Jordan Steele, 7, will be a second-grader at Spring Creek Elementary in Richardson ISD in the fall. Her entire school year — from how much time she’ll be with typical kids to how teachers will communicate specific phrases used when teaching Jordan, who has Down syndrome — was laid out in her early May A.R.D.
The A.R.D. (admission, review, dismissal) is called an I.E.P. (individual education plan) in other states. Regardless of its name, it’s an annual meeting of all the key players in your child’s education: special education teacher, general education teacher, an administrator from the school campus (often the principal), specialty therapists (occupational, speech, physical, hearing or visual) and the district’s assessment professional (often an educational diagnostician).
But there’s another member of the A.R.D. committee: You.
“It is a collaborative effort,” says Vicky Templeton, a special education program specialist in a Dallas-area school district whose 21-year-old daughter has emotional disturbances. “The parents are committee members. Often, they don’t feel that. They feel outnumbered. But you are the most important people there.”
Eight people, including Jordan’s parents, attended her A.R.D. From my perspective as an invited guess (yes, you can even bring a reporter with you to an A.R.D.), the meeting was picture perfect — perhaps a rare experience during a meeting of these sorts. Special education teacher Kristin Matthews convened with Jordan’s parents, Samantha and Tripp Steele, the week prior to the official A.R.D. meeting, allowing the group to go over many of the future meeting’s details. The Steeles then spent a week devising questions for the group in regards to Jordan’s future.
At the official A.R.D. meeting, the educators at Jordan’s school talked about the little girl from their perspective. Jordan’s first-grade teacher, Meredith Arnold, discussed Jordan’s time with typical kids, how the other students include her and how sometimes Jordan just says, “All done,” when she’s getting a bit overwhelmed by the work. Her parents shared their thoughts in return (“You just need to hold her accountable just like every other kid,” Tripp says). They set goals for the 2009-2010 school year: Jordan will learn to count past 10, will confidently answer when asked her name and how old she is, will began writing with capital letters. Everyone agreed that her office job helping the school nurse for 10 to 15 minutes a day is going well (she used to say she was sick every day because she wanted to see the nurse; this has ended her trickery, and Jordan enjoys the responsibility).
With every goal, it seems, there is a correlating sentence within the A.R.D. paperwork. The paperwork looks a bit like a mortgage, with page after page of details and lines on which to sign. What it should represent, as Jordan’s successful A.R.D. did, is a time when everyone is focused on your child and her goals. However, this stack of papers can represent, in some instances, a frustrating meeting during which parents are overwhelmed and everyone is left wondering if they’ve made themselves heard. Parents may have different points of view from educators and even from each other. The vocabulary used by therapists and educators can be tricky. And, although you know your child better than anyone else, sometimes the labels used in the discussion can be hard to hear.
“You walk into the building, and you have a table full of educators,” says Virginia McCook, the child site coordinator for a North Texas ISD. Her office is the first contact with parents of new students who may need special education services (approximately 750 to 1,000 annually). “They sit down and they start talking in the lingo of education and special education, and that’s hard for some parents. I think it’s mostly overwhelming in the beginning. If that meeting turns out successfully, the following meetings get easier and easier.”
But, as parents, we know that knowledge is power. To that end, here’s a list of advice from those who have sat on both sides of the A.R.D. table:
Never go alone. If your child’s other parent is not available, take someone — a neighbor, close friend, grandparent or someone who specializes in special-needs advocacy (see DFWThriveMagazine.com for a listing of advocates). “There’s such a wealth of information that is going to be discussed,” McCook says. “You can’t possibly remember everything that was said.” An additional suggestion: Record the meetings.
Have a pre-A.R.D. meeting. For the first time in their family’s A.R.D. history, the Steeles had a pre-A.R.D. meeting called by Jordan’s special education teacher. Samantha says she’ll never do an A.R.D. without such a meeting again. She also advises parents to ask for the A.R.D. paperwork ahead of time so you and your partner have a chance to look through it.
Start the A.R.D. process as early as possible. You can start the year before your child turns 3 and go through a public school. Even if you choose private school, you can still request to have an A.R.D. with your public school. “[There is] a huge educational learning curve,” says Amy Smith of North Texas, whose 8-year-old daughter, Kiernan, has Down syndrome. “Even if you’re intending to go to private school, eventually, they’re probably going to have to be in the public school system, so it’s good to get that practice under your belt. You’re not going to get that experience by talking to other parents or reading the books.”
Ask questions. No one expects you to know what every acronym means, so ask. You are signing a document that is more than 20 pages long. It’s a lot to take in. North Texas parents Josh and Jackie Schilling’s 13-year-old son, Nicholas, has been diagnosed with autism, mental retardation, cerebral palsy and seizure disorder and is non-verbal. “Sometimes you don’t know what questions to ask,” says Josh, a special education program specialist and founder of the HEROES summer camp for children with special needs. “And sometimes you don’t feel you have a right to ask.” But you do.
Stand up for your child — but don’t fight for everything. “Keep in mind we’re talking about my child,” Smith says. “Each child learns differently. They’re just as different as kids in the general population. Some like the color purple, some like the color pink. Some like their vegetables, some don’t.” While advocating for your child, though, remember you have to balance your advocacy with the reality that not everything will be perfect.
Sit next to your child’s special-ed teacher. This may seem like a simple thing, but it just makes everything easier — communicating, reading through the paperwork, feeling like you have an ally at your side.
Share. “Add what you can to the picture,” Templeton advises. At Jordan’s A.R.D. meeting, the Steeles learned that Jordan’s fellow students make her feel welcome and that sometimes it’s a problem when she burps in class to get a laugh. The educators learned that a few days earlier, she’d counted to 10 when her dad asked her to count out 10 squirts of shampoo. The less you talk, the more stressful the A.R.D. is for the teachers: “I can’t tell whether they don’t understand or they don’t care,” says Jackie, who’s also a special education teacher.
Don’t rush. If you haven’t finished within a reasonable amount of time, ask to reschedule a follow-up meeting (by state law, educators must do so within 10 days of the original A.R.D.). Also, don’t be afraid to take a five-minute break to catch your breath.
Don’t wait if there’s a problem. Remember that although A.R.D.s are generally scheduled annually, you can call one at any time.
Read It’s a New Idea, the bible for making the most of your A.R.D. You can download the 61-page manual at The Arc of Texas (www.thearcoftexas.org) for more information on the A.R.D. process and how to make it the best it can be.
Keep your child the primary focus. As your child gets older, your A.R.D. committee members may include her for just a few minutes of the meeting. In later elementary school and certainly by middle school, your child should be running his or her A.R.D. with support (to the best of his or her ability). By high school, he’ll run it on his own. When all goes well, the child is the winner, McCook says: “Sometimes you lose sight of that when you’re sitting at a table with adults.”
Visit your child’s classroom often throughout the year. “Even with the best communication, you’ll get a better feel and understanding of the tools used and what works best for your child so you can suggest more or less time spent on certain areas as you use the same tools at home to help them reach their goals faster,” Samantha recommends. “Knowledge is power.”
