Dana+Swartz-Final+Wiki

=**Self-Determination and the Student-Led IEP:** = =**Resources and Recommendations for Parents, Teachers, and College-bound students with disabilities** =

**Dana Swartz** Parents, students, and teachers all need increased knowledge about and methods to apply self-determination in order for students to become independent, intrinsically motivated, and self-directed learners and adults. College enrollments and success in other postsecondary activities are significantly lower for students with disabilities, in comparison to nondisabled students, though enrollment rates for students with disabilities has grown in recent years (Wagner, Newman, Cameto, Levine, & Garza, 2006). In order to continue to narrow the gaps in persistence and achievement, and enable students with disabilities to succeed after college, we need to increase the availability and quality of transition services (Powers, Gil-Kashiwabara, Geenen, Powers, Balandran, & Palmer, 2005).



**What is self-determination?** According to Wehmeyer, Agran, & Hughes (1998), self-determination is comprised of choice making, decision making, problem-solving, independent living (including risk taking and safety skills), goal setting and attainment, self-observation, evaluation, and reinforcement, self-instruction, self-understanding, self-advocacy, and leadership, positive self-efficacy and outcome expectancy, internal locus of control, and self-awareness. Students with disabilities often have lower levels of self-determination than their nondisabled peers (Wehmeyer, Palmer, Shogren, Williams-Diehm, & Soukup, 2010), leading to a prevalent need for explicit instruction of this skill, both in and out of the classroom environment.



**Why and when should we teach self-determination?** Students with disabilities have difficulty with goal-setting, decision making, and planning for the future. Teaching self-determination can lead to an increase in self-confidence, self-awareness, and self-advocacy, which are all vital skills for students making the transition from high school to postsecondary activities. Students must begin to learn self-determination and self-advocacy skills as early as elementary school (Zhang, Katsiyannis, & Zhang, 2002), as waiting until the later years of high school can result in greater levels of disengagement and disinterest. Teaching these skills during one high school class isn't enough...we can start the process at home, building decision making and problem-solving skills all along (more on this in the "For Parents" and "For Teachers" sections below).

**For Students**  // Gearing up for college is a challenge for any student, but can be especially difficult for students with difficulties. The sections below give you a glimpse into how you can prepare for college throughout high school, and in the months leading up to your first semester. //   __What to do during high school...__ //Self-awareness:// Developing an understanding of your disability is ESSENTIAL (Abernathy & Taylor, 2009; Connor, 2012; Garner, 2008)! Knowing what your disability is, its impact on your experience in and out of the classroom, and ways to communicate this information to faculty, disability service providers, and peers will put you in a great place and will enable you to hit the ground running. Also consider which assistive technologies you'll need to be successful, and speak with your DSP to coordinate this as needed.

**"By the time students with disabilities reach high school, they should demonstrate understanding of their disabilities** **and be aware of** **the accommodations and modifications they need for academic success"** <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center;">(Garner, 2008, p. 3)

<span style="color: #800080; display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center;">**"If children reach age 16 unknowledgeable about their disability, their ability to participate** **in the educational decision-making process is compromised"** <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center;">(Abernathy & Taylor, 2009, p. 121)

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">And while you're at it...consider your STRENGTHS, INTERESTS, PASSIONS, and WEAKNESSES, and how these affect your goals for the future (Mason, Mcgahee-Kovac, Johnson, & Stillerman, 2002; Weishaar, 2010; Gil, 2007; Durlak, Rose, & Bursuck, 1994; Van Dycke, Martin, & Lovett, 2006; Zhang, Katsiyannis, & Zhang, 2002)! Remember, this planning process is ALL ABOUT YOU! <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">//Self-Advocacy:// The best way to start your college career on the right foot is to self-advocate. Start practicing this skill with your parents and high school teachers, and you'll be a pro by the time you enter college. Set up opportunities to practice in a safe space...be it with a general education teacher, special education teacher, parent, or friend (Durlak, Rose, & Bursuck, 1994). **But don't stop there!** Move on to practice this with a teacher of a new class, so that you become more familiar with different types of teachers and their reactions. This way, you'll be more likely and more successful to articulate your needs and concerns to college instructors when the time comes.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">[|Headstrong Nation] is a wonderful student-centered resource, primarily for students with dyslexia. View a [|video] about students' experiences with self-determination, self-advocacy, and self-disclosure. <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: left;">//Wondering how you can self-advocate?// Start out by asking questions to clarify your understanding on a topic, identifying areas of concern, and requesting repetition of a topic (Mason et al., 2002). The more comfortable you become in these areas, the easier self-advocating will become! <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">//What kind of classes should I take in high school?// If possible, take a wide range of rigorous courses with a variety of teachers (Garner, 2008). This will equip you with the skills to adapt to different teaching styles and levels of challenge, making your transition to college much smoother.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">//Take ownership over your education!// When you feel disengaged, whether from the IEP process or from your education in general, you're much less likely to succeed (Mason et al., 2002). Instead, work on becoming involved and engaged in your educational planning to improve your overall success.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">//Attend (and LEAD!) your IEP meetings!// And start this ASAP! Learning how to become involved in the IEP process, setting goals in first-person that emphasize your strengths, interests, and areas of concern, and practicing your self-determination and self-advocacy skills early and often will set you up for lifelong success in and out of the classroom setting (Powers et al., 2005; Van Dycke, Martin, & Lovett, 2006; Mason et al., 2002). Leading your IEP meeting even helps to improve your public speaking skills (Mason et al., 2002).

