What Parents Need to Know about the IEP Process, with Therapist Beth Liesenfeld

If you are a parent of a neurodivergent kid with a diagnosed learning disability, you likely have had experience with Individualized Education Plans, otherwise known as IEPs. And if this is you, my hunch is you have some feelings about IEPs and the whole process — the stresses, the unknowns, the fact that it might feel like you have to understand a completely different language just to get the services and supports your child needs and deserves in schools.

I invited occupational therapist Beth Liesenfeld of The IEP Lab to answer your questions around how parents can better prepare for an IEP meeting, what actually makes a good IEP, and how we can go about making changes on an IEP if we realize the accommodations aren’t being effective or if a school isn’t following through in a way the IEP outlines.

Beth is an incredibly knowledgeable expert on the subject of IEPs, and as you’ll hear, she’s truly passionate about providing “insider” information of the school’s process and culture to parents in order to increase collaboration between parents and school staff. Through her school experience, Beth saw inequity in parents' ability to advocate for a quality IEP for their child and now teaches parents a 4-step process to effectively advocate for their children within the schools through online workshops and interactive, supportive online courses.

Chapters

• 5:00 Beth shares her story for how she became an expert in supporting parents through the IEP process
• 9:48 Why IEP meetings are so inherently stressful for parents
• 14:09 What parents should know before they attend an IEP meeting
• 18:01 What defines a "good" IEP? What does an effective or well written IEP include?
• 23:07 Beth explains the purpose of setting "goals" in an IEP, and how to go about creating meaningful, effective goals
• 25:50 What should parents do if the accommodations outlined in an IEP aren't being followed?
• 33:53 Can IEPs include supports for students who are in school refusal mode?
• 36:40 What parents should do if they realize an aspect of their child's IEP isn't working and they want to make a change
• 37:45 Beth discusses whether or not 2e students can push for accommodations even if they're "technically" falling behind, but they're not performing to their potential
• 40:27 Beth shares more about the resources she offers through The IEP Lab and how to connect with her