Let’s be real.
IEPs serve a purpose but they are a support plan NOT a brain building plan.
They help to keep your child afloat and to get them through content, to keep up with the concepts and facts in history, geography, science and so on.
If done well – IEPs should even provide interventions that seek to optimize reading, writing, learning etc.
But the majority of students graduate high school having made minimal (if any) progress. Kids with dyslexia are graduating high school unable to read or write in astronomical numbers.
The Right to Read Inquiry in Ontario, Canada for example found that IEP interventions rely on assistive technology and scribing rather than the students actually getting the interventions they need to develop those skills.
It also found that by grade 10, only 50% of students were able to pass the Ontario Literacy Test. These numbers are similar or even higher in other states and provinces.
The fact is we’re asking the schools and teachers to provide an intervention that they don’t have the time, money, training or resources for.
Facts are facts.
As a result, the IEP is more focused on getting these kids through the content but it doesn’t make them better learners. The main focus should be on developing the actual cognitive skills required for reading, writing, attention and good learning.
The emphasis on getting through the content is evidenced in such accommodations as assistive technology being the main way to navigate reading and writing assignments.
This in turn results in the child becoming more dependent on a device to read and write for them. Nevermind the limitations and inconvenience of this – talk about a way to erode self-esteem.
What your child really needs is an intervention that optimizes their learning skills so that they can think, focus, remember and learn on their own.
The main focus should be about building the brain when a child struggles with learning and less about consuming content they may never use.
If we can develop strong cognitive skills we can learn pretty much anything on our own – and that’s ultimately what we want – right?
The research shows that in order for kids to make real progress to overcome learning difficulties, the first place to start is with developing the lowest brain levels.
That means starting with developing the sensory-motor system and moving our way up.
… and if you’ve been following me for a while you know the other piece that no IEP can address is that reading and writing issues, poor memory and attention, processing issues and speech are all impacted by…
→ Gut health
→ Toxicity
→ Nutrient deficiencies
These issues block real learning progress and the school is not equipped to address that. You see, we’re asking the education system to do more than they were designed to do. Schools were designed to teach neurotypical kids.
They aren’t equipped to address the multiple layers of why kids are struggling more than any other generation. I absolutely know that teachers are doing the best they can with the resources they have to help kids but ultimately it almost always ends up being a shift – not a transformation in learning ability.
… and that’s because teachers – even special education teachers aren’t trained in:
→Educational therapy
→The neuroscience of learning
→How to rewire the brain through neuroplasticity
True progress means:
→ Reducing neuro-inflammation with detoxes, gut healing and nutrition all which optimizes executive functioning in the brain
→ Strengthening brain connections from the bottom up so kids are no longer compensating
→ Rewiring how the brain learns with cognitive therapies and neuro-technologies
The bottom line is that IEPs are a support plan but they’re not a brain-building plan. If your child is still struggling, it’s not because they can’t learn – it’s because the right approach hasn’t been introduced yet.
… and that’s where I come in. I help parents get real answers and solutions that are corrective, not just compensations with accommodations.
If you’re done waiting and want to uncover the root cause behind your child’s learning challenges, book a free Clarity Call to learn more about the Full Potential Academy and how to apply.