<span style="color: #bb06bb; display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center;">__In the months leading up to your freshman year...__ <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">//What are the steps involved to receiving accommodations in college?// <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">In order to receive accommodations in college, there are different steps to take, including self-disclosing, submitting documentation, meeting with the disability service provider (DSP), and following up with your instructors to provide your letters of accommodation (Gil, 2007). And __DON'T WAIT__ until the day of your exam! Once you've finalized your semester schedule, arrange your preliminary plans for exam accommodations with your professors.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">//Self-disclosure:// Did you know that 2/3 of college students with disabilities do not receive accommodations because they don't self-disclose (Gil, 2007)? Without identifying yourself as having a learning disability, you're ineligible to receive accommodations in college!

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">//Seek out a Mentor:// Mentorship can be especially beneficial for college students with disabilities (Connor, 2012), as an upperclassman who understands the nuances of the college or university can give you unique insight about extracurriculars, professors, and residence halls, just to name a few areas. Even before you step foot on campus in the fall, reach out to your DSP. She can put you in touch with a mentor who can let you know about available opportunities such as tutoring, study groups, and review sessions that have been helpful in his experience (Garner, 2008). [|Project Eye to Eye] is a national mentoring organization, and can be a great starting point.

<span style="color: #800080; display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center;">**For Parents** <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> //<span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center;">Having their best interests in mind, parents often feel the best option is to advocate for your children, rather than instilling self-advocacy skills. Instead, work with your son or daughter and encourage self-determination and self-advocacy (Durlak, Rose, & Bursuck, 1994). // <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center;">Here are some strategies to get you started:

<span style="color: #bb06bb; display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center;">__As you prepare for the IEP meeting...__ <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">~Check in with your son or daughter's classroom and special education teachers for areas of concern (Weishaar, 2010). This will give you ample time to put together your thoughts and brainstorm ways to resolve conflicts ahead of time.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">~What goals for your student are most important to you? Brainstorm ahead of time and plan to discuss these goals with the IEP team.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">~Focus on your son or daughter's strengths, and start the IEP meeting in this way (Weishaar, 2010).

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">~Reach out to your child's school to be matched with a school liaison (Weishaar, 2010). He or she can help address your questions ahead of time, and allow lines of communication to remain open.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">~Stay current on issues discussed in previous IEP meetings, and follow through as needed. It's __//crucial//__ for parents to reinforce the self-determination skills that your children are learning in school (Zhang, Katsiyannis, & Zhang, 2002). Encouraging self-determination skills such as goal-setting and problem-solving at home allows your children to learn how to generalize the skills and strategies they're learning.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">~Oftentimes, teachers will direct students to their parents for help with self-determination and other skills. Beef up your understanding of this topic and others that your children face by visiting websites such as [|Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities], [|LDOnline], or the [|National Center for Learning Disabilities].

<span style="color: #bb06bb; display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center;">__In your day-to-day interactions with your children...__ <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: left;">~Facilitate opportunities to make choices and solve problems beginning in early childhood (Zhang, Katsiyannis, & Zhang, 2002).

