One Woman Army


April Success Story Being the parent of a child with Asperger’s, I’ve always been an advocate for him. Although he is very intelligent,

because of his disability he does struggle with certain aspects of socialization and needs the support of an Individualized Education Program (IEP). He is included in several regular education classes and has always done well.

Early on during this school year, the para-educator that accompanies my son and other students who need extra support in the regular education classroom became ill and was not replaced. My son was having difficulty with one of his teachers. She was aware of his accommodations and modifications in his IEP and was not providing them. He began having behavior problems in this class and his special education teacher and I decided it would be better for him to complete this work in his special education class or at home.

Problems were still occurring with this particular teacher when my son would go to retrieve his assignments. Also, I was turning in his assignments and projects myself and they weren’t being graded. My son was getting an F.

I reached out to an advocate at Families Helping Families of Jefferson and worked with Bebe Bode.  Bebe asked that

I send her a copy of my son’s IEP for her to review.  After reviewing the IEP we discussed reconvening since there were many unanswered questions and concerns.

Bebe sent me information on accommodations and modifications to prepare for the meeting. Also, I prepared copies I’d taken of his completed homework that he did not receive credit for to present at the meeting.

When the IEP meeting began we discovered a whole new IEP was entered into the school systems database (SER) that no one at the table currently, including myself, had participated in or attended.  Several of my son’s accommodations were removed from his IEP.

With the information, I was given prior to the meeting and the support I received during the meeting, I was able to work with the IEP team to correct his grades and develop an IEP that will support my son’s educational needs.

Thank you for your assistance in educating me further and enhancing my skills to advocate for my son.  I am prepared… I am a one woman army!

Robyn Saia

Facebooktwitterlinkedinmail