IEP Game Training: We Are Booking Now
Location: San Diego, California
Our Next IEP Game training will be held in San Diego in Late May. Book Your Spot Now.
Call: 949 370 1186
Introduction to the IEP Game
The IEP Game interactive training employs the use of playing cards in conjunction with a reference guide, fill-in form and sample special education file that combine into a step by step rational-legal method of documenting the impacts of a disability and justifying entitlements to intervention.
Best Fit
The best fit between categories is a much more simple task than sitting in an IEP meeting with four or five different specialists each speaking professional jargon. Fitting the IEP Game cateogies together begins with Deficits.
Interactive training player's choose the Deficits that apply to the sample case used during the training session. Parents with a self-advocacy kit choose the deficits that apply to their child. Next, a player chooses all the Evidence cards that identify the types of evidence, found in the student's file, that support or prove the existance of the problems chosen from the deficit cards. Experts cards then help rank the evidence by level of credibility or importance. Ranking the importance of evidence is an important step in building a case for the existance or severity of an impact, caused by a deficit, upon functional performance or academic achievement. Players then choose all the applicable Needs created by the deficit. Needs cards help identify the different options available for addressing (which could be assessments, accommodations, modifications or interventions) the deficit or the impact of the deficit. Finally, players choose all the Rights associated with the deficit or the Rights associated with the child's unique needs.
For parent advocacy training, players focus on moving into the documentation phase. When a parent has configured the best fit between categories, it is time to create a "parent concerns" letter documenting a child's deficits and evidence, the created needs and applicable rights. The fit between the different categories provides a systematic assessment of the child with a written report by the parent.
The IEP Game Training and Self-Advocacy Kit also creates an easily accessible system that guides parents through the process of:
- Identifying a child's deficits and problems
- Documenting evidence supporting the existence of deficits and problems
- Understanding the varying levels of credibility in different types of evidence
- Identifying methods of intervention used to meet unique needs created by deficits
- Understanding how legal rights help guide the Individual Educational Planning process.
- Systematically documenting parent concerns for IEP meetings
The IEP Game system is based on the assumption that legal rights are not self-executing and documentation is "...organized specifically around establishing a physical or mental disability that entitles that person to particular accommodations or services under the law." A parent cannot effectively advocate for a child if they: (a) cannot access the language professionals use within the IEP, (b) are intimidated, (c) are placed in a defensive position and cast as subjective family members in a professional institution and (d) are at odds with schools who have become closed-off gatekeepers of needed resources.
The IEP Game is also designed to level the language field and use law as a process rather than a weapon. The IEP Game is designed to help parents understand what special educators are talking about in IEP meetings. Leveling the language field means providing parents a vocabulary that translates the professional jargon of specialists into understandable terms.
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