I think it should be decided on an individual basis in elementary and middle school. Obviously most of the younger students are not going to understand. High school students should be involved as much as they can. I’ve had students come in for part of the IEP and if there were things we felt were not appropriate for them to hear we would discuss it before they came in or after they left.

In New York City they sit in at age 12 because they have to sign the IEP also. I’m not sure what age your state allows them to sign the IEP that would be the time to let them sit in and make sure that they understand what they are there for. My daughter has always known what was on her IEP because her therapist and I would explain it every year and answer any questions that she would have and if I thought that she had a valid point before signing I would bring it up to the team and see if we could incorporate it. That way she was more likely to feel that she had something to gain by trying to reach her goals.

Middle School age is when student sit in on the IEPs

I am a special education teacher and I recommend to parents that children sit in on the meetings around 6th grade. They need to know what is being discussed and give their input. We have changed many an IEP based on input from the students.

convey your documentation, medical doctors ideas, something you think of help help the greater restrictive atmosphere which you propose. Make some calls to the district to work out what form of application or area of a greater healing putting exists. Is there one, what’s standards for going there? are you able to pass to first? If there is not, then can her time with a counselor be bigger? You sound such as you decide on the colleges help, reckoning on the dimensions of your district, they could or won’t have a application. if so they could desire to positioned some thing mutually..its your top. Be particular. you have gotten sufficient IEP by ability of now, pull out some basically ones and seem on the way the targets are written. A determine I had got here to the IEP together with her very own targets that have been so properly written/ aligned with the state standards, that we accompanied them instantaneous! solid good fortune!

As a special ed middle school teacher, I encourage the parents to allow students to sit in on meetings. However this has backfired in my face..I had a student who had an accomodation that he must be forewarned of changes in the schedule and one day one of my other students had a medical emergency and the kid with the accomodation went ballistic because I wasn’t following his IEP(I hadn’t given him advance notice that class would be in a different location) but as a general rule middle school age seems appropriate to allow a student to be a partner in their education.

Personally, my own daughter does not know she has an IEP,(3rd grade) she does know she goes to resource class for extra help with reading but that’s about it..

My daughter received her first IEP in the first grade. She has been part of those meetings, in some level ever since. If there are things that are greatly above her ability or that are going to hotly disputed, I do not bring her or I have her leave the room with someone.

I have always felt it important my daughter be part of the planning to whatever her ability. I don’t think she would enjoy knowing people are discussing her and she not being there to hear what is being said.

We always start with what is going well and what she is enjoying. This way it always starts positive. However, my daughter has always been higher functioning so this has worked.

My son began sitting in on his IEP meetings in as an eighth grader when we transitioned into HS. We figured that he needed to give input into how it made him feel to be in some special and co-taught classes with at risk kids. He was a part of them all the way through HS and had a college transition meeting. He has now graduated from college.

I had a 9 year old little boy sit in on an IEP meeting. The meeting became so intense, that he had to be rolled out of the meeting in his wheelchair.

I teach HS resource and have one class of JH students. I encourage the JH’ers to attend. This is because 7th and 8th graders are old enough to understand what is being discussed and can contribute to the IEP by letting us know what helps him in the classroom and what doesn’t, they need to know what their accmmodations are so they can self-advocate in thier classes, and they also need to know that when they reach high school they will be having transitional goals added. Also, we were in our auditing year last year and one of the first things we were asked is how many students attended their meetings.

It is important for kids to know what goes on in an IEP meeting. They need to get introduced early so they can become comfortable with the process. That way, when they reach college, they will know how to get the help they need.