A Case for Amaya- IDEA Part B

A Case for Amaya- IDEA Part B

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Jones,

It has been a great experience working with you and Amaya over the last year. With the help of Amaya’s speech-language pathologist, Amaya has made impressive progress in the area of communication and language. She can also make better social interactions and play routines, which was all because of the great support she received from you and the community members. It is now time for Amaya to transition into preschool, and it is my responsibility to help you and Amaya during this transition. This will require various changes, including a change from services obtained in Part C to Part B. I look forward to your cooperation and hope to see even more progress from Amaya. This letter will give detailed information on the transition that is expected to take place.

As stated earlier, Amaya will transition from Part C to Part B. This means a transition to the Individualized Education Program or Plan (IEP) from the present Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP). The IEP is a legal document whereby school personnel and parents determine particular services and supports that the student will require to gain access to general education (Macleod et al., 2017; Chapman, 2015). This program is more child-focused than the family-focused IFSP. The IEP process is normally considered one of the most powerful aspects of the student’s education. Hence, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires parents to be equal members during the generation of the IEP. Therefore, as Amaya’s parents, you will be included in the decision of eligibility and assessment of the special education services needed by Amaya, her placement, and the actual writing of the IEP.

The IEP team involves a school district representative, a special education teacher, professionals who can offer insight into how Amaya’s assessment will affect her education, a general education teacher, and any other professional who is knowledgeable of Amaya’s case (Chapman, 2015). With your consent, I would also be present to aid Amaya’s transition and attend the various IEP meetings. I would like to stress the importance of your presence and participation in the IEP. Your ability to describe Amaya’s strengths and needs helps to maintain the focus on the child and can also influence the outcome. The district representative will act as the chair, facilitate discussion, and be knowledgeable of special education services. In collaboration with the general education teacher, the special education teacher will help make decisions about goal setting, curriculum modification, services, and support.

The IDEA requires that the IEP contain a statement of the child’s current functional performance and academic attainment (Chapman, 2015; Center for Parent Information & Resources, 2021). A statement of the measurable yearly goals, including the functional and academic goals, should also be made. These goals should be designed to meet the needs of Amaya and help progress towards the attainment of such goals, which need to be made, measured, and tracked by the team. The team also needs to make a statement that describes the services, any modifications, and extra school personnel needed to aid Amaya in meeting her goals. Other important components of the IEP include the projected date, duration, frequency, and location of the services. There should also be a statement about the extent to which Amaya will have to take part in various activities conducted by children who have no disabilities. The IEP will also need to incorporate a statement about accommodations that will be required to evaluate Amaya’s functional performance and academic progress regarding any state tests. A yearly update of the IEP is needed, and as Amaya’s parents, it will be important for you to be in attendance at the meetings and conversations.

Both the IEP and IFSP provide the highly important services Amaya requires. However, the two are different in that, whereas the former is concerned about the child’s educational needs, the latter focuses on the services needed by the family and child to enhance the child’s development (PACER Center, 2011). As you noticed, the IFSP was based more on home and community settings, which were considered her natural environment, with your direct involvement. However, the IEP will offer support to Amaya in a classroom setting from kindergarten to early childhood. Furthermore, an IEP is for children between 3 and 21, focusing on their education and other services in schools. On the other hand, the IFSP is broader, providing services needed to aid the development of children with disabilities from birth to 2 years.

The IDEA requires services to be provided in the child’s natural environment. This could be in a child care setting, community setting, home, or even Early Head Start, which are settings where young children with no disabilities are normally found (PACER, 2011).  During the early intervention services, the services were majorly provided in her natural environment. However, with the transition comes a change in setting as services will be provided in the Least Restrictive Environment. This simply implies that children who obtain special education need to be in a similar classroom with other kids as much as possible. LRE does not refer to a place but a principle that is meant to guide a child’s education program. The LRE for Amaya might differ from that of other children, given the unique needs of each child. Just as was the case in the natural environment, Amaya will be able to interact with other children who do not have disabilities where necessary. Removing a child with disabilities (in this case, Amaya) from the regular education class may only occur if the child is unable to be satisfactorily educated in the regular educational environment when supplementary services and aids are offered. In this case, a regular educational environment refers to any regular classroom setting as well as other settings in schools, like the playgrounds and lunchrooms where children without disabilities normally participate. Such settings are normally varied, and all of them fall under the regular educational environment. If the child cannot be satisfactorily educated in the regular education classroom, even when supplementary services and aids are offered, it would be imperative to provide alternative placement. Schools need to ensure a continuum of alternative placement to meet the needs of children with disabilities for any special education and other related services (Center for Parent Information & Resources, 2021).

