Writing Meaningful Individualized Education Plans (IEPs)

School-based SLPs often look at writing Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) as just a paperwork task; however, it is one of the most meaningful activities we do for our students each year. Participants will learn the difference between writing a compliant vs. meaningful IEP, which is a connected document carefully designed by a team to describe a student’s strengths, needs, and access to curriculum as defined by the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA).

Presenters

Sarah Bevier
M.S. CCC-SLP
Sarah is the co-founder of SLP Toolkit and Bright Ideas Media and has over 10 years of experience in the field of speech pathology. As a full time SLP, she was active in her district's speech pathology advisory council, mentored graduate students and CF-SLPs in the field of speech pathology, and regularly presented to teachers and speech pathologists on topics pertaining to behavior, communication, and vocabulary acquisition. She is a graduate of Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Science in Speech and Hearing and a Master's degree in Communication Disorders. She is also a member of ASHA, as well as a member of ASHA SIG (Special Interest Group) 16, which focuses on school based issues. She regularly presents nationally at universities and conventions on topics related to communication disorders.
Lisa Kathman
M.S. CCC-SLP
Lisa has been a speech-language pathologist since 1997. As an SLP, Lisa has worked exclusively with pediatrics in home health, clinics and in schools. She was formerly the lead SLP in the largest school district in Arizona, and is passionate about mentoring other SLPs, graduate students and clinical fellows. Lisa is the co-founder of SLP Toolkit (www.slptoolkit.com) and Bright Ideas Media (www.bethebrightest.com), an ASHA approved continuing education provider. Lisa currently serves as a member of the ASHA Continuing Education Board.

Learning Objectives

Describe the differences between a compliant IEP and a meaningful IEP.
Determine if the present levels section is comprehensive enough to give the team enough information on the student’s strengths and needs to determine effective programming.
Develop measurable goals and be able to recommend service times that are directly connected to the needs preventing a student from accessing the general education curriculum.

Agenda

5 minutes	Introductions and disclosures
15 minutes	Overview and background of current legal precedence and systems SLPs use to write IEPs
20 minutes	Use of Present Level Assessments in SLP Toolkit to gain a strengths/needs profile for a student
10 minutes	Case study review
10 minutes	Use of strengths/needs profile to determine SMART goals
10 minutes	Use of strengths/needs profile to determine accommodations
10 minutes	Use of strengths/needs profile to determine service delivery
10 minutes	Conclusion and questions and answers

Disclosures

Content Disclosure

This presentation will focus exclusively on the SLP Toolkit software application and will not include information on similar or related products or apps.

ASHA

This course is offered for 0.15 ASHA CEUs, Introductory level, Professional Area, Professional Area

Writing Meaningful Individualized Education Plans (IEPs)