How to Read Your Child’s IEP:
A Caregiver's Guide

Before you dive into the details:

• Make sure your child’s name, date of birth, school, and grade are correct.
   

• Look at the eligibility category (e.g., Autism, Other Health Impairment, Specific Learning Disability).
   

  • Does this match what you know about your child?
     

  • You have the right to ask how the team decided on this category.
     

Check the meeting date and note when the next review will be.

PLOPs describe your child’s current skills in key areas — both strengths and challenges — and form the baseline for their IEP goals.

In California, PLOPs often cover:

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• Academic performance
   

• Communication
   

• Social-emotional skills
   

• Motor skills
   

• Behavior and self-regulation
   

• Functional/adaptive skills (e.g., daily living skills)

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Why PLOPs matter:

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• Goals are built from here — if the PLOPs are incomplete or inaccurate, the goals may miss the mark.
   

• They should reflect what your child can do independently right now, not just what they can do with adult support or prompts.

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• They should be specific (e.g., “Reads 50 words per minute with 90% accuracy” rather than “Struggles with reading”).
   

Tip: If something important about your child’s abilities is missing from the PLOPs, ask for it to be added before finalizing the IEP.

This section tells you what the school is committing to provide.

Ask yourself:

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• What kind of service is it? (Speech therapy, occupational therapy, reading intervention, counseling, etc.)
   

• How often? (Minutes per week or month)
   

• Where? (In the classroom, in a separate setting, virtually)
   

• Group or individual? If it’s group, how big is the group?
   

• For reading difficulties: What program or method will they use? Is it research-based?
   

• If your child isn’t speaking: Have they considered AAC (augmentative and alternative communication)?
   

• For any therapy service: Is the provider qualified for your child’s age and needs?

Goals are the heart of the IEP. They describe what your child will work toward this year and how progress will be measured.

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Each goal should:

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• Be specific (you can tell exactly what’s being taught or practiced).
   

• Be measurable (you’ll know if your child met it).
   

• Be realistic yet challenging enough to help your child grow.

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• Include how progress will be tracked and shared.
   

Affirming goals focus on building skills and independence without asking a child to hide who they are.

 

They:

• Use respectful, strength-based language.
   

• Support the child’s natural communication style, sensory needs, and learning pace.
   

• Avoid compliance-based objectives that aim to suppress harmless behaviors (like stimming, using AAC, or moving to self-regulate).
   

• Promote real-world skills and participation rather than “fitting in” by masking differences.

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Examples of affirming vs. non-affirming goals:

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• Non-Affirming Goal

  • “Will sit still with hands folded for 20 minutes without fidgeting”

  • “Will use full sentences when speaking to peers”

  • “Will make eye contact when speaking”

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• Affirming Goal

  • “Will use movement, fidgets, or other self-regulation tools as needed to remain engaged in group activities for up to 20 minutes”

  • “Will communicate wants, needs, and ideas with peers using speech, AAC, or other preferred methods”

  • “Will use preferred strategies (e.g., facing the speaker, looking at materials) to show engagement during conversation”

This section explains how the school will adjust the learning environment so your child can participate. Examples include:

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• Preferential seating
   

• Extra time on assignments
   

• Sensory breaks
   

• Visual schedules
   

• Access to assistive technology

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• Reduced homework load

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• Alternative ways to show learning (oral, visual, or project-based instead of only written tests

• In California, you do not have to sign the IEP at the meeting if you’re not ready. You can take it home, think it over, and come back with questions.
   

• You don’t have to agree to everything in the IEP all at once. You can sign for the parts you agree with and request changes to others.

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• If you disagree with the eligibility category, services, or goals, you can request another meeting or an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE).

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• You can also request an IEP meeting at any time if new concerns come up — you don’t have to wait for the annual review.

Sometimes you leave an IEP meeting feeling like you sort of understand the plan — but not enough to feel confident about what happens next. That’s where our Evaluation Navigator service comes in. This service doesn’t replace the school’s evaluation — instead, it helps you understand what’s already been done and how to use that information to advocate effectively.

 

The Evaluation Navigator is designed for families who:

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• Already have a school evaluation but want an expert to explain it in plain language.
   

• Are unsure whether the goals and services in the IEP match their child’s actual needs.
   

• Want to know what supports outside of school might help.
   

• Are weighing placement options or trying to decide whether to request more testing.
   

We’ll walk through the IEP and evaluation together, highlighting:

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• What’s strong and helpful in the plan.
   

• Where there may be gaps or unclear language.
   

• How to advocate for changes or additions.
   

• Which outside services might work alongside school supports.