<span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: left;">~Collaborate with general and special education teachers to ensure you're working together to empower your student to reach his or her goals

<span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: left;">~Provide consistent support and involvement to enable your student to transition successfully to postsecondary life (Zhang, 2002)

<span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: left;">~Fostering self-determination can also include: <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: left;"> (adapted from teacher and parent questionnaire in Zhang, Katsiyannis, & Zhang, 2002)
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Providing opportunities for the student to make decisions that have an important impact on his or her academic goals (ie: course registration) ||
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Providing opportunities for the student to make decisions that have an important impact on his or her career (ie: postsecondary employment) ||
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Providing opportunities for the student to make decisions that have an important impact on his or her schedules at home ||
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: left;">Making it easy for the student to see connections between goals s/he set for self and the daily decisions s/he made. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Providing guidance in breaking the student's long term goals into a number of objectives ||
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: left;">Leading the student through planning activities to determine steps to take to progress toward goals ||
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Assisting the student in realistically recognizing and accepting weaknesses in key skills ||
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Assisting the student in requesting academic and social supports from teachers ||

<span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">**For Teachers** <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center;">//This section has four key components to guide you in your work in self-determination with students with disabilities and their parents.// <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center;"> <span style="color: #bb06bb; font-family: Georgia,serif;">__Teaching Self-Determination to Students__ <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">In many students' IEPs, goals include fostering self-determination and self-advocacy, but many teachers lack information about //how// to teach these skills (Abernathy & Taylor, 2009). To instill self-determination in our students requires the following ideas...

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">~When working with students to develop their goals, it is imperative that the goals be meaningful and relevant to the student, and that the student has control over the subjects that he or she decides to take (Mason et al., 2002)

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">~Self-determination should be taught as a part of the curriculum, but should also be embedded across contexts (Abernathy & Taylor, 2009). Providing opportunities to students to make choices and problem solving could be included in both pragmatic tasks and history lessons. In history, for example, the student could have the option about where to start his or her review of a topic, and discuss reasons for making this decision.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">~In our work with students, it's important to take time to educate them about their disabilities, the impact that the disability has on the student's life, and accommodations for which the student is eligible (Abernathy & Taylor, 2009). <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">-->Working with students in this manner affords a safe space to raise questions and concerns, but more importantly, allows the student to consider the strengths that their disability presents. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">-->Stigmas about disabilities abound, and students often equate their disabilities with stupidity, laziness, or lack of motivation.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">~Various self-determination assessments are available online, and may provide teachers with a more detailed look into students' self-determination skills. These resources include: <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">[| http://www.selfdeterminationak.org/resources_for_teachers.html]

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">[|The ARC Self-Determination Scale.pdf] <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">[]

<span style="color: #bb06bb; font-family: Georgia,serif;">__What is the teacher's role in the Student-Led IEP Process?__ <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">~Teachers can include strategies to lead the IEP meetings in order to increase student engagement and involvement in their educational planning (Mason et al., 2002) <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">-->Students should feel engaged and take ownership of the design of their IEPs and the meetings themselves, as this will lead to social, academic, and career success (Mason et al., 2002)

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">~Teachers can provide opportunities for students to do a "mock IEP," where they go through each step involved in the process (Mason et al., 2002). <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">-->Doing a trial run allows the student to develop confidence in their ability to run a meeting, hone in on public speaking skills, and respond to questions that may come up in a true IEP meeting <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">-->Steps in the student-led IEP could include the following: <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center;">1.) Introduce self <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center;">2.) Introduce IEP team members <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center;">3.) State purpose of meeting <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center;">4.) Review past goals and progress <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center;">5.) Ask for feedback <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center;">6.) Ask questions if did not understand <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center;">7.) Deal with differences in opinion <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center;">8.) State needed support <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center;">9.) Express interests <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center;">10.) Express skills and limits <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center;">11.) Express options and goals <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center;">12.) Close meeting by thanking everyone <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center;">(Van Dycke, Martin, & Lovett, 2006, p. 44)

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">~Teachers can help students consider their strengths, interests, and weaknesses, and take these into consideration in developing goals to include on the IEP (Mason et al., 2002)

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">~Teachers report that student-led IEP meetings are more student centered //and// that students who lead their IEP meetings are more aware of their disability (Mason et al., 2002)

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">~One limitation of the student-led IEP is the amount of time needed to adequately prepare a student for the meeting (Mason et al., 2002) <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">-->This is an area where teachers may reach out to parents to ensure that while they're teaching the necessary skills at school, the parents are following up with positive reinforcement and feedback.

