Here is a story I see play out in different forms, with details changed. A mom I'll call Priya describes her son's IEP like this: "He has a one-on-one aide, so we're good."
Two months later, the aide was reassigned to cover a different classroom. When Priya called the school, they said, "Well, it's not actually in his IEP."
It was not, because it had been "just done." When something is not written in the IEP, it is not guaranteed.
This is the most important rule in this post. Let's walk through the rest.
Services: the order matters
There are two kinds of services in an IEP:
Special education services (specially designed instruction): teaching that is customized to your child's needs, like reading, math, writing, or even speech if it helps them access learning.
Related services: supports that help your child benefit from their special education, like transportation, occupational therapy, physical therapy, or counseling.
The order of the conversation matters too. Services should be discussed after goals are written, because you cannot decide how much help a child needs until you know what you are trying to help them learn. And goals come after present levels, so it all runs in one line.
The IEP should say the type, frequency, duration, provider, and setting for every service. In plain English: what, how often, for how long, who, and where.
Stop sign: red flags with services
Services were picked before goals were written.
Reductions happen because of staffing, not because your child needs less.
The amount of time is set by the school schedule. (Math class is an hour, so the service is an hour. But what if your child needs more, or less?)
"That service is only for students with [a label]." Services follow need, not diagnosis.
Rest area: what to ask
"Please walk me through what this service looks like day to day."
"How will all of my child's providers coordinate with the classroom teacher?"
"What related services were considered (speech, OT, PT, counseling), and why or why not?"
"How much instruction time would my child need to make progress from their baseline to the goal?"
A story about dolphins (yes, really)
Here is a story I use to explain what the school has to consider. A family took their nonspeaking child to a dolphin therapy program on vacation, and their child said a first word. Of course the parents came home and asked for dolphin therapy in the IEP.
The school could not just say, "We don't have dolphins." (And they did not have to buy a dolphin.) What they did have to do was ask: what about that experience helped our student communicate, and can we build something similar into school?
The team found the pieces that mattered, like water play, sensory input, and a therapy animal visit, and wrote them into the IEP. The child kept making progress.
The lesson: a school can say no to the exact thing, but the answer should come from your child's needs and data, not from cost, staffing, or "we don't do that here."
Accommodations vs. modifications: how vs. what
Accommodations change how your child learns or shows what they know. Extra time, a quiet room, answering with multiple choice instead of writing.
Modifications change what is expected. Reading a different text than classmates, or completing fewer or different problems.
Think of glasses. On a driving test, glasses are an accommodation: you are still being tested on driving, and they help you see. On a vision test, glasses would change what is being measured, which is a modification. What matters is what the test is measuring.
Green light: what good looks like
The accommodations and modifications should help your child:
Make progress toward their goals
Take part in clubs, recess, and other non-academic activities
Learn alongside same-age peers
Stop sign: the "we'll just do it" trap
"We'll just do it. We don't have to put it in the IEP."
Supports listed without who, where, or how consistently.
If it matters, it belongs in writing.
Rest area: what to say
"Which classes will use this, and how often?"
"How will staff be notified and trained?"
"How will my child be taught to use this support independently?"
"How will this happen even when my child doesn't ask for it?" (Many kids will not ask. That is often part of the challenge.)
U-turn: when it is not happening
"I'm noticing that the accommodation isn't occurring. Can we plan staff training and a check-in date?"
And if the team says no to a service entirely, here is the line to remember:
"Please indicate the refusal and the reason, with data, in the Prior Written Notice."
If you remember one thing: if it matters, get it in writing in the IEP.
Want the whole map? Download the free IEP Roadmap checklist and check out our IEP Parent Training.
If you would like someone to look over your child's IEP with you, learn about our IEP Advocacy services. I offer a free 15-minute consultation if you want to talk it through.
Casey Gressmen, MBA, MEd, BCBA, LBA, is a licensed special education teacher and board certified behavior analyst and the founder of Phoenix Rising Behavior and Academic Consulting.
