How Well Does Your IEP Measure Up? Quality Indicators for Effective Service Delivery

Customer Reviews

How well does your IEP measure up

2008-02-13
All parents of an autistic child in the public school system need this book. Very imformative and offers great strategies to build a good relationship with the school system.

Very Informative for New -to-IEP process parents

2007-04-10
I used this while preparing for my autistic son's transition to kindergarten IEP meeting. I feel that it provides a good base on the things parents need to concentrate on to ensure their child is getting the most of his/her education. Though each state has different guidelines, the templates in this book are a very valuable resource to draw from and I recommend this book to anyone who wants to understand the IEP process better.

Outstanding Resource

2004-05-05
This comprehensive, well-researched and practical guide to developing an IEP that will optimize service delivery to your child exceeded my expectations on all levels. Although useful for any parent or teacher trying to gain a better grasp of the workings of the IEP, it is especially useful for those of us dealing with autism, since the authors chose to focus on this baffling and challenging condition due to their knowledge of the subject and the many difficulties it presents to writers of IEPs. The book also discusses key legal issues associated with IEPs.

Here is a sampling of some of the areas covered in the book: A detailed, insightful discussion of each of the components of an IEP and the relationship of the components to each other; the elements necessary to prepare an effective Present Levels of Performance (PLP), which forms the basis for generating annual goals and represents a baseline against which to judge progress; why specifying underlying conditions clearly is so important; the relationship between clearly written objectives and appropriate methodology; knowledge of ASD and the way in which it affects the student who manifests it as the most basic building block of appropriate IEP development; why IEPs should specify prompt levels in the objectives as well as a system for fading them back; discussion of a "prompt hierarchy"; the need to build generalization strategies right into the objectives so the child learns a skill across a variety of settings, people, activities, etc., right from the start; breaking down multi-dimensional behavior such as "crossing the street" into its basic components so that behavior progress can be measured; how not to confuse a process with a product outcome (e.g. developing understanding vs. demonstrating understanding); the difference between accommodations and modifications (the latter reduce the standard and result in lowered educational outcomes); guidelines for prioritizing needs and sample IEPs covering such content areas as concept development, critical thinking, making inferences, etc. The above list is only a sampling of the issues covered. This book is written from a highly-informed, sensible and practical perspective. Having read this book, I feel like I'm in control of the IEP process and not vice-versa. Highly recommended.

The best!! 2003-06-22
It realy outlines step by step what an IEP should focus on and say from the first page to the goals and measures. It really was a good book to have along side knowing the laws and rights that other books focus on- it helps you understand how to truly make and IEP individual for your child (very ASD focused). Good for parents and administrators.

A fantastic IEP resource! 2002-10-27
This is the best book I have seen yet relating to IEPs for children with autism. The authors focus heavily on creating measurable goals and objectives...something I have not found in other IEP books I have read. I highly recommend this book for any parent of a child with ASD who has an upcoming IEP.