<span style="color: #bb06bb; font-family: Georgia,serif;">__How can teachers educate parents?__ <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">~Teachers can reach out to parents prior to the IEP meeting to provide feedback about their son or daughter's performance, and where the teacher sees the student's strengths (Mason et al., 2002)

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">~Teachers can work with parents to include them more readily in their son or daughter's education, which will create an ongoing dialogue between the parent and teacher

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">~Teachers can make an effort to avoid simply referring the student to his or her parents when questions arise (Mason et al., 2002). Instead, try to collaborate with parents so that the student feels equally comfortable going to each person for assistance.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">~Teachers must educate parents and other stakeholders on the need for and implementation of self-determination in order to provide students with a strong support network who can encourage and continually reinforce SD behaviors (Wood, Karvonen, Test, Browder, & Algozzine, 2004). <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> <span style="color: #bb06bb; display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center;">__What language can teachers use with students with disabilities?__ <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Students with learning disabilities need direct instruction and explicit language to fully grasp a concept, especially when learning about self-determination and self-advocacy (Abernathy & Taylor, 2009; Durlak, Rose, & Bursuck, 1994)

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Teachers need training in the appropriate language to use with students to motivate and empower them to succeed (Abernathy & Taylor, 2009)

<span style="color: #800080; display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center;">//**Collaboration is key when working with all students, but particularly with our students with disabilities. By considering the role that self-determination has in the successful student transitions to college and other postsecondary activities, we can see that this is a vital skill that students must begin to learn from an early age. Coupling this skill with the student-led IEP process sets our students up for success in the academic setting and beyond.**// <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center;">
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center;">References **

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Abernathy, T. V., & Taylor, S. S. (2009). Teacher perceptions of students' understanding of their own disability. //Teacher Education and Special Education, 32//(2), 121-136

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Connor, D. J. (2012). Helping students with disabilities transition to college: 21 tips for students with LD and/or ADD/ADHD <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Durlak, C. M., Rose, E., & Bursuck, W. D. (1994). Preparing high school students with learning disabilities for the transition to postsecondary education: Teaching the skills of self-determination. //Journal of Learning Disabilities, 27//(1), 51-59 <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Garner, D. B. (2008). Postsecondary education success: Stories of three students with learning disabilities. //TEACHING Exceptional Children Plus, 4//(4) Article 4. Retrieved 18 April 2012 from [] <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Gil, L. A. (2007). Bridging the transition gap from high school to college: Preparing students with disabilities for a successful postsecondary experience. //TEACHING Exceptional Children, 40//(2), 12-15 <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Mason, C. Y., Mcgahee-Kovac, M., Johnson, L., & Stillerman, S. (2002). Implementing student-led IEPs: Student participation and student and teacher reactions. //Career Development for Exceptional Individuals, 25//(2), 171-192 <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Powers, K. M., Gil-Kashiwabara, E., Geenen, S. J., Powers, L. E., Balandran, J., & Palmer, C. (2005). Mandates and effective transition planning practices reflected in IEPs. //Career Development for Exceptional Individuals, 28//(1), 47-59 <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Van Dycke, J. L., Martin, J. E., & Lovett, D. L. (2006). Why is this cake on fire?: Inviting students to the IEP Process. //TEACHING Exceptional Children, 38//(3), 42-47 <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Wagner, M., Newman, L., Cameto, R., Levine, P., and Garza, N. (2006). //An Overview of Findings From Wave 2 of the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2// (NLTS2). (NCSER 2006-3004). Menlo Park, CA: SRI International. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Wehmeyer, M. L., Agran, M., & Hughes, C. (1998). Teaching self-instruction skills. In //Teaching self-determination to students with disabilities: Basic skills for successful transition// (pp. 157-183). Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Wehmeyer, M. L., Palmer, S., B., Shogren, K., Williams-Diehm, K., & Soukup, J. H. (2010). Establishing a causal relationship between intervention to promote self-determination and enhanced student self-determination. //The Journal of Special Education, XX//(X), 1-16 <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Weishaar, P. M. (2010). Twelve ways to incorporate strengths-based planning into the IEP process. //The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas//, 83(6), 207-210 <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Wood, W. M., Karvonen, M., Test, D. W., Browder, D., & Algozzine, B. (2004). Promoting student self-determination skills in IEP planning. //TEACHING Exceptional Children, 36//(3), 8-16 <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Zhang, D., Katsiyannis, A., & Zhang, J. (2002). Teacher and parent practice on fostering self-determination of high school students with mild disabilities. //Career Development for Exceptional Individuals, 25//(2), 157-169