Is Your Child's IEP Hurting Them?
Is Your Child’s IEP Hurting Them?
Have you ever wondered if your child’s IEP is really helping? Today we’re going to look at whether IEPs are helping or hindering your child.
What Is an IEP?
An IEP, or Individualized Education Plan, is supposed to provide individualized support to help your child succeed in school. This might include accommodations like extra time on tests or specialized programs addressing reading or math difficulties. On the surface, this sounds great, right? But the reality is, many of these plans focus on helping kids compensate for their struggles rather than addressing the root causes of those struggles.
The Problem with IEPs
Here’s the problem: many IEPs are designed to put a band-aid on the symptoms. For example, your child might get help with reading comprehension, but the underlying issue—like weak working memory or an unaddressed vision problem—goes unchecked. Instead of strengthening the brain’s ability to process and retain information, schools are teaching kids how to cope with their challenges, not overcome them. It’s like teaching someone to use crutches without ever healing the broken leg.
Long-Term Impact: If your child is learning strategies to work around their dyslexia or memory struggles but not actually improving those cognitive abilities, what happens later in life? They may always feel like they’re ‘less than’ or that they have to work twice as hard just to keep up. We want to build up these brain functions, not just find ways to manage them.
Addressing the Root Causes
Instead of focusing on compensating for these issues, we need to address the root causes. For example:
Dyslexia: Look for brain-based interventions that target and improve phonemic awareness and visual processing.
Working Memory Challenges: Focus on exercises that strengthen working memory over time rather than just accommodations that skirt around the problem.
NeuroInflammation: The real reason children experience any of these issues is because neuroinflammation is preventing the brain from appropriately connecting. This can be caused by many factors, often times with a synergistic effect, such as heavy metals, chemicals, food sensitivities, and pathogens.
There are ways to actually improve these brain functions, and that’s the key to helping your child succeed—not just survive.
What Can Parents Do?
As a parent, you can take proactive steps to ensure your child is receiving meaningful support:
Advocate for More: Ask for interventions that target brain development and cognitive growth, not just accommodations.
Explore Alternatives: Look into programs that focus on improving the brain’s ability to process information. Cognitive training or specialized therapies can be game-changers for your child.
Partner with Experts: Work with professionals who understand how to strengthen brain function, rather than only addressing academic symptoms.
Explore treatments to lower inflammation, nourish and balance the body, and restore connectivity: Be sure to grab my book / course bundle "Calm, Focused, and Productive: 5 Steps to Optimizing and Restoring Brain Health."
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, we all want the same thing—for our kids to thrive. If you feel like your child’s IEP is just putting a band-aid on their struggles, it might be time to dig deeper and ask for more.
If you found this article helpful, please share it with other parents who might be struggling with the same concerns. Don’t forget to subscribe for more tips on brain health and learning, and feel free to reach out for a free consultation for any questions you might have regarding supporting your struggling student. Let’s work together to help our children truly thrive.