I would like to appreciate your continued support and collaboration in facilitating Amaya’s improved development and growth. The journey might not be as easy, but the major progress recorded by Amaya thus far is an indication of just how much more she can accomplish in her preschool. I would like to offer a few tips to help you prepare for the first transition meeting involving Amaya. First and foremost, I cannot stress enough how important your participation in the IEP is. You are a full team member and are highly valuable to the team. This means that your decisions and suggestions are valued. I would like to suggest that you make a list of all possible questions, suggestions, and concerns that you might have to help you better understand the transition process. I would also like you to ensure that Amaya’s records, such as the educational, medical, and assessment, are all up-to-date. This will help the team make a more informed and appropriate decision to aid in providing the educational and additional services that Amaya needs. Seeing how important the community has been to you and Amaya, I would also suggest that you obtain as much information as you can from community members regarding the IEP meeting. Support from these members has greatly aided Amaya’s progress, and obtaining information that is pertinent to the transition process will be of great help. In doing so, you will be better prepared for the IEP meeting. I am so glad that I am a part of this great journey, and I look forward to more interactions with you and Amaya. In case you need clarification or additional information or have any questions, kindly feel free to reach out to me.

Sincerely,

Student Name

References

Center for Parent Information & Resources (2021). Contents of the IEP. https://www.parentcenterhub.org/iepcontents/

Center for Parent Information & Resources. (2021). Considering LRE in Placement Decisions. https://www.parentcenterhub.org/placement-lre/

Chapman, R. (2015). The everyday guide to special education law: A handbook for parents, teachers and other professionals. Mighty Rights Press.

MacLeod, K., Causton, J. N., Radel, M., & Radel, P. (2017). Rethinking the individualized education plan process: Voices from the other side of the table. Disability & Society, 32(3), 381-400.

PACER Center, (2011). What is the difference between an IFSP and an IEP? https://www.pacer.org/parent/php/PHP-c59.pdf

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Last week, you met Amaya and developed a paper explaining her services under IDEA Part C. Now, Amaya is getting ready to celebrate her third birthday, which means that she is preparing to transition from IDEA Part C to IDEA Part B. With this change, Amaya’s services will switch from an IFSP to an Individualized Educational Program (IEP). Amaya will also transition from her early intervention services that were conducted in “natural environments” to a public preschool. Based on the information provided in the case study and your required reading, you will write a two- to three-page letter describing her services under the IDEA Part B.

To prepare for this assignment,

Please refer to the Week 3 Guidance for further tips and examples that will support your success on this assignment.
Review Chapter 4: The Individualized Education Program (pages 43-56) of the Chapman textbook.
Review Chapter 9: Back to the Beginning, Part C Early Intervention Services (pages 135-143) of the Chapman textbook.
Review A Case for Amaya (Links to an external site.).
Read Supporting Families in Transition between Early Intervention and School Age Programs (Links to an external site.).
Read Preparing for Transition from Early Intervention to an Individualized Education Program (Links to an external site.).
Review the ECD 330 Week 3 Assignment Template download and ECD 330 Week 3 Assignment Sample Download.
In your assignment, you will resume the role of the Part C service coordinator, who will help with the smooth transition of services from Part C to Part B. In order to prepare Amaya’s family for the transition, you will write them a letter clarifying the educational laws that pertain to her case and explaining what to expect with the process.

In your letter,

Develop an introduction that acknowledges how you have appreciated working with the family, discusses the growth that Amaya has made over the last year, and defines the purpose of the letter.
Describe what an IEP is, including:
The typical members of an IEP
The components of an IEP
Explain the differences between the family-focused IFSP and the child-focused IEP. Refer back to your Week One Discussion: Special Education Timeline and your Week Two Discussion: Understanding the Lingo for support when crafting your answer.
Summarize the Least Restricted Environment (LRE) and how it is similar to and different from the natural environments in which Amaya’s early intervention services were provided.
Create a concluding paragraph that provides three to five tips for Amaya’s family as they prepare for Amaya’s first IEP transition meeting. Be sure to thank the family for their collaboration throughout your work together.