For Families

Helping Your Child Become a Self-Advocate

With help from you and the school, your child can learn how to become part of their IEP process. Learning how to be part of, and eventually lead, their own IEP process is one of the best ways to help your child learn to self-advocate.

Self- advocate” means your child is able to share about their life, What they need, what they like or don’t like, and is able to work with others to get the supports they need to succeed. Your child can practice using their advocacy skills in a safe and friendly environment.

Your child will join you, and the other members of their team, to plan special education services to help them learn and grow. Every family can be involved in helping their child be part of their IEP process. The school has the responsibility for organizing the IEP process. However, you are an invited partner and collaborator in the process. Decide what way works best for you and your family to support your child.

On Your Own

For Families: On Your Own

Looking for Ways to Get Started on your own?

Below you will find ideas on how to start the student-led IEP process. Choose what works for your family now. You can pick a different idea at another time! It's up to you!

Connect and learn from other families and support organizations.

PEAL: The Parent Education & Advocacy Leadership Center provides training and support for families with children with disabilities across Pennsylvania.
FAMILIES TO THE MAX: Families to the MAX is a parent network that provides training and support for children with disabilities across Pennsylvania.
HUNE: Hispanos Unidos is a bilingual parent support agency that provides training and support for Spanish speaking families with children with disabilities across Pennsylvania.
Mission Empower: Mission Empower provides training and support for families with children with disabilities around Erie, Pennsylvania.
PaTTAN Family Information: PaTTAN provides connections and support to families with children with disabilities across Pennsylvania and to the schools and educators that work with them.
Think about who you want to attend the meeting as a help to you and your child.

Embrace the opportunity for growth

It may seem new or ‘scary’ to have your child involved in the IEP process. (It is fine to feel this way!)
Realize that any child of any age can do something in the IEP process.
Embrace the opportunity for your child to learn to speak up for their views and interests. (self-advocate)
Practicing self-advocacy and leadership skills in school will help them build confidence and succeed in the future.

Educate yourself

Learn more about the IEP process. Visit our IEP Information page.
Look at your child’s IEP documents: IEP drafts, NOREP, ER/RR, progress monitoring, etc.
Visit the PaTTAN Family Information Tab of the PaTTAN website.
Learn about the student-led IEP process to understand how it can help you and your child.

With Your Child

For Families: With Your Child

Need some ideas on how to work with your child on your student-led IEP?

Below you will find ideas on how to start the student-led IEP process. Choose which one works for your family now. You can pick a different one at another time! It's up to you!

Talk about how they can start being a part of their IEP process.

Think about where, what, and how they would like to be involved.
Encourage them to express their ideas to the school.
Practice having them explain their disability.
Ask them how they learn and what is easy/hard for them at school. Listen as they think about what they want to do and try (now and in the future) .
Go over how the school/teachers are going to work with them to become part of their IEP process.
Be available to watch your child practice how they want to be part of the IEP process. Help your child gather information to share. Express your ideas and thoughts about school and the future.
Come to the IEP meeting to support your child.
Take time to remind them that anything they learn and try is a success in the student-led IEP process.
Ask them about how they are keeping track and reaching their IEP goals.
Discuss what they want to do for next year’s IEP process and meeting.

With Teacher & School

For Families: With the School & Educators

Want to Know How to Continue Leading the IEP Process?

Remember, a student-led IEP is not a one-time event but an ongoing journey. Below you will find ideas on how to start the student-led IEP process. Choose which one works for your family now. You can pick a different one at another time! It's up to you!

Create a plan for having your child start participating in the IEP process

Ask about your child becoming involved in the student-led IEP process.
Talk about your goals and your child’s goals for being part of the IEP process.
Decide who will help your child.
When they will work with your child?
Who will ask your child for their input and ideas?
What your child may do? What support your child will need to participate or show off their work?
Send information about your family and your child to the school.
Ask someone to help explain parts of the IEP that may be confusing or unclear.

Share what your child tells you about school:

What is easy or hard?
How do they want to be part of the IEP process?
What are their future dreams and ideas?

Keep track of how your child is doing in reaching their IEP goals

Look at the information about their goals.
Ask for help to understand the information.
Make a plan support your child to reach the goal
Attend the student-led IEP meeting.
Talk about what went well in the student-led IEP meeting and what could go better.
Discuss options for what your child wants to do in next year’s IEP process.

What a video on the SLIEP meeting for youth and families

Listen to some families talk about their experience with a Student-LED IEP:

PEAL interviews a family about becoming involved before the IEP meeting.

HUNE talks with a family about what to do during an IEP meeting.

PaTTAN and FAMILIES TO THE MAX chat about SLIEPs and after the IEP meeting.

You are an important member of the IEP team

Your child, their teachers, school staff, and others may be on the team.

Click below to see a playlist of the many people who could be on your child's IEP team.

IEP Team Member Videos

Use the rubric below to decide where your child is now with their involvement in the IEP meeting.

How would you describe your child's awareness of their IEP process?
How are they participating in the IEP? What are they doing to participate?
What do they know about the IEP? How can they show what they know?

I’m Determined Tools

Participation in the IEP Meeting Rubric*

Guide for using the rubric

The first step is to know what your child is doing at this time.
Then, look at the next level up to see where they should be going for a future goal.
Work with the IEP team to plan what steps and supports need to be put in place so that next year, your child has moved up a level in one or all of the IEP areas.

Area	Level I	Level II	Level III	Level IV
IEP Awareness	I don’t know what IEP stands for.	I know what IEP stands for.	I know what IEP stands for and the purpose of the IEP meeting.	I know what IEP stands for, the purpose of an IEP meeting and I can tell others about these meetings.
IEP Participation	I don't participate or attend my IEP meeting.	I attend a pre-conference IEP meeting and/or my IEP meeting, but I don't participate in the meeting.I know what IEP stands for.	I attend and contribute information about myself for my IEP in a pre- conference or at the actual meeting.	I lead parts or my entire IEP meeting.
Knowledge of IEP Content	I don't know what is in my IEP.	I know that I have accommodations and goals but I don’t know what they are	I can name the accommodations and goals in my IEP, But I have a voice in developing them.	I can name the accommodations and goals in my IEP, and I have a voice in developing them.