What is an IEP?

An IEP (Individual Education Plan) is a road map for you and your child in terms of how their learning needs are going to be addressed.  An IEP is created no more than 30 days after a student has been identified as exceptional and placed in a special education program.  A child does not have to be formally assessed to be placed on an IEP.  The Ontario Ministry of Education provides a detailed definition which I have summarized.  An IEP is:

• A written plan describing the special education program and/or services required by a student, based on their areas of strengths and needs.
• A record of the accommodations that a student might need in order to meet their learning expectations, given the student’s identified learning strengths and needs.
• A working document that identifies what learning expectations that are modified from the grade level expectations of any particular subject.
• A working document that identifies alternative expectations, if required, that are not part of the formal Ontario Curriculum (e.g. social skills).
•  A list of specific expectations to be assessed and evaluated for the purposes of reporting student achievement of modified and/or alternative expectations

What are modified expectations and accommodations?

Accommodations are tools used to help children meet their grade level curriculum expectations.  Examples of accommodations include, but are not limited to, the following: giving students extra time to complete tests, allowing students to use their computers or laptops for note taking, strategic placement of student’s desks in the classroom, using scribes for notes or tests, differentiated instruction.

Modifications refer to actual changes to the grade level expectations of the Ontario curriculum.  Again, modifications can include, but are not limited to the following: previous years curriculum expectations (for example a student is in grade 3 but is assessed against grade 2 expectations for certain subjects), omitting certain expectations in specific subjects (such as focusing on 2 of 3 expectations for particular subjects).

The following websites provide some additional detail regarding IEP’s:

http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/general/elemsec/speced/guide/resource/iepresguid.pdf

http://www.peopleforeducation.ca/

http://ldadr.on.ca/iep.htm

What is a Learning Disability (LD)?

The definition of LD as per the Ontario Ministry of Education:

Learning Disability 
A learning disorder evident in both academic and social situations that involves one or more of the processes necessary for the proper use of spoken language or the symbols of communication, and that is characterized by a condition that:

a) is not primarily the result of: 

impairment of vision;

impairment of hearing;

physical disability;

developmental disability;

primary emotional disturbance;

cultural difference;

b) results in a significant discrepancy between academic achievement and assessed intellectual ability, with deficits in one or more of the following:

receptive language (listening, reading);

language processing (thinking, conceptualizing, integrating);

expressive language (talking, spelling, writing);v

mathematical computations; and

c) may be associated with one or more conditions diagnosed as:

a perceptual handicap;

a brain injury;

minimal brain dysfunction;

dyslexia;

developmental aphasia.

www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/

The Learning Disabilities Association of Ontario Defines LD as:

"Learning Disabilities" refers to a variety of disorders that affect the acquisition, retention, understanding, organization or use of verbal and/or non-verbal information. These disorders result from impairments in one or more psychological processes related to learning (footnote a), in combination with otherwise average abilities essential for thinking and reasoning. Learning disabilities are specific not global impairments and as such, are distinct from intellectual disabilities.

Learning disabilities range in severity and invariably interfere with the acquisition and use of one or more of the following important skills:

oral language (e.g., listening, speaking, understanding)

reading (e.g., decoding, comprehension)

written language (e.g., spelling, written expression)

mathematics (e.g., computation, problem solving)

Footnote a: 

The term "psychological processes" describes an evolving list of cognitive functions. To date, research has focused on functions such as: 

phonological processing

memory and attention

processing speed

language processing

perceptual-motor integration

visual-spatial processing

executive functions (eg, planning, monitoring and metacognitive abilities)

Approved by the LDAO Board of Directors, May 2001.

www.ldadr.on.ca/ldaodef.htm