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By: Priya Pasumarthy
The Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) successful implementations hinge on the
alignment of a few crucial parameters. The known parameters are compliance and a
strength based IEP while the next ones are the AAAs. Assumptions, Anticipations
and Ascriptions of the various stakeholders of the IEP team that act in subtlety that
contribute to the IEP’s success. Here we will be reviewing the AAAs, its existence,
dynamics and calling out the implementers of the IEP and why they need to check
their AAAs before the IEP implementations. The misalignment of one or all the
parameters can potentially barrier the IEP’s success individually or cumulatively.
Sometimes its effects are short term and revocable but oftentimes can have
lasting impacts that are irrevocable(hindering independence and functionality). This
can cause a continuous heavy emotional/financial/resource and societal burdens to
the affected individuals.
It is compelling to ask, having known that IEP reflects an individual and vice versa,
which effective steps could avoid irrevocable impacts? Which steps could possibly
prevent a continuous financial burden to both the individual and to the society
around years later? While there is no one answer due to the involvement of a
number of stakeholders and systems in the IEP, it can be attributed to timely
actions/support and taking small simple -steps in the IEP would lead to the goal. In
other words, periodic gauging of alignment of the parameters(cross the checklist
template below) before the IEP implementations.
Developing an IEP is not only time consuming but also can be laborious too. As
known, constructing IEPs involves a series of assessments using batteries,
interviews, and other testing by each member of the team. This is where the AAAs
of the team members start to pour in along with the inheritance of stigmas and
other attributes. If and when the diagnosis(or on a mild spectrum) is clear the
process can go smoothly with no major discrepancies.
However, for moderate-severe diagnosis (the most vulnerable zone) it can be
tedious and end up strained. In this case AAAs interfere with the parental
expectations and a mutual friction sparks up. As the individual’s potential gets
masked in part due to speech deficits, behavioral and regulation issues which leads
to assumptions, anticipations and ascribing to low competence or lower
expectations. A non- cooperative scenario gets established. This would be around
disagreements with the placement, extra support, which in turn is due to the team
not able to cross their fixed AAAs ( Assumptions, Anticipation and Ascriptions). This
way we can notice how AAAs could pull back the IEP’s success with a low bar in
place. This needs to be rebooted or else it gets carried throughout the school
system. Years later, as soon as the individual is out of the school system they are
not fully equipped to function in society independently. The ongoing struggle for
identity within themselves along with other issues(low confidence, anxiety issues
etc.) being tuned to low quality makes them less productive citizens.
With the current trend of scant special education resources due to exponential
increase in the number of individuals getting diagnosed the possibility of pitfalls in
the process of developing IEPs is way high. With a thorough understanding and
awareness of the existence of the crucial parameters in the IEPs and their dynamics
paired with timely actions can help individuals to get better equipped to function in
society post the school system. This way we can avoid a continuous heavy
emotional/financial/resource and societal burdens to the affected individuals. It is
imperative to watch and gauge periodically by IEP team members for compliance, a
strength based one and if the AAAs by all stakeholders were crossed before the IEP
implementations.
Before IEP Implementations checklist template:
● Is the IEP compliant? Y/N
● Is the IEP a Strength based one? Y/N
● Did it cross the AAAs of all team members? Y/N
If yes, IEP is ready for implementations, if not Reboot!
(Calling out all the team members of IEP to take timely actions and small
simple steps that would possibly help in assisting differently abled
individuals to better equip themselves to function in our society in the
future.)
Priya Pasumarthy is a health care provider and an award winning author of Our Little Promise(2022) and Halloween At Luke’s(2019). She lives in California with her
family.
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