Menu
If you hear this at your child's IEP team meetings, it should raise a red flag for you. This is never the answer, and usually means the team needs to be pushed to think outside of the box they have created for themselves. However, doing the "pushing" as a parent can be very challenging, since you may not have the knowledge or experience to do so.
Teams can become frustrated when trying to write achievable goals and find successful accommodation or modifications for a student with special needs. However, the student can become even more frustrated, waiting for the team to create successful goals, accommodations, and modifications matching their specific special needs.
When someone who can’t climb stairs is presented with 10 stairs, they will need accommodations to reach the top. Removing one or several steps might be an attempt at an accommodation. However, it will quickly become obvious that this is not an appropriate accommodation in this situation. The person will still not be able to climb the stairs, and will need a way around the stairs, like an elevator, or an entrance with a ramp or simply a single-story building.
But should a team repeatedly and slowly remove one stair at a time and hope that the person can see it in their heart to start walking up the stairs? Would we find it understandable if this person sitting at the bottom of the stairs, threw their hands up in rage, frustration, and humiliation? Would we find it understandable if this person exhibited challenging behaviors such as disrespect, distraction, or withdraw?
I have been in team meetings where participants have angrily spoken about how hard they have worked to accommodate a student. How they "have tried everything”, but nothing worked. The team said that they had done so much for the student but were getting nothing from the student in return. They let their emotions and frustration mold their thoughts and actions as opposed to having the student's educational needs drive the process.
These students want to succeed like the rest of their peers. They do not seek out accommodations and modifications. They simply want to fit in and have friends - just like any other teenager. These students are not trying to cheat the system or strip teachers of their standards. Most simply want to graduate, get a job, and maybe buy a car. Students don’t want to be recognized as having a disability, but they want and need discreet accommodation to accomplish what many students do more easily.
If a student is unable to be successful with their current accommodations and modifications, then we need to further revise their accommodations, modifications, and services. We need to make sure the team is creating unique, attainable goals with measurable objectives. This is the hard work a team must do. This is the standard we should strive for.
If a team has “tried everything” then then they need to start thinking outside the box they have created for themselves. If a student is a senior in high school, having a diagnosed reading disability from first grade on, and is still not able to functionally read everyday signs, instructions, or information, then we need to stop trying to instill phonics and start trying to find tools and tricks to allow this student to become a successful adult.
Frustration is a natural human emotion. However, when an IEP team becomes stagnated by frustration it is the student who suffers. Often, what is needed is an external "push". Someone to encourage fresh ideas, and help the group get out of the box they have built. Give me a call.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.