Organization

When your child has a disability, all of the additional responsibilities required can be overwhelming. The amount of documents your child accumulates is massive, and it can be easy to just put the progress reports, testing, and IEPs aside and focus on the present; but organizing those documents and looking back is essential to ensuring your child’s IEP is effective. The first step in getting organized is making sure you have all the documents you need. Your file should include IEPs (both draft and final with all signatures), progress reports, evaluations, any communication between you and the school, and work samples. If you do not have all [...]

Special education generates an enormous amount of paperwork. The longer your child is on an IEP, the more paperwork you will accumulate. It is essential that you organize and manage this paperwork. Take this job seriously, for without ready access to a complete history of the documents that describe your child’s experience with special education, you run the risk of missing important opportunities. Why Organize Your Papers Planning for the future by organizing your documents now doesn’t come naturally for most parents of children in special education. By necessity, you are intensely focused on just managing the present. How are you [...]