Synopses & Reviews
This accessibly written guide shows educators and parents how to get the right education plan in place for students with ADD/ADHD, autism spectrum disorders, emotional/behavioral disturbance, nonverbal learning disorder, and language impairment. Step-by-step, the book addresses the crucial building blocks of effective IEP development: present levels of performance; underlying conditions; methodology; criteria for performance; prompt levels; generalization; goals/objectives; and evaluation/data collection. The book offers a truly comprehensive, educator- and parent-friendly guide to creating clear, measurable, and meaningful IEPs, and:
Provides up-to-date, user-friendly advice for writing goals and objectives consistent with current special education law
Addresses often neglected areas of functioning such as social cognition, critical thinking, and executive function, as well as least restrictive environment, assessment, and accommodations
Includes content-area specific sample goal and objective templates, teaching strategies, and useful resources
The authors guide readers through the process of creating thoughtful, intelligent IEPs that consistently deliver high-quality, need-based educational programming to exceptional students.
"Too often, IEPs contain meaningless goals that are useless to teachers and parents. In this book, the authors provide a framework for writing goals and short-term objectives that mesh with popular progress reporting schedules. This book should be required reading for every special educator and every parent of a child with special educational needs."
—from the Foreword by Peter W. D. Wright, Esq., Wrightslaw
"I get asked all the time about how to write IEP goals for this population. I finally have the resource I need."
—Peg Dawson, Ed.D., author, Smart But Scattered: The Revolutionary "Executive Skills" Approach to Helping Kids Reach Their Potential
A previous version of this book, covering only autism spectrum disorders, was published as How Well Does Your IEP Measure Up?
Synopsis
A truly comprehensive, teacher- and parent-friendly guide to creating clear and effective IEPsWith the skyrocketing diagnoses of ADHD, autism spectrum disorders, and related conditions in U.S. schools, there is a growing need for information on creating effective IEPs for exceptional students. The IEP From A to Z is a step-by-step guide showing teachers and parents how to get the right education plan in place for students with ADHD, Autism/Asperger's, Emotional/Behavioral Disturbance, and related conditions.
- Provides easy-to-understand explanations of the special education process along with a wealth of sample effective IEPs
- Explains what is most important for educators and parents to keep in mind during IEP development
- Provides content area-specific sample goal and objective templates, general teaching tips for maintaining the IEP, and useful resources
From nationally recognized experts in the special education field, this book guides readers through the process of writing thoughtful, intelligent Individualized Education Plans that deliver high-quality, need-based educational programming to exceptional students.
About the Author
Diane Twachtman-Cullen, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, is a communication disorders specialist and licensed speech-language pathologist specializing in autism spectrum disorders and related conditions. She is the founder and editor-in-chief of Autism Spectrum Quarterly. Jennifer Twachtman-Bassett, M.S., CCC-SLP, is a communication disorders specialist and licensed speech-language pathologist specializing in working with students with autism, emotional/behavioral disturbance, and related communication and language impairments.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments.
The Authors.
Authors' Note.
Foreword.
Introduction.
PART ONE: ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF THE IEP.
1 Past Perspectives and Present Practices.
2 The “Gold Standard” for Setting Goals and Measuring Progress.
3 Setups for Successful Performance.
4 Methodology: No Longer a Sacred Cow.
5 Scaffolding Student Success.
6 The Case for Generalization.
7 Getting to the Heart of the Matter: How to Write Meaningful Goals and Objectives.
8 Measuring Student Performance: More than a Simple “Numbers Game”.
9 In the Shadow of No Child Left Behind.
PART TWO: MOVING FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE.
10 Tools for Assessment and Decision Making.
11 Comprehension: The Power That Fuels Expression.
12 The Many Different Faces of Expression.
13 All Things Social.
14 Executive Function: The Pinnacle of Cognitive Development.
15 Critical Thinking: An Essential Life Skill.
Epilogue.
Appendix A: Tips for Teaching Skill Development and Generalization.
Appendix B: Helpful Teaching Resources.
References.
Index.