Are you the parent of a child, with autism or some other disability, that thinks your child may benefit from functional skills training? Would you like to know what the Individuals with Disabilities Education ACT (IDEA) requires in relation to functional skills?

Would you like parenting tips on using IDEA requirements to help your child receive functional skill training? This article is for you; it will discuss IDEA requirements, and how you can use them to advocate for functional skills training for your child.

The purpose of IDEA is to ensure that all children with disabilities have available to them a free appropriate public education (FAPE) that emphasizes special education and related services designed to meet their unique needs and prepare them for further education, employment, and independent living. Education is more than reading, writing, and math; it also includes functional skills to help children with disabilities live a full and rewarding life. This is especially true for children with autism or intellectual disabilities.

IDEA requires each child’s individual educational plan (IEP) to contain a statement of present levels of academic achievement, and functional performance. School personnel should give you objective information (testing) each year, about your child’s academic and functional performance.

Do not accept teacher subjective observations and grades (also subjective), to determine if your child is making academic and functional progress. Around Christmas time ask that testing be performed in the areas of academics and functional skills, in January, so that these results can be used at the annual IEP meeting. Also ask for copies of the testing at least 14 days before the meeting, so that you will be able to be an equal participant in the meeting.

IDEA also requires that the IEP contains a statement of measurable annual goals, including academic and functional goals. Since you asked for testing at Christmas time, and hopefully have received the results before the IEP meeting, you will have some knowledge of your child’s academic and functional needs.

Write a few academic and functional goals, and make sure they are measurable. In other words, how will you know when your child has made the goal? Bring the list with you to your child’s IEP meeting. Share your input on annual academic and functional goals with the IEP team.

By understanding what the federal law IDEA states about functional skills, you can use the information to ensure that your child is tested in this area, and has annual goals developed for their IEP, if needed. Functional skills will help your child become as independent as possible as an adult, and live a more fulfilled life.

Resource Box: JoAnn Collins is the mother of two adults with disabilities. She has helped parents navigate the special education system for over 15 years. Her book “Disability Deception; Lies Disability Educators Tell and How Parents Can Beat Them at Their Own Game” is filled with advocacy tips and resources to help parents. To sign up for a wonderful newsletter, send an E mail to: JoAnn@disabilitydeception.com. For a link to more free articles, go to: www.disabilitydeception.com.