Navigating IEPs: Personal Insights & School Challenges
An Individualized Education Plan (IEP), given to many children with disabilities in the American school system, is dependent on various factors for its usefulness. Especially for students with less visible disabilities or those diagnosed later in their school career, its impact can be negligible, especially if the school district's special education program lacks funding and/or attention.
While I rarely discuss my own experiences here, I believe it's relevant to share as I cannot speak for all individuals with IEPs, but I can speak about my own. I had an IEP during high school after being diagnosed with autism (formerly known as Asperger's Syndrome) in my sophomore year. Understanding the cause of my struggles was beneficial to my personal life and self-esteem, but it wasn't as helpful for my school performance. Perhaps my years of masking made it seem like I didn't need the help, but I didn't receive the assistance I required.
My IEP meetings were one of the few times it came up outside of special education settings. These biannual meetings involved myself, my mom, the special education teacher, the assistant principal, and some regular teachers, though often only one of them showed up. Discussions about my IEP and general performance rarely achieved much, as I was seen as a good student, and my accommodation requests were rarely met, particularly exemptions from group projects and class presentations.
Only a few teachers genuinely cared about my accommodations and offered support. Dealing with anxiety, especially in social situations, I wasn't inclined to ask for help on my own. My senior year history teacher, who had a grandchild with autism, was an exception and made an effort to provide the support I needed. The only other significant benefit was an elevator pass due to motor skill dysfunctions related to my autism, which helped prevent falls while going up the stairs.
Occasionally, I had to visit the special education classroom, usually during lunch, to practice talking to peers or receive guidance. However, these sessions were unhelpful and made me feel condescended to. Perhaps these interventions would have been beneficial in elementary school, but by high school, it seemed too late, as I had already developed my own coping strategies for navigating a world not designed for me.
Overall, my experiences with an IEP were somewhat neutral. While I acknowledge that I'm just one individual with one perspective, I believe IEPs can be a positive and valuable resource for schools in theory. However, in practice, based on my experiences, it wasn't very effective for my education.
If you've had experiences with an IEP, we would love to hear about them. Please share in our comments, on social media, or via our email!
