Lead Your Meeting

You Can Do It!

WarmLine

Family Resource Center

Parent Training & Information Center supporting families of children

with disabilities birth to 26 years old in 26 counties.

2

Lead My Meeting…What??

‘I.E.P.’ stands for INDIVIDUAL Education Program.

Your IEP is intended to help you succeed in school.

Your IEP team needs to know who YOU are

…..what you’re good at

…..what you’re interested in

…..what’s hard for you

…..what helps you handle stress

…..what helps you do your best. 3

Why Lead My Meeting?

Being involved in developing your IEP makes your IEP a

better fit for you. You can make sure you are working

towards goals that are important to you and make sure

you get the help you need to do well in school.

Speaking up about what you want helps you get what

you need in school, and in life. Be an advocate for

yourself!

4

Can Anyone Lead Their Meeting?

Yes! It doesn’t matter how old you are or how

much support you need.

Students of all ages and all abilities can lead

their own meetings!

5

6

7

So How Do I “Lead My Meeting?”

Students often use PowerPoint presentations to lead their IEP meeting.

The benefits of using a PowerPoint presentation:

• The student determines the agenda. The PowerPoint can be completely individualized. You don’t need to follow a predetermined order or content.*

• The student controls the pace of the meeting and can make sure his/her issues and concerns are addressed before moving on to the next slide.

*The administrator or teacher will have info that they need to cover in an IEP meeting, but that can be done after the student’s PowerPoint.

8

Welcome to My IEP Meeting

Joe Smith

Updated: 10/15

Invited Guests

• Robert Smith, Dad

• Connie Smith, Mom

• Ms. Beamer

• Ms. Rust

• Ms. Murden

• Mr. Stanley

I’m here because…

• I want to learn more about my IEP.

• I want to learn more about myself.

• I need help reaching some of my goals.

My disability is called ADHD

This means…

I have difficulty ignoring noises and people

around me.

It’s hard for me to get started and stay

focused on the class.

These are my strengths!

I’m friendly.

I love basketball and football.

I’m good at biology and math.

I love to hang out with friends and go places.

I have a terrific family.

These are my limitations…

• I can’t sit still for very long.

• Sometimes I blurt things out and distract others.

• Sometimes I try to do too much at once.

My plans for the future

I want to graduate from high school with good grades.

I want to join the military, and I want to be a doctor.

My education goals

• I want to take Chemistry and Advanced Biology, and

Health Occ I and II.

• I want to learn how to keep myself focused and not

disturb people around me.

• I want to get involved in student government.

Allow me to take 2 or 3 short breaks to move around so I

can focus.

Give me a signal when I am off task.

Don’t let me make excuses when I get lazy.

Pair me with a strong lab partner so I can share a copy of

his/her notes.

This is how you can help me…

My Learning Style

• I learn best in a quiet, structured classroom.

• I am a visual learner and like hands on activities.

• I may need reminders to get me back on track.

• I feel great when I get positive comments from my

teachers.

I’m glad you came!

How Do I Get Started Leading My

Meeting?

Prepare – it may help to start with one-

page info sheet about YOU.

We’ll show you 2 students’ info sheets…

20

Another example…

C’s biggest concern was to develop

strategies so he could be less dependent

on his aide.

22

All About Me

1. Math is my best subject. I like math and science. I want to go to CalTech or MIT. I need to get good grades.

2. I have an aide at school. The aide I have now is helpful and nice. My aide reminds me to write down my homework, turn in my homework, and talks me down when I’m stressed. He also helps me when other students try to pick fights with me.

3. When I get stressed I don’t sleep well. That makes it harder to handle problems. I get stressed when teachers get mad at me and when kids pick on me. Teachers get mad sometimes when I don’t understand homework and don’t do it all.

4. When kids pick on me I don’t know what to do. When I tell teachers they don’t help me.

5. I like my aide but I want to figure out how I can handle school without an aide. I won’t have an aide when I’m in college.

Let’s Get Started….

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

Next…

You can expand your info sheet and make a powerpoint about you.

What slides would you put in your powerpoint?

• Strengths?

• Accomplishments?

• Goals?

• What helps you succeed?

• What do you want people to know about you?

• Is there something that people misunderstand about you? 31

Lead Your Meeting – Wrap Up

Help your team understand you….

• Let your team know what you’re good at

• Let your team know what you need help with

• Let your team know WHO YOU ARE!

32

The contents of this training were developed under a grant from the

US Department of Education, #H328M150011. However, those

contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the US Department

of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the

Federal Government.

33