good-buy-site.com

Special Education: What Does IDEA Say About Functional Skills, and How Will It Help My Child?

by

JoAnn Collins

Are you the parent of a child, with autism or some other disability,

that thinks your child may benefit from functional skill training?

Would you like to know what the Individuals with Disabilities

Education Act (IDEA) requires in relation to functional skills? Would

you like parenting tips on using IDEA requirements to help your child

receive functional skill training? This article is for you; it will

discuss IDEA requirements, and how you can use them to advocate for

functional skills training for your child.

The purpose of IDEA is to ensure that all children with disabilities

have available to them a free appropriate public education that

emphasizes special education and related services designed to meet

their unique needs and prepare them for further education, employment,

and independent living. Education is more than reading, writing, and

math; it also includes functional skills to help children with

disabilities live a full and rewarding life. This is especially true

for children with autism or intellectual disabilities.

IDEA requires each child s individual educational plan (IEP) to

contain a statement of present levels of academic achievement, and

functional performance. School personnel should give you objective

information (testing) each year, about your child s academic and

functional performance.

Do not accept teacher subjective observations and grades (also

subjective), to determine if your child is making academic and

functional progress. Around Christmas time ask that testing be

performed in the areas of academics and functional skills, in January,

so that these results can be used at the annual IEP meeting. Also ask

for copies of the testing at least 14 days before the meeting, so that

you will be able to be an equal participant in the meeting.

IDEA also requires that the IEP contains a statement of measurable

annual goals, including academic and functional goals. Since you asked

for testing at Christmas time, and hopefully have received the results

before the IEP meeting, you will have some knowledge of your child s

academic and functional needs.

Write a few academic and functional goals, and make sure they are

measurable. In other words, how will you know when your child has made

the goal? Bring the list with you to your child s IEP meeting. Share

your input on annual academic and functional goals with the IEP team.

By understanding what the federal law IDEA states, about functional

skills, you can use the information to ensure that your child is

tested in this area, and has annual goals developed for their IEP, if

needed. Functional skills will help your child become as independent

as possible as an adult, and live a more fulfilled life!

JoAnn Collins is the mother of two adults with disabilities, and hashelped families of children with disabilities navigate the specialeducation system, as an advocate, for over 15 years. She is apresenter and author of the book “Disability Deception; LiesDisability Educators Tell and How Parents Can Beat Them at Their OwnGame.” The book has a lot of resources and information, to helpparents fight for an appropriate education for their child. For a freeE newsletter entitled “The Special Education Spotlight” send an E mailto: JoAnn@disabilitydeception.com. For more information on her book,testimonials, and a link to more free articles go to:http://www.disabilitydeception.com.

Article Source:

ArticleRich.com