Advice for parents: Creating an effective Individualized Education Program
by thenotebook on Nov 12 2013
by Anne L. Hunter
First grader Anthony Powell Jr. can’t live without supportive services. Without them, he – like many other children with autism – he has nothing to steady him.
Dawn Powell, Anthony’s mother, remembers his first bus ride to preschool at the Center for Autism.
“He had to have someone sit next to him because he would take the seatbelt off and rise from his seat. It was a whole bunch of issues,” she said. “Anthony will try everything and anything he can. His challenge is to learn boundaries.”
When Anthony, now 6, began attending Louis Farrell School, his mother knew that he had to have therapeutic staff support (TSS) and other special education services. TSS is one-to-one staff behavioral support for students.
Anthony still has deficits in speech/language, social skills, and attention, but Powell said that the Individualized Education Program (IEP) that was developed for him at Farrell was “on target.” The supports are making a significant difference.
Anthony’s classroom accommodations include TSS, a behavior system, a class schedule, learning centers, and inclusion with his regular education peers.
“I feel like his teacher and the special education liaison knew what he was capable of and what he needed help with,” she said.
Under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, school districts are