IEP (individualized education program)

Best practice in educational goal writing is for a goal to be discipline-free and reflective of meaningful outcomes, not only for the current IEP cycle but looking forward. Given the one variable requirement of GAS, how does this process work when developing team-oriented goals?

Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS) is a client-centric, criterion referenced measure of progress, responsive to minimally significant changes in a specific outcome, whether it be an individual goal or a functional goal.

In March 2017, the Supreme Court ruled on the case of Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District. Endrew F. was a student with autism who for years had made only minimal educational gains under the IEP developed by his school, causing his parents to transfer him to a private school.

Here at Maiden Choice School in Baltimore County, MD, we have initiated a program called Maximizing Independence in Life Skills: A Toileting Program for Students with Complex Disabilities. Over the last four years since we began it, this program has had a huge impact on the entire student body.

As a school based practitioner, I understand the challenges and frustrations of acquiring adaptive equipment for students that will help bridge the gap between their capacity and performance. The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) defines capacity as the student’s abilities in a situation apart from real life, such as during an evaluation in a quiet room with no...

1. Understand the requirements of federal law IDEA 2004. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a federal law that requires schools to meet the educational needs of students with disabilities. Funds for IDEA are allocated at federal, state, and local levels. To be eligible for the provisions of IDEA, the student must present with one of the following disabilities: intellectual disability...

Last week, Rifton offered a 30-minute webinar providing an introduction to the philosophy and practice of the MOVE Program: Mobility Opportunities Via Education/Experience. Under the MOVE program, teachers, clinicians, and parents join together to assess an individual's ability and then teach key motor skills incrementally. Everyone benefits. Watch the recording or read the transcript here. The webinar...

Physical therapy goals in the school-based practice setting can focus on a variety of areas, including: participation (student’s involvement in a life situation), activity (student’s execution of a task or action) and impairment (i.e. at the level of body structure and function.) For a number of reasons we find that student goals that address participation within the context of school routines...