The Autism Society Event and Education Recordings Archive

Students are required to be invited to their IEPs, beginning at age 16 according to federal law. For many students with significant disabilities, that’s where their participation in the IEP process begins and ends. It can be difficult to involve students with significant disabilities in the IEP process, due to challenges with communication and social skills, maladaptive behaviors, and intellectual disability. Existing research on this topic does not adequately address the needs of these students. However, participation in the IEP process provides important opportunities for students to develop self-advocacy and self-determination skills and take an active role in planning for their future.

In this presentation, we will discuss our development and implementation of a three-year process to increase students’ participation in their annual IEP meetings, engage students in IEP preparation activities throughout the school year, and enhance student self-determination skills.

Participants who attend this session will expand their knowledge of techniques to increase students' role as active participants in their IEP meetings, through a review of specific student-centered pre-meeting planning activities, as well as options for accommodations provided during the meeting.

We will address strategies for providing students with opportunities to participate in IEP planning outside the meeting, through the use of an IEP participation checklist that is easily adaptable to any school environment. Areas of non-meeting participation include discussing strengths and challenges in the classroom, learning about the IEP process, making invitations, and setting up the meeting space.

Finally, we will discuss how we implemented a schoolwide initiative to encourage the development of self-determination skills, and engage students in IEP preparation activities throughout the school year. We will share outcome data and lessons learned after a year of implementing this initiative. We will provide examples of materials used to involve students with autism and intellectual disability in their IEPs and share curriculum and assessment resources.