent and that of Special Needs parent, for 35 years. Like the saying: “There are two sides to every story”, the much talked about problems with communication between parents and schools, have two sides also. Today’s post is to show the strategies School Boards, schools and teachers have in place to diffuse the required information to parents.

Could there be improvements in reaching information to parents? Most likely…but my first tip is to read and save in a binder or folder all the documentation mentioned below. You will be surprised how many of your questions are already answered.

The following are all the ways most schools try to be in touch with their parents:

*Often parents of Special Needs children, who have an IEP, meet with the child’s support team at the end of a school year to make a smooth transition for the coming school year.

*School staff is always working in school a few days at the end and the start of a school year, therefore if problems have come up, you can set up a meeting at those times.

*Most School Boards give each family or child documents at the start of the year outlining the broad guidelines, information, contact names, phone numbers, addresses…

*Your school adds to the above documents what information pertains to your particular school.

*Through out the year, the schools inform parents by sending home new information in their child’s school bag.

*Parents are invited to the School Board, PTA/Home & School meetings and school events.

*Your teacher also sends home his/her guidelines and added to this, the Art, Gym and Music teachers have send-outs too.

*Through out the year teachers send notes home and I even had a class journal with one daily entry chosen at the end of each day and sent home monthly.

*Nowadays most schools boards and schools have web sites, Facebook pages and teachers have email communication with parents.

*At the entrance inside each school, current news and information is on bulletin boards/electronic boards.

*Our school even has a message board on the side of the main road with upcoming reminders.

*At the start of each year ‘Open House’ sessions are held in the evenings with each teacher giving a 30 minute info session in her classroom. Usually the sessions are staggered so parents may attend two or three sessions to get a chance to meet more teachers the same evening.

*Some schools have the teachers in their classrooms 30 minutes before each PTA/Home & School meeting for parents to come in and chat.

*Lastly there are all the ‘one on one’ meetings with parents after each report card is sent out and all the other conferences requested by parents or by the teacher.

Our school systems are continually striving to please and inform parents. Sharing information is essential and both teachers and parents are responsible for making it happen. Watch for my next post outlining why, when and how to talk to your child’s teachers.

What other ways does your school system communicate with you?

Parents Are a Great Asset to the IEP Team

The term "IEP" refers to Individualized Education Program, and is most often used in conjunction with special services or for providing instructional services for a child with special needs. It is an ongoing planning-tool that must be reviewed and revised on a regular basis.

Who Develops the IEP?

As early as possible after it has been determined that your child is eligible for special educational services, an IEP must be drawn up. The school is responsible to develop the document starting by gathering all the information.

Then the Individual Education Plan should be refined jointly by the child's teacher, staff involved with the child's program (i.e., Special Education Teacher, Speech-Language Pathologist) and the parent/guardian.

Communication from the beginning among all the IEP team members and the sharing of information and ideas will result in a practical, workable IEP for the benefit of all.

The implementation of an IEP should not have two warring sides. All team members are there to smooth the educational journey of YOUR CHILD. I have been on both sides of the table, believe you me, neither is easy. If anything, the whole IEP team is tied by THE SYSTEM and THE BUDGET FOR SPECIAL NEEDS. It is not parents vs. school.

I have gone to bat for special needs children in my class and had my fingers rapped by higher up. Teachers have much less clout to fix THE SYSTEM than parents and Special Needs support groups. Advocate for your child; do not alienate those who are on the same team. Find the root causes of problems and try to influence changes by going diplomatically through the right channels.

Why Have An IEP?
Parents and professionals from the school, as well as the child if he/she is old enough, must schedule an initial meeting…the first of many I am afraid to say. In an IEP meeting, the decisions regarding special education and related services are made and the individualized educational plan is discussed. The IEP will outline the services your child needs to meet his learning needs. Information about your child’s present educational performance is stated and the specific measurable goals he/she is expected to accomplish within the year are listed. Also short term goals are included and evaluated throughout the year on the way to making progress towards his annual goals.

What is the Role of the Parents?

Parents have a great deal of knowledge and experience regarding their child. Parents are the experts in their own right. They provide historical information and the big picture from year to year. They know what works and does not work with their child and can be a great asset to the IEP team.

The goals and specific expectations, the accommodations and program modifications required must be discussed while fine-tuning the IEP. That first meeting of the whole team will, therefore, not be so daunting to the parents. Nothing should come out as a surprise. The focus of the meeting should be on making the IEP work.

Tip For Parents ~ Keep Records of EVERYTHING!

From the beginning, parents must keep good records in a large, sturdy folder which can be brought to meetings and appointments. Start compiling a list of all the people you must deal with and include all their contact information. An address book for this purpose works well. Keep a journal to write down, in chronological order, all developments. Include all tests results, appointments and discussions about your child. After a phone call, immediately write down the W’s: who, when, why and what. A good policy is to ask for every important decision to be written and signed. Make copies of important papers to always have one to put in your folder. This folder is your bible, it will quickly be worth its weight in gold!

Parents will have to sign consent forms needed for further tests or for the school to receive test results from professionals. Share any relevant reports or assessments about your child. Give your contact information so you are easy to reach to hasten the process.

Who Makes Up the IEP Team?
*Parents and child if he/she is old enough
*Previous classroom teacher if a school term is starting
*Regular classroom teacher
* School system representative: ( usually our principal and or the Special education coordinator attended)
*Professional who can interpret the evaluation results that led to your child’s eligibility for an IEP
*Professional who will provide services as part of the IEP
*Any other person either party deems has special expertise about the child

It is important that all parties be present for the initial meeting as well as the follow-up ones. I remember when I was teaching, how difficult it was to set a time when all could be present. It takes time to arrange every aspect of an IEP, therefore start months before you want it in place.

All parties are there for the benefit of your child and want to work in a collaborative way to map out your child’s educational plan. It might be overwhelming for the parents but they should know the whole team wants this IEP to be well drawn up and workable as much as the parents.

It is important that parents continue to be informed and involved in their child's education leading up to the IEP and for all the years after.

Please add other suggestions for parents whose child is in an IEP.