When your child struggles with a learning disability or a handicap of any kind, working closely with the school to address each year's goals, struggles and accommodations can be crucial. Since every new grade level brings different challenges for kids, it's important to work with the school in the first few months of every school year to update the Individualized Education Plan, also called an IEP, for your child. This plan will include the necessary adjustments that the school needs to be making for your child's education. Here are a few tips for tackling these meetings and giving your child the best chance of success.

Carry Over Still-Relevant Prior Goals

Take a clear look at last year's plan. Eliminate any goals that your child has reached or no longer needs assistance with. Highlight any that you plan to have carried over into the new year. Highlight anything that wasn't particularly successful in the year before as well. 

Look through the notes from your child's teacher during the previous year, any disciplinary actions, report cards and other documentation. This will help you to see trends that you may have missed in the thick of it during the school year before. For example, did all of the disciplinary issues happen in one class or around the same time every day? Look at what happened last year for clues as to what this year might bring.

Set New Goals for the New Year

Make a note of the new challenges that the upcoming year is going to bring. For example, as your child progresses into higher grades, most teachers expect more autonomy and greater detail in the work. If things like this are a challenge, or if changing classes for the first time is going to be overwhelming, have these things addressed in the plan.

Consider what you hope for your child to accomplish in this coming year. Are there any specific challenges that you really want to help him or her overcome? For example, a child with dysgraphia may simply be looking to succeed with hand-writing a single-page assignment. Or, if your child has executive functioning challenges, you may just want tools for him or her to manage assignments and daily tasks with less prompting.

Consult an Attorney

Any time you feel as though your child's needs aren't being addressed or you just aren't being heard, the best thing you can do is reach out to a special education attorney, like the Law Office of Mark W Voigt, who can help you negotiate the situation with the school. The attorney will understand all of the finer points of the special education law and will know how to support the information that is necessary to get the job done. If you are still fairly new to IEP meetings or your child's school isn't as accommodating as you feel they should be, an attorney in your corner can make a big difference.