Welcome to iepprep.com, premier website for creating positive solutions for successful Individualized Education Program (IEP) team meetings. Navigating special education can be a daunting and intimidating experience. Advocating for a child’s education can be confusing and scary. Knowledge, coupled with some basic skills which can be quickly and easily learned, will remove most of these barriers. This site is dedicated to being child-centered, by focusing on helping the adults serving children do their jobs more effectively. The primary goal of iepprep.com is to make the IEP process a positive process. For our purposes, positive is defined by child-centered discussions which are respectful, considerate and objective. Notice, it was not stated that it must be one in which all parties agree! Disagreements will undoubtedly happen. However, when they do, the process can still remain respectful, considerate and objective.

Who is this site for?
Conflict is becoming more apparent in our society. With litigation in special education sharply on the rise, it is clear that IEP teams are not resolving conflicts successfully. Perhaps more importantly, conflict is not being proactively prevented. This site is dedicated to:

• Those of us who have decided that conflict does not have to debilitate the IEP process.
• Those of us who want to prevent and resolve conflicts in a positive, collborative manner.
• Parents, teachers, and administrators who sincerely want what's best for all children.
• All who want to work together for the benefit of children in all aspects of education.

This site is not written for those who believe that to get what's best for children they must be aggressive and intimidating.

Our Goals:
As stated above, our primary goal is to make the IEP process a positive one, to turn the tides of the current trend wherein attorneys, who, by and large, do not necessarily know how to teach children, are running our educational system. Knowledge of the law does not replace solid, research-based, child-centered teaching and intervention. An IEP written at the expense and alienation of the educators and parent(s) will result in a great legal document, but will undoubtedly transfer negative emotion to the child, having a detrimental effect, even if not explicitly intended. The current trend of ever increasing litigation is one that will eventually bankrupt school districts across our country. Litigation in the field of special education costs school districts millions upon millions of dollars every year. The money spent in litigation over special education programs comes at the expense of every student in every district across the country—including your child! Yet the solution is much simpler than the complex problems faced by IEP teams.

The Solution:
The solution is positive special education advocacy. The solution is adults willing to sit down respectfully and professionally to discuss differences with an outcome which proves beneficial for the child. Far too often, when a team is in severe conflict, the focus of the adults shifts away from the child. In these cases, the focus becomes defensive in an attempt to protect the egos and attitudes of the people entrenched in the conflict. It doesn’t have to be this way. I look forward to growing with you in the special education journey by bringing parents, educators, and service providers back to the roots of why we are here—the children.

What Next?

• Sign up for our monthly newsletter that will feature a different topic each month relating to the IEP process. Topics may include: Successful conflict management techniques, spotlights on the IEP document, speech & language strategies for parents/teachers, occupational therapy strategies for the home and classroom, how to rebuild trust once it gone, and how to develop assets in others. Plus, when you sign up, you receive two free downloads: "Homework, Help!" and "Emotionally Surviving IEPs: Top 10 List for Parents."
• Once you’ve signed up, please provide your feedback, questions, and ideas for topics through the "Contact Us" link. This site is meant to be an interactive tool to the benefit of all involved.
• Check out our FAQ Page if you’re new to this whole process.

Thank you for being here! Please bookmark this page and come back often.