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This web page is created and maintained by Donna Blevins, LDA of MO president. Last updated on January 22, 2007. Your comments and suggestions are welcome. Please contact us at LDA of MO with your comments and suggestions. Please send all correspondence to:
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Frequently Asked Questions
The questions below are some we at LDA of MO receive frequently.
Do you have a question related to your child's education that you need to have answered? Click below to e-mail your question to us. Our board members will then be asked to answer your question and their answer(s) will be posted on this web site.
Click here to e-mail your question.
Question:
I do not know how to prepare for an IEP meeting. I always go into the meetings knowing that I am not going to understand what is said… nor will I have the courage to ask for the clarification once I am in the meeting. Sometimes I get so flustered that I just sit and say nothing. What questions should I ask before the meeting? during the meeting? What kinds of things should I watch for that might raise red flags that something is not right? What should happen in an IEP meeting?
Answer:
By reading the present level of educational performance (PLEP) page 2, note any changes in your student’s performance, his improvements and his struggles. Start preparing for the IEP meeting by filling out a survey of your child’s interests. List your concerns for your student’s next school year. Then think of what your student has done during the year academically. How has s/he improved and not improved? Does your student have any social, emotional or behavioral concerns? Think about this. List ways you handle those. Finally, share with the IEP Team, which includes YOU, the parent, your expectations for your student in the next school year. Additionally, you might consider bringing an advocate with you to the meeting. This can be another parent who has successfully navigated through the system or a professional advocate.
Question:
"How do I get my student to do their homework?
Answer:
1. One answer to this question that is helpful is using a kitchen timer. There are a variety of ways to use it and reasons why it works. Kids can see a "light" at the end of the tunnel if they know when they will be able to stop or take a break. It is also motivating because they like to "see how many they can get finished" in a minute or other specified time. It also helps to keep them on task, because they will keep working as they watch the clock. The timer can also be used to get kids to work independently on homework. You can have a "work for ten minutes before asking for help" rule. Many times kids ask for help out of habit rather than a need for assistance. Hope this helps!
2. Another suggestion is to offer some type of a reward for getting work done and having made a sincere effort in getting correct responses. Rather than making this reward food or a monetary reward (these are frequently difficult to maintain) make the reward(s) something that the student enjoys (15 minutes of TV, a card game with mom or dad, or playing a video game.) These do not require money or a lot of preparation. Perhaps these can be used for completing work nightly and a larger reward given weekly/monthly. Rewards can be removed as the child begins to do the homework without reinforcers.
3. Setting up a homework program is essential to success in school. Studies indicate that if a student does his homework in the same location and at the same time each day, he will be more efficient and produce a better quality assignment. The place in which your student does his homework can be as conventional as the desk in his room or as unconventional as the backyard picnic table. The thing to keep in mind is that the location should be free of distraction and be in a surrounding that yields success.
Another key element is to have all homework supplies at hand. Once a student leaves his homework area to get a "pen or pencil," he interrupts his concentration, Upon his return he would need to readjust his thinking to get back into his work. So, have everything he needs at hand. If possible, set aside the same time each day to do homework. Make homework a routine and do it earlier rather than later in the day when both mental and physical energy is higher. Some students need someone else alongside when they are doing homework to act as an anchor and to keep them focused. The other person should not interact with the student unless the student has a question. Allow only a certain number of questions as you want to increase the student’s independence. The anchor person can do their own work, read a book pay bills, etc. Give positive reinforcement for independent work.
