An IEP is an individual education program that is held accountable by the school and government. The IEP helps in developing proper education plans for students with disabilitie

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Individualized Education Programs for Students with Autism
Inrduction
An IEP is an individual education program that is held accountable by the school and government. The IEP helps in developing proper education plans for students with disabilities. The main objective of this program is the placement for education and special education and related services, and evaluation criteria and measurement. Therefore it is necessary to use attention and consideration in the plans submitted for children with disabilities carefully. The development of the IEP is a collaborative effort between parents and teachers so that they arrive to the goals and benefits of this program. This is an important purpose to serve children with special needs.
I chose this topic because it is important and used for children who have disabilities such as autism. I have worked with children with autism in classroom settings many times, and have seen the importance of them having IEPs. Each student has specific needs that are much different from typically developing peers and a special plan helps meet those needs. In my home country of Saudi Arabia, even if there are plans for children with special needs, the plans are not closely followed. It?s difficult to find information about any programs similar to IEPs in Saudi Arabia. I am especially interested in learning how to properly use IEPs here so that I can take this knowledge back to Saudi Arabia and apply it there. It is important for all students, including students with autism, to have a successful education. IEPs can be a very important part of this.
Communication and the Development of the IEP
To develop the IEP, it is important parents are educated about the procedures. In one guide written for parents, it is advised that parents provide the school with detailed information about their child with autism. This input, called the comprehensive evaluation report (CER) is required by law (Moyes, 2001).
A 2006 article reviews a number of studies examining parental perspective on the IEP process. Some studies have found that parents of students in special education programs have had negative experiences in the creation of their children?s IEPs. Some parents felt the schools didn?t treat them well during the process. One issue may be the lack of diversity in the special education departments. According to one study, 41 percent of the children in special education are culturally and linguistically diverse but only 14 percent of the special education teachers are. This could create a divide between the families and educators. However, the article states that as time goes on, more parents are becoming more educated about the IEP process and the relationship between the school and families is improving (Reiman, Beck, Coppola, & Engiles, 2010).
This is very important, as both parents, if possible, must participate in thedevelopment of IEP. That may also include that they have the right to make decisions and discussions of their child. Such participation is an important part in the IEP. There must be documented parental consent to provide special education. This means that the parents had knowledge of all aspects of IEP. This approval can cancel at any time. The parents must have a good understanding of the proceedings and the school needs to make arrangements for different situations, like ESL and deaf parents (Yell, 2012).
Additionally, these meetings are important for the development of IEP so that the child?s education can be coordinated from both sides. The school sends a written notice for parents to choose the day of the meeting. This is evidence of the importance of the meeting with parents and discussing and taking their views. Even though they need full participation, parents do not have absolute veto over final results (Yell, 2012).
It is also necessary for the child to be assessed and also observed in a variety of settings and situations. Teachers and outsiders should both observe the student. This gives other persectives on the student?s behavior that may not get caught by someone used to seeeing him every day. This is needed for proper diagnosis and placement. Parents also have the option of enlisting the help of a trained professional to evaluate. (Moyes, 2001).
Together the parents and the school can meet the needs of the child with autism and provide him with the best services. Also this communication helps to resolve disputes that arise concerning the needs of the student. Often different people in the student?s life have different ideas about what is best for the student. Many times, they all have something valuable to contribute. By working together, their ideas can be combined and they can end up learning from each other. This is highly beneficial for the student. (Yell, 2012)
When the parents and school staff think that the student needs special education the case is brought to a multi-disciplinary team (MDT) to conduct the evaluation to see if he is eligible for the program. This team is made up of a variety of individuals with different backgrounds and training, to help come up with well-rounded solutions. If the MDT determines he is eligible, an IEP team is created to work on the development of the IEP.
Assessments on the student are necessary in making the IEP. These help determine the placement of the student and what is needed in his plan. The IEP team uses this information, along with observations and teacher and parent feedback, to develop the program. The IEP team takes much time in discussing options for the program and determines the placement.
