Chapter 3
DEVELOPING INDIVIDUALIZED INTERVENTION PLANS AND
PROGRAMS AND MONITORING PROGRESS
OUTLINE
I. The Individualized Family Service Planning Process for Infants, Toddlers, and Their
Families
A. The IFSP process
B. Participants in Initial and Annual IFSP Meetings
C. Identifying Family Concerns, Priorities, and Resources
D. The IFSP Document
E. Developing Outcome Statements
II. Service Coordination
A. Who Can Become Service Coordinators?
B. Models of Service Coordination
III. Promoting Essential Interagency Collaboration
VI. Required Contents of the IEP
A. Purposes and Limitations of the IEP
B. Considerations Beyond the IEP
VII. Writing Program Objectives (Benchmarks)
A. Basics of Writing Behavioral Objectives
B. Guidelines for Choosing and Writing Behavioral Objectives
VIII. Becoming a Skilled Observer
A. Observing How Children Perform a Task
IX. Recording Children’s Progress
X. Linking Assessment to Curriculum
XI. Facilitating Transition
A. Steps in Transition to Center-Based or Public School Services
B. The Role of the Early Childhood Special Educator in Facilitating Transitions
XII. Summary
XIII. Discussion Topics and Activities
ESSENTIAL CONCEPTS AND VOCABULARY
Behavioral objectives
Blended model
Branching
Collaborative interchanges
Community networking
Concerns, priorities, and resources
Criterion
Individualized education program (IEP) process
Individualized family service plan (IFSP) process
Portfolio assessment
Program plan
Service coordinator
Task analysis
Terminal objective
Transition
Course Assignment
Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) Treasure Hunt Assignment Sheet
Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) Treasure Hunt Rubric Grading Sheet
Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP)
Treasure Hunt Assignment Sheet
Group member’s names:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Assignment directions:
With your group, go on a treasure hunt to find the required elements of an Individualized Family Service Plan
(IFSP). Your team will be using Cathy Rae Wright’s IFSP located on pages 94–99. As each element is located, have
one member read the written information within that element out loud to everyone else.
• Find a statement of the child’s present level of development including physical (including vision, hearing,
and health status), cognitive, communication, social/emotional and adaptive/self-help.
• Find a statement regarding the family’s resources, priorities, and concerns.
After the treasure hunt has been completed, discuss the following questions with your group and have one person
record the answers and turn this paper in.
1. What surprises, ideas, or concepts came up for the group about the elements of an IFSP?
2. What questions about either the elements of the IFSP or the family came up for the group during the
treasure hunt?
3. If Cathy is expected to come into your inclusive classroom, what further information or clarification
would you like to ask the family or specific professionals who are listed as the I FSP participants?
Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP)
Treasure Hunt Rubric Grading Sheet
Group member’s names:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Rubric:
A
Exceeds standards
B
Meet standards
C
Majority meet standards some below standard
D
A few meet standards some below standards
F
Below standard
family
time
IFSP or the family
thoughtfully discussed the 3
questions
the 3 questions
questions was vague, surface level,
or incomplete
CHAPTER 3
Multiple Choice
1. Participants in IFSP meetings usually include
a. Parents, physician, an advocate
b. Service coordinator, assessor, physician
c. Parents, service coordinator, assessor
d. Physician, service coordinator, other family members as desired by parents
2. The person whose job it is to serve as the single point of contact in helping families to obtain
appropriate services is the
a. Specialist