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Dec 25, 2009, 9:48pm

Central Florida Parent Center :: Parents :: IEP Experiences :: From the Point of View of a Student

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Topic: From the Point of View of a Student (Read 18 times)

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From the Point of View of a Student
« Thread Started on Aug 26, 2009, 10:45am »

I have a learning disability in math and was diagnosed with A.D.H.D when I was very young. I.E.P's have been a part of my education pretty much as long as I can remember. My mother was a Parent who knew her way around the I.E.P process, before we moved to FL she was a support parent (or something close to it) she helped other parents understand the I.E.P process.

Even though I was young, my mom always spoke to me about my education, and she was always supportive. I think that even in kindergarten I was involved in my education planning process. I was by no means my own advocate in elementary school but I went to the meetings. I started learning about the process at a young age which I feel really helped me get a grasp of things as I got older. I understood my own rights, what I could ask for, what I thought could help me. When I went to my I.E.P I did not act as a silent observer, I spoke up. I shared what worked, and my complaints about what didn't. I spoke about ME, and what I needed, because if a student can't speak up and at a meeting about their own future when can they?

My experience helping to plan my own educational path, gave me courage to speak up in class and tell my teachers what I needed. It also prepared me for college, where if I don't speak up, nothing happens. My mom is no longer there making sure I get my services, it is up to me, but because of the way my mom included me in the process I am prepared for that.

The point of this message is to ask you to keep your kids involved in the process of planning their education as much as possible from a young age. After all it's about them, they are the individual in the I.E.P process.

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