What are the responsibilities / expectations of a team member

Along with their own perspective, each member also brings along their background, personality, strengths and weaknesses. It should not be assumed that all members have the same basic understanding of the IDEA law, the protocol within a given state or school district, the needs of the child, or appropriate best practice. All members should come to the table knowing that this is a learning process, and that they are all working toward a shared understanding of how to proceed with plans for a successful program.

Each member should be expected to offer ideas, thoughts, suggestions, and questions. Criticism should only be offered when it is constructive – in other words, if it will help to reduce a problem, prevent a recurrence, or otherwise improve upon the plans being discussed. All ideas should be considered before being accepted or disregarded, and all questions answered completely. It would be helpful for the school team to indoctrinate any new member to the process (such as a newly diagnosed child’s family or a newly hired teacher) with a brief overview of the IDEA law, protocol of the IEP process, and the rights of families and students with disabilities. It might be a good idea for districts to assign parent volunteers to help new parents in the special education system get acquainted with their responsibilities and feel more confident about knowing the process. Whether the volunteer is a school staff member or a parent in the district, it should be considered a part of the plan. Someone therefore, could be assigned the responsibility of offering assistance to the family, as well as deciding what that might include (i.e. a parent who happens to be a teacher in the next district may only need a brief review of this district’s policies along with the names of administrators. A parent who has no background in education might also need a review of IDEA, a referral to local support organizations for information about their child’s specific disability, and a ‘translation’ of their Procedural Rights).

Parents most likely will also require some components of a home-school program that would instruct the family in behavioral strategies, social skill instruction, and other interventions that are being utilized in the school. If the consistency of programming does not occur in all settings, the child is unlikely to learn them in a way that can be generalized. It should not be assumed that the family is familiar with techniques or instruction in these areas. Home training needs would differ from family to family based upon the individual child’s profile and the families’ current level of knowledge and ability, but decisions regarding continual training should be a central theme in all team meetings, since training needs will change as the child matures and develops new skills. IDEA assigns responsibility to schools in training parents to understand the child’s special needs, child development, and to acquire skills to support the implementation of the child’s IEP. It therefore should not be overlooked as a key piece of the child’s program.

Organization is a key ingredient to coming to meetings prepared with necessary ideas, information, resources, and questions to ask. Therefore, it is recommended that parents be provided with copies of all evaluation reports and proposed IEP goals in advance of the IEP meeting so they can formulate questions, concerns, or propose desired additions or changes. (note: final goals are completed at the IEP meeting itself per IDEA law, but proposed plans for goals are often developed ahead to save time and ensure that each is thought out carefully rather than being written ‘off the cuff’ in a restricted time frame at the meeting). All members should come prepared with any background information they may need to support a request or suggestion. It is recommended that all members take their own individual notes at IEP meetings, but at informal team meetings notes are sometimes written on a large easel board or pad by one person and typed up and distributed to the group afterwards.

Whenever the team comes together, whether it is a formal IEP or informal meeting, all members need to know what they are expected to accomplish or investigate before the next meting. It is therefore helpful when notes are written on an easel board to include an ‘action items’ list. This can prevent misunderstandings and/or forgotten tasks that lead to delays.

Examples of action item list:

• Ms. S will research sources for social stories (request from parent)
• Mr. M. will call the State Dept of Ed to find out the criteria for gym credits
• Ms. S will report to parent how the field trip went when it is concluded
• The school nurse will be Johnny’s new ‘safe person’, she will meet with him and have her come to her room a few times and report on the success at the next team meeting.

One way to make families feel a part of the team and not simply an ‘observer’ is to give them responsibilities along with the other members of the team. These should always be in line with the ability level and time availability of the parent, otherwise it could become a point of contention among team members. Keep in mind the possibly limited understanding of the child’s disability (especially for newly diagnosed families) and that their lack of expertise in understanding how to follow through on supports and modifications might impact their success. The team should always be aware and accept that this is a foreign process that is very difficult for many families, and assistance given in techniques and interventions so that errors cannot occur with frequency.

Parents and staff alike come with a variety of cultural backgrounds, prior education, ability to be objective, and ability to maintain emotional control in stressful situations. The lack of any of these traits would not automatically make a person a bad team member. Being aware of these differences and what they mean to the team can help everyone to prepare to deal with those differences, and to maintain a sense of humor.

It must be mentioned that all people familiar with any given subject will tend to gravitate toward jargon and terminology they hear routinely on a daily basis. Staff should be wary of using these terms around families, and to explain meanings patiently in order to encourage the family to learn the terms and to continue asking questions. Some family members may feel intimidated about asking for clarifications, and may want to avoid appearing uneducated by asking ‘stupid’ questions. It is helpful for staff members to meet with family members between meetings so questions can be asked without a larger audience, and when more time allows for a better understanding to be shared. This promotes better team cohesiveness, and that benefits everyone – especially the child!

There should be one member of any team who is assigned extra responsibilities, and that is the Team Coordinator. This is most likely going to be the case manager, but it may be best suited to anyone who has the lightest schedule load. The Coordinator would be responsible to be sure announcements and reminders of meetings go out to all members, that a room to meet is arranged for, coffee and refreshments are on hand if appropriate, notes are taken at informal meetings and distributed, and if an ‘action items’ list is developed that all members are clear on their individual responsibilities and have received a copy of the list. This is no small matter, since disruption of schedules and missed meetings can quickly foster resentment. Whoever is given this responsibility is likely to have their organizational skills tested!