FREE FOR PARENTS
Walk into that meeting knowing exactly what to ask.
Sixteen things worth doing before, during and after your child’s IEP meeting. Written by someone who was the child in those meetings.
School starts in a few weeks, and the meetings start with it. Read this before yours, not after.
Nothing to buy. No email needed. It’s all on this page — just scroll.
What’s inside
Sixteen things, in the order you’ll need them.
Before you go
Six things to do in the week beforehand — including two you are allowed to ask the school for, and probably never have.
Seven questions to ask
Word for word, so you don’t have to think of them while eight people are talking about your child.
Before you leave
Three things — including the one most parents get wrong in the last two minutes, which can cost them months.
The checklist
Most parents leave an IEP meeting wishing they had said something. Not because they didn’t care — because the room moves fast. Take this in with you.
BEFORE THE MEETING
- Email and ask if there is a draft you can read first. Schools do not have to send one, but many will if you ask early.
- Write down three things that are going well. Start there.
- Write down your three biggest worries, in plain words.
- Bring one real example for each worry — a date, a note home, a photo.
- Ask who will be in the room, so nobody surprises you.
- You are allowed to bring someone with you. You do not have to go alone.
ASK THESE IN THE MEETING
- “What will actually be different for my child on Monday morning?”
- “Who is responsible for each support, and for how many minutes a week?”
- “How will we know it is working? What will you measure?”
- “What happens if it is not working by the next review?”
- “What does my child do right now when they are struggling in class?”
- “What support is there at lunch, at recess, and between lessons?”
- “Can we put that in the document, please?”
BEFORE YOU LEAVE
- Ask for a copy of everything agreed.
- You do not have to sign on the day. You can take it home and read it.
- Write down the date of the next review before you stand up.
A preparation guide, not legal advice.
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I have chosen to accept my label of autism not as a disability, but as an extraordinary ability.
TYLER McNAMER — DIAGNOSED AT TWO, AUTHOR AND SPEAKER
And when the answer is “no” ?
The checklist tells you what to ask. IEP Tips & Tricks shows you what to do next — how to word a request so it gets written down, what to do when a service keeps slipping, and how to keep the meeting about your child instead of the paperwork.
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