Getting Standing Equipment on Your Child's Individual Education Plan (IEP)

According to the US Dept. of Education, each child who receives special education and related services must have an IEP (Individual Education Plan) complete with IEP goals and objectives. The plan is created by the IEP team, which typically includes the parents, teachers, and therapists. An Individual Education Plan consists of certain information designed to meet the child's unique needs, including annual goals, special education and related services (such as physical & occupational therapy), participation with nondisabled children, assistive technology, and much more. The IEP team must always consider the child's need for assistive technology devices such as a wheelchair or pediatric stander. Creating an IEP that includes standing therapy allows multiple IEP goals and objectives to be accomplished simultaneously (i.e. the child uses their pediatric stander for weight bearing during speech therapy or for inclusion in physical education activities).

If parents do not agree with an Individual Education Plan that has been developed for their child, they have a right to pursue a number of options:

• try to reach an agreement
• ask for mediation
• ask for due process
• or file a complaint with the state education agency

If standing is a goal that you want the child to achieve (and it is medically safe), it is important to get it included in the student's IEP. Often if the therapist recommends "standing or weight bearing" in the child's specific IEP, the school is required to buy a stander for that individual child while they are in school.

This is a very brief explanation of an IEP and how it relates to standing. For more information on writing and understanding an IEP, please visit "A Guide to the Individualized Education Program." There are additional resources related to building an IEP and obtaining assistive technology devices below.

Sources

1. U.S. Department of Education. Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services. A Guide to the Individualized Education Program. July 2000.
2. U.S. Department of Education. The Eric Clearinghouse on Disabilities & Gifted Education. 24 Feb. 2003. http://www.eric.ed.gov/