My first year working in secondary education I assumed that by this stage in the student's life both the parents and teachers knew and understood what an IEP was. I encountered however, some teachers who didn't know what IEP stood for, and some parents who thought the IEP was just a yearly "parent-teacher conference." While the IEP meeting is an opportunity for teachers to give updates to parents, a lot more is going on.

What is an IEP?
IEP stands for Individualized Education Plan. This is a document that is developed for each public school student who is eligible for special education. The term "special education" can scare off a lot of parents. This simply means that the general education program isn't meeting the needs of the student so they require an individualized plan with accommodations to help them reach their goals. The IEP is meant to address each student's unique learning difficulties and include specific goals to target them. It is a legally binding document and the school must provide everything it promises in the IEP. 

What happens at an IEP meeting?
The law requires that once a year the IEP team reviews the IEP. The IEP team can meet more often that once a year depending on the needs of the student. The point of the meeting is to make sure the student's IEP is working for them. It gives an opportunity for parents to discuss their child's strengths and weaknesses with teachers. If the student didn't meet any or all of his goals, you can discuss new ideas to help the student. This may mean modifying the goal, adjusting expectations, or giving the student more/different kinds of services/supports.

The IEP meeting is when parents, teachers, and the school can give and get input on how the student is doing. The IEP needs to be revised as the student makes progress and faces new challenges in the academic curriculum.

Who attends the IEP meeting?
The IEP Team will attend every IEP meeting. The IEP team includes:

• Parents
• At least one of the student's general education teachers (unless the student does not work with general education teachers)
• At least one special education teacher or other special education provider
• A school district representative 
• A school psychologist or other specialist (Speech Therapist) who can interpret the student's most recent evaluation and test results
• The student (when it is felt appropriate)

A team member can be excused from the meeting if both the parent and the school agree to it. The parent can invite someone who they feel understands their child's needs to attend the IEP meeting. Anyone who can't attend in person can participate by conference call or video chat.

What is discussed at the IEP Meeting?
The IEP being discussed at the meeting is considered a draft IEP. Some schools create the IEP in advance and then share it at the IEP meeting. Other schools develop it together during the meeting. Since it is a draft, suggested changes can be made during the meeting.
Every IEP meeting will cover these things:

• Present level of performance (PLOP): The case manager (or team leader) will write a statement about the student's current level of academic and functional performance and goals. This is based on data and observations.
• Annual goals: The team reviews the progress the student has made toward meeting his annual goals then together they develop new or revised goals. The goals will be specific, measurable, and unique to the student.
• Individualized supports and services: The team will discuss how well the student's accommodations, modifications, and specialized instruction are working. Then the team updates the supports and services to match the student's PLOP and new goals.
• The results of the student's most recent evaluation, if there is one: Every student will be re-evaluated every three years. The school psychologist or other professionals (Speech Therapist) conducting the evaluation will explain the results at the IEP meeting.

What is in an IEP?
Each IEP will look different as they are made to cater to each student's unique needs. Every IEP however, will contain the following things:

• The student's present level of educational performance (PLOP)
• The results of the student's evaluations and tests
• Special education and related services to be provided (i.e. if the student is receiving Speech Therapy it will state this and the frequency that they will receive it)
• Accommodations and modifications: these help the student to be successful in the general education curriculum; Accommodations are changes in how a student learns and participates, i.e. being given extra time on tests. Modifications are changes in what is taught to or expected, this is the grade-level expectations a student must meet
• Supplementary aids and services: Supports to help a student learn in the general education classroom, i.e. a one-on-one aide, highlighted classroom notes, or assistive technology 
• Annual educational goals
• A description of how the student's progress will be measured and reported to the parent
• An explanation of how much the student will participate in general education classes and extracurricular activities
• The date the IEP will go into effect
• Depending on the student's age and situation it might also include:
  • A transition plan: services and supports to help a student graduate from high school and achieve post-high school goals
  • Extended school year services: some students may receive special education services outside of the regular school year such as during the summer

I hope this gave you good insight into what happens in an IEP meeting. Remember, the IEP is more than just a "parent-teacher meeting," it is an opportunity to make positive changes in a student's life. For more information on IEPs, click below!

Hey there! Here's a peek into my therapy room at a private clinic. If you know me well, you know I love decorating and organizing! Every week I travel between different sites (schools, clinic, nursing home), so I need to have an organized space where I feel comfortable and happy.

​Here's the view from the door:​

The hardest part when decorating was trying to find a theme that would suit my varying clientele. I work with the pediatric through geriatric population, however most of my clients are kids and they're the ones that strongly benefit from visual aids and a colorful atmosphere. I went with a "Spring Time" theme and hoped for the best when my teenage boy clients came in the room that they wouldn't think this was a "lil kid room". So far, no complaints!

My therapy room is small, so all the space needs to be utilized efficiently. Here's a closer look at the desk area:

The thing that everyone always asks about first is my "Desk Toolbox". This is an 18 Drawer Parts Organizer that I got from Walmart and you can also get it off Amazon. I painted it yellow and used chalkboard labels and liquid chalk to label each drawer with the essential tools I use everyday. My pens, pencils, and colored pencils are in adorable school themed Mason Jars that I got from Etsy. My other art supplies, crayons, scissors, paint dot markers, and glue are in a great number organizer that can also be found at Etsy. The "If you want it, work for it!" sign covers up the motivational treats I offer to some kids so they can't see them through the clear glass (lollipop or sticker). On top of my desk you'll see two of the most essential items in any speech room, hand sanitizer and bubbles!

