From a book by Beth Fouse, Ph.D. entitled Creating a "Win-Win IEP"
Figure 14.2 ABCs of Parent Empowerment for IEP Meetings
A Advocate
for yourself and your child.
B Bring
your own "stack of stuff."
C Control
your anger; anger begets anger.
D Develop
long‑range plans for your child.
E Educate
yourself about autism and your legal rights.
F Find
supports for you and your child.
G Get
involved in your child's educational program.
H Help
other parents to cope with the stresses of autism.
I Initiate
IEP meetings or discussions when you have concerns.
J Jump
into the discussion; don't be intimidated by professionals.
K Know
what you want for your child‑work toward those goals.
L Leave
old luggage behind‑what happened before should not impact the future.
M Make
lists of concerns, issues, and questions and take the lists with you.
N Negotiate‑don't
form battle lines.
O Open
up and listen to other perspectives.
P Plan
longitudinally for your child.
Q Question
what you do not understand; do not be afraid to speak up.
R Recognize
the realities of the situation.
S Summarize
and restate major decisions of the IEP team.
T Treat
all parties with respect.
U Understand
that you have a right to express yourself.
V Visualize
your dreams for your child and work toward those dreams.
W Welcome
opportunities for interactions with the school.
X eXpect
the best.
Y You
are the key to a good program.
Z Zeal
can be an asset. Be zealous in your pursuit of a good program.
Parents
need professionals,
professionals
need parents,
and the children need us all.
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