Eric, Sarah’s 4-year-old son, has autism. At Sarah’s first IEP meeting at Eric’s elementary school, the case manager across the table asked if she had any questions. Confused about the process and the technical language being thrown around — even the term IEP, Individualized Education Program, which refers to a plan for a special needs child’s learning, is intimidating — Sarah said nothing.
After an hour of listening about everything her son could not yet do, she left feeling overwhelmed, holding the 40-page IEP the case manager gave her. Sarah is not alone; she is one of the many parents I have worked with in my nine years as a special education teacher in Chicago.