​Here's a look at the wall next to my desk:

I have a full calendar on the back of my door and a day of the week chart next to it. I laminated both and added Velcro to them to make changing the days and months easier. Everything is held up with command strip hooks, even my clothesline pictures!

​Here's a close up of my bookshelf:

Storage cubes are a must have in my clinic. When kids see toys on a shelf they instantly want to grab it. I used storage cubes to hide all the toys, games, and tools that I don't want kids to be distracted by. A lot of my co-workers also use curtains that they fasten to the top of the bookshelf with Velcro to cover all the materials on their shelves. Materials targeting the same goals are organized into each cube. For example, if I want to target language goals with an elementary kid I can find all my materials in the bottom left cube, if I have a middle-high school language kid, I go to the left yellow cube. Having my materials sorted this way makes it easier for me to grab and go between back to back clients.

​These are some visual aids next to the bookshelf:

My small table that we sit at faces this "Good Listeners" visual aid. Once you've read it to a kid multiple times, you can quickly cue an active kid by simply pointing to this sign and then redirecting the kid back to the activity.

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I like to have my more active kids sit in the chair to the left so they have a clear view at the "Good Listeners" visual aid and I'll close the blinds to decrease the distractions. On the opposite wall, there is a "Voice Volume" visual aid. It rates the different level of volume from 0 (a whisper) to 5 (a shout) and has some colorful pictures of different animals to associate with the sound levels. I have a lot of kids working using appropriate voice and knowing when to switch between their "outside voice" to their "inside voice". Every now and then during a session I'll have the kid look at the chart and tell me what kind of voice they were using and remind them that in the room their voice has to be between 1-3.

My "Use Your Words" picture board is the most used thing in my room. I have a lot of nonverbal and expressive delayed kids that utilize this board to communicate with me. I interchange the "I want ___" part with picture symbols depending on the kid. On the long strips below are pictures of all the toys they can pick from. I can add and remove pictures based on what other goals we're targeting or how many choices I want to give the kid.

Here you can see the voice volume chart as well as my "Garden of Good Manners" visual. I have a lot of pragmatic kids, and each flower is labeled with a different pragmatic skill, i.e. "Take Turns," "Say please", or "Say I'm sorry." The kids love to look at the garden and I have incorporated into activities before by having the kid color their own "Good Manner" flower and label the petals with different emotions we talked about or different pragmatic strategies we've discussed.

That's my speech room! I am constantly adding and changing things to it everyday as my clients change and grow, but I am extremely happy with how it turned out! Thanks for taking the tour, let me know what you think!

​Here's some ideas:

1. Avoid yelling
   1. This is a hard one. Although teachers aren't looking for an opportunity to yell, one always seems to arise. Students can get unruly, especially towards the end of the day and you end up yelling at them to quiet down or to get their attention more than once. Try to use nonverbal actions to get their attention instead. Clapping your hands, blowing a whistle (my favorite idea), turning the lights on and off, or raising your hand.
2. ​Use good breath support
   1. When you're speaking concentrate on getting good breath support. If you run out of air, don't​ force yourself to continue speaking! Take frequent pauses and breaths during your lessons.
3. Relax
   1. Keep your neck and jaw as relaxed as possible while you're speaking. Don't strain your muscles when you're trying to teach a lesson.
4. Stop throat clearing!
   1. Throat clearing causes excess wear and tear to your vocal folds. It causes irritation and swelling that can actually cause​ saliva to sit on your throat, resulting in more throat clearing. A vicious cycle will begin. When you feel the need to clear your throat try swallowing hard or taking small sips of water. You can also try to clear your throat silently by saying "huh". If you have excess mucus build up talk to your doctor about different medication options.
5. ​Use a sound amplification system while teaching
   1. Now, most of my teacher friends have stood in front of a large group and said "You can hear me all the way back there can't you? I don't need a microphone, I'm loud enough without one!" Although it may be true that you have excellent projection skills, our voices weren't meant to handle that constant strain all day long for an entire school year! Use the mic!
6. Instead of whispering use a "confidential tone"
   1. Whispering is an unnatural volume for us to use. Instead try lowering your voice and changing the tone you use to get the same effect
7. Try to be within three feet of your listener while speaking
   1. This isn't always possible in large classrooms, but trying walking around the room and between the rows of desks while teaching. This way your voice makes its way to every student without causing too much vocal strain.
8. Build periods of vocal rest into your day
   1. Not everyone is blessed with a planning period to rest during. If you have a planning period, try not to use your voice during that time and give it the rest it deserves. If you don't have a planning period, you need to build in rests elsewhere. Cut out singing in the shower or car and incorporate times in your lessons where the students are working on a silent activity.
9. Be aware of your environment
   1. Air-conditioned rooms and dusty areas can dehydrate you and impact your voice. If you have the ability to control the temperature in your classroom try to keep it room temperature. Promoting good ergonomics in your classroom can also have a positive impact on your voice; maintain good posture and avoid excess tension. Re-arrange your room to achieve this. Also, using partitions in your room for better acoustic protection from background noise will decrease the volume you need to use to be heard. Lastly, invest in a humidifier. Humidifiers work to put moisture back in the air, use one every school night when you go to bed.
10. Stay hydrated!
    1. Carry water with you throughout your day. Vocal dehydration can come from prolonged talking and even too much caffeine intake. Take small sips frequently rather than chugging down a large amount at once. Replace your coffee, teas, and sodas with water.

​Put these 10 tips into practice this school year and see if it makes a difference in your quality of voice!

​For more information on the voice check out my pages below!