Assessment and IEP for Parents

In recognition of the vital role of families in the education of their child with special needs, ASP conducted the seminar-workshop on Assessment and IEP Formulation for Parents. The objective of the seminar-workshop was to empower parents to become effective partners in the development and implementation of their child’s educational program. It aimed at demystifying the assessment and IEP process so that parents could actively participate during each step. Held at the Autism Society Philippines National Headquarters last 19 November 2016, the seminar-workshop was attended by 42 participants, most of whom were students and professionals, i.e. teachers and therapists.

Mr. Jason Reyes speaking in front of the participants during seminar

Dr. Elizabeth Rey-Matias gave a brief overview of the characteristics of autism, the role of parents and professionals in ensuring the child’s development and the importance of partnership and collaboration among families and other interventionists. She stressed that parents are the first and most important teachers since children spend more hours at home than they do in school.

Dr. Antonia B. Blanca then explained the process of educational planning, focusing more on the development of functional skills which are mainly taught at home. The participants were introduced to an assessment checklist which would help assess what skills the child already has and what he/she needed to learn. Participants were then divided into 7 groups, each consisting of at least 1 parent and 5 professionals. Using the child of the parent-participant as an actual case, each group went through the assessment checklist to determine the child’s current level of performance. Each group shared what they learned through the experience and what could be done as follow-through.

After the lunch break, Mr. Jason Reyes briefly discussed how to select, prioritize and break goals into achievable steps using the same assessment form as basis. The groups then had a second workshop to determine priority goals and strategies for implementation at home. Each group shared their experiences and their impressions about the process.

Each workshop was followed by a lively question and answer portion which addressed specific concerns across different age groups of PWAs. Among participants’ feedback:

“Effectively discussed the components of each topic.”

“Through discussion & explanationin Goal Identification. Teacher Annie set the standard! Excellent! Accomodating staffs.”

“Explains each topics very relevant.”

Posted in: 4parents,seminar