Tips to Help Parents of Children Coping with Special Needs – The Episcopal Center for Children

WASHINGTON –One of the most stressful experiences many parents or guardians of children coping with special needs face, is going to a meeting about their child’s Individualized Education Plan (IEP). This plan is very important because it outlines goals for the child’s education and treatment, and it guides how services will be provided. An IEP is created by a team and reviewed at a minimum annually at an IEP meeting.

“These meetings are very important because the IEP guides how the child will be educated and outlines goals for the child, interventions, and any accommodations and services that will be provided,” said Dodd White, president and CEO of the Episcopal Center for Children (ECC), a nonprofit organization providing therapeutic and special education services to children ages 5-14 in the greater Washington, DC area,

“It’s important to review IEP meeting documents in advance before the meeting,” said White. “An IEP meeting brings together the entire IEP team assisting your child – educators, treatment providers, parents, the Local Education Agency (LEA) representative and others. The parent(s)/guardian(s) is an important part of that team. You are an advocate for your child,” said White. He offers the following tips to help parents or guardians preparing for an IEP meeting:

About the Episcopal Center for Children The Episcopal Center for Children is a nonprofit, nondenominational school and treatment program for children contending with emotional challenges from the greater Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Accredited by the Joint Commission, the Center serves children who are 5-14 years old in grades K-8. The goal of the Center’s treatment, therapeutic milieu, and individualized special education program is to empower each child to function productively within his or her family and community. Building on strengths within children, the Center partners with families in treatment and focuses on enabling its students to access and become their best possible selves. More information is available at eccofdc.org and on Twitter and Facebook @ECCofDC.