Because students with autism spectrum disorder may show a great deal of variability in symptoms under different circumstances, like with different people or different settings, it can be especially hard to develop IEPs for them. That is why it?s recommended all people involved in screening the student and creating the IEP are very knowledgeable about the disorder and familiar with the student. Many times other disorders go along with autism spectrum disorder, like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) which can change some goals in an IEP (Yell, 2012).
The regulations require that the IEP is created at the beginning of the school year. The school may also have a meeting held at the end of school. IEP meetings can be somewhat flexible depending on the situation. In some cases, IEP team members are not required to attend if the parents and school agree in writing that it?s not necessary. Also, confernce calls, videoconferencing, and other means that are not face-to-face communication are acceptable. It?s acceptable to make ammendments to the IEP instead of redrafting it. These options all make the creation and maintenance of the IEP much more convenient for those involved. They also make it easier to adjust the student?s plan as needed, which is valuable for the education of the student (Yell, 2012)
Strict adherence to the IEP and procedural requirements, including notice and consent or participation in the meeting, is very important because procedural errors make the IEP invalid. The IEP will most likely be ruled invalid if there have been violations of the procedural requirements that get in the way of the student?s education in these ways (Yell, 2012).
Content of the IEP
The IDEA requires that, at a minimum, eight components be present in the IEP. States and local agencies, however, may require additional elements.
Sadly, most IEPs are a burden to teachers and nearly useless to parents and children. The typical IEP is empty, devoid of specific services to be provided. It says what the IEP team hopes to accomplish but doesn?t tell how the special services and interventions will help the child reach the goals. There is also a lack of assessment to see if the child is reaching goals.
The IEP is developed during an IEP meeting or meetings. The IEP meeting serves as a communication vehicle between parents and school personnel, who are equal participants in IEP planning. This process is an opportunity for collaboration in planning the student?s education. Together, parents and school personnel determine a student?s needs and the services the school will provide to meet those needs. Additionally, they decide what the anticipated outcomes will be. The IEP meeting can also be a forum for resolving differences that may arise regarding a student?s educational needs. If differences cannot be resolved at the IEP meeting, procedural safeguards are available to either party.
Measurable Annual Goals
The annual goals in the document are measured using the criteria listed in the IEP to determine the extent of the student?s progress. To evaluate student progress toward meeting goals, the IEP must contain goals that are measurable, and the appropriate school personnel must ensure that the goals will be measured. Furthermore, the IEP must describe how a student?s annual goals will be measured and include a schedule for reporting on a student?s progress toward his or her goals (Yell, 2012).
This individual must be qualified to provide or supervise the provision of the special education and to ensure that the educational services specified in the IEP will be provided. The representative of the agency must have knowledge regarding school district resources and the authority to commit them. If the representative can only commit resources within the school building, the IEP will not be valid (Martin, Martin & Terman, 1996).
The position may be filled by the school principal, the special education administrator, or any member of the school staff designated by the principal or administrator. Furthermore, the representative must actually participate in the IEP meeting and not just appear briefly to sign documents (Yell, 2012).
Effectiveness of IEPs
Although IEPs are, in theory, a solution to solving some issues in the education of students with special needs, there is still some debate over their effectiveness. This is mostly due to the quality of IEPs created and the teachers and other individuals carrying them out. Since each school is responsible for creating their own IEPs for their own students, there is great variability among IEPs across the country.
In a study done examing the quality of IEPs for young children with autism, thirty-five teachers of students with autism ages three to nine were enlisted from two states. The Likert scale was used for teachers to rate how consistent their students? IEPs were with the standards. The study found that only 41 percent of the objectives in the IEPs were described well in behavioral terms and only 39 percent gave the conditions when behaviors should occur. Also, only two percent gave enough description for goal measurement and only three percent gave descriptions of specifically designed instruction. None of the IEPs clearly stated criteria and timelines specifically written for the objective. In addition, most of the IEPs didn?t leave room for individualized modifications or a specified timeline other than the annual IEP meeting (Ruble, McGrew, Dalrymple, & Lee Ann, 2010 ).
