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What is an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) for an Elementary School Age Child?
 The IEP is the foundation of the child's educational program and must be
developed with care. Parents are vital team members in writing the IEP and should bring with them to the meeting their priorities for their child's goals and objectives.
IDEA requires that each IEP have:
- Description of the child; Present level of functioning
- Goals and Objectives
- Related services to be provided
- Special education placement
- Time and duration of services
- Evaluation of the IEP
Each of these will be defined briefly:
- Description of child: Present level of functioning: The first section of the IEP includes both demographic
information about the child and a description of the child's strengths and needs. Parents should be sure to include information about what the child can do, what his or her strengths are, and what learning style he or
she presents (e.g. He needs visual cues for directions; he works best in small, quiet spaces). This section also includes results of the initial observations and testing.
- Goals and Objectives: Goals are written for the results that the team would like to see the child achieve
during that year (annual goals). They are to be written in a positive, measurable way (e.g. Given a picture board, Sean will make his needs clear to his teachers). Objectives are shorter-term benchmarks, designed
to measure progress along the way to the goal. They may include how much assistance the child is to be given, how accurate the child must be, how often a behavior is to be shown, etc.
- Related services to be provided: Related services supplement the activities provided in the classroom.
These may include: Assistive technology (e.g., communication boards, computerized language devices, padded supportive chairs), audiology, counseling services, medical services (limited to certain diagnostic
services), occupational therapy, parent counseling and training, physical therapy, psychological services, recreation, rehabilitation counseling services, school health services, school social work services, speech
-language pathology, and transportation.
- For children with fragile X syndrome, a number of these services are often vital. These terms are expanded upon in the section titled Intervention. The importance of the services of a speech-language pathologist and
an occupational therapist will be discussed in the that section.
- Special education placement: The most appropriate placement in the least restrictive environment (that is,
as much as possible with regular education peers) for the child must be determined after the goals and objectives have been set up. Many school districts provide a range or continuum of placements, and the
team's goal is to decide which is the most appropriate, in the least restrictive environment. The IEP must state how much time the child will spend in the general education classroom.
- Time and Duration of Services: A date must be determined for the beginning of each of the child's special
education services. Each state has a limitation on the time allowed before services must begin. Duration of the services and the amount of time allotted to each must also be included (e.g., two hours of speech and
language therapy weekly). Many services will be set up on an annual basis, but some might be for a short term (e.g. six weeks of social work assistance with the entire class in order to help with peer understanding
of the child with fragile X syndrome).
- Evaluation of the IEP: If goals and objectives have been written in measurable ways, then regular evaluation
can be carried out to learn how the child is progressing toward those goals. The law requires an annual meeting to review progress and goals, but most states now use "benchmarks" as often as four times a year
to let parents know of the progress being made. If goals need to be adjusted, then the parents must be called in for an IEP update meeting.
- Reevaluation does not need to mean the administration of another battery of formal, standardized tests.
Evaluation may be through teacher observation, the development of a portfolio of the child's work, the use of checklists, and other descriptive means.
- What special considerations should the IEP include for a school-age child with fragile X syndrome?
- What kinds of goals are appropriate for school-age children with fragile X syndrome?
- What are some important teaching strategies to keep in mind with children who have fragile X syndrome?
- What related services are available for children with fragile X syndrome?
Gail Harris-Schmidt, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
Saint Xavier University
Chicago, Illinois
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