Did you know people who are in direct contact with neurodiverse people have the right to be a part of their services?
If you have a neurodiverse child/adult who receives services within an individualized education plan (IEP) at school or has a behavior intervention plan (BIP) within their ABA therapy services in and out of school, people part of the individual's direct contact have the right to be part of their services. Who are the exact stakeholders that can be directly involved in their neurodiverse child/adults services?
Stakeholders identified here have the right to be involved in all kinds of plans from special education services including all kinds of therapy:
1. Neurodiverse child/adult (if applicable)
2. Parents of neurodiverse child/adult
3. Special education teacher
4. General education teacher
5. School psychologist
6. Case manager
7. School counselor
8. Administer (ex: principal or vice principal of school neurodiverse child/adult attends)
9. Related service providers (ex: behavior specialists, speech pathologist, physical
therapist, and occupational therapists.)
10. Advocates including outside providers (ex- ABA therapy providers, occupational
therapists, speech pathologists, and physical therapists).
*NOTE: If wanting a special education lawyer present as an advocate, schools must go through
a process prior to team meetings about a neurodiverse child/adult.
How do you involve all of these stakeholders to impact an neurodiverse individual's life?
An IEP meeting in school or a meeting about a behavior intervention plan (BIP) must be set up on a yearly basis to learn about a neurodiverse child/adult progress being made. When creating an IEP or BIP for the first time ever for a neurodiverse child/adult, informed consent from neurodiverse child/adult themselves or their parent/guardian is required. Nothing can move forward without their consent! How does informed consent work?
Informed consent is about explaining any services or goals for a neurodiverse child/adult that will help improve their overall quality of life, from academics to behavior. People review all components of an IEP and/or BIP: a neurodiverse child/adult's personal history, strengths, areas needed for improvement, goals and objectives, data collection, services, etc. Once everything is clarified and comprehended, informed consent is obtained.
After obtaining informed consent, services begin for a neurodiverse child/adult. Its different for everyone depending on individual needs. IEPs and/or BIPs are reviewed on a yearly basis in a meeting, but can be updated at any time depending on progress.
It is important to host meetings to find out how much progress has been made. Services, including interventions, change depending on amount of progress made. Data collection is proof of a neurodiverse individual's progress from services and interventions provided. When there is a visual representation of progress, such as line graphs, it is easier to see improvements occurring for a neurodiverse individual. The facts of progress occurring are right in front of you. How cool is that?
Overall, an entire team of stakeholders are needed to improve a neurodiverse child/adult's quality of life and help them succeed in life. Do you believe everyone who is in direct contact with a neurodiverse individual should be involved on their services and journey in life? Share your thoughts in the comments section!
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