In general, the researchers found the quality of the IEPs was poor. The positive aspect is that across states and districts, the results were consistent, meaning that some districts were not treating their IEPs better or worse than others. The researchers found that there was evidence that the IEPs were of less quality when teachers had more teaching experience. This may mean that teachers who have been teaching longer are experiencing more burnout while writing and enforcing IEPs (Ruble, McGrew, Dalrymple, & Lee Ann, 2010 ).
One study examined ?teacher and child predictors of achieving IEP goals of children with autism? and found some potentially interesting new information about how important it is to engage students. It found it is very important that students be engaged during instructional activities, even more than student factors like IQ, language, and autism severity are important. This is especially important for older students.
The study also found that the teachers who reported greater burnout at the beginning of the school year did not have students who made as much improvement in attaining their IEP goals. This is compared with teachers who reported less burnout. The researchers suggest that these results could indicate a need for more teacher supports in cases where teachers are reporting burnout. The researchers also note that their results should be interpretted with caution and that the study requires replication to confirm results (Ruble & McGrew, 2013).
Personal Opinion
My personal stance is that IEPs are very important to help students with autism. They help to measure academic skills, which is an important factor in the development of children with autism. IEPs can keep monitor of capabilities the students are mastering. For example, a student?s IEP may cover the goal for the student to be able to put objects in order by size and by weight, depending on thickness. This is a specific goal that the teachers need to be able to reference. In addition to educational goals, IEPs help teachers and parents to know the behavioral problems such as stress and hurting oneself and others and yelling and crying spells and other problems. These behaviors are unacceptable and directly affect or indirectly affect the performance and concentration of the student and the students around him.
With an IEP, teachers can better plan their lessons and days around what their students need. IEPs also require the involvement of other faculty at the school and professionals who can give very important feedback about the characteristics of the disability. Possibly most importantly, they involve parents. The parents are an essential part of a student?s education. With their communication with the school, they can work with educators to make sure goals match at school and at home. That way, the student is working in each environment to grow in a positive direction.
According to the research, it is very important for IEPs to be properly created and carried out. Research shows that the quality of IEPs does not always match the standards in place for IEPs. When the quality is not high enough, the student misses out on important learning opportunities. Teachers also do not have the reference they need to properly educate their students. In addition, teacher performance regarding IEPs need to be very high. If a teacher has been teaching many years and is experiencing burnout, he or she may need extra support. It is shown in the research that teachers who were experiencing burnout didn?t have students who met as many goals as they should have by the end of the school year.
I think IEPs are a very valuable tool for educating students with special needs, especially students with autism. In closing, the IEP must be created using expert advice and communication between parents and the school. Teachers and schools must be willing to compose a high quality IEP and then follow through with it. The goals must be clear and the teacher must engage the student.
References
Martin, E., Martin, R., & Terman, D. (1996). The legislative and litigation history of special education. The Future of Children, 6, 25-39.
Rebecca A. Moyes, (2001). CHAPTER SEVEN: IEP Development (How-To Instructions for Parents). Incorporating Social Goals in the Classroom: A Guide for Teachers & Parents of Children with High-Functioning Autism & Asperger Syndrome (pp. 155-178).
Reiman, J. W., Beck, L., Coppola, T., & Engiles, A. (2010). Parents’ Experiences with the IEP Process: Considerations for Improving Practice. Center for Appropriate Dispute Resolution in Special Education (CADRE).
Ruble, L. A., McGrew, J., Dalrymple, N., & Lee Ann, J. (2010). Examining the Quality of IEPs for Young Children with Autism. Journal Of Autism & Developmental Disorders, 40(12), 1459-1470. doi:10.1007/s10803-010-1003-1.
Ruble, L. l., & McGrew, J. H. (2013). Teacher and Child Predictors of Achieving IEP Goals of Children with Autism. Journal Of Autism & Developmental Disorders, 43(12), 2748-2763. doi:10.1007/s10803-013-1884-x
Yell, Mitchell L., Pearson; The Law and Special Education, Third Edition, 2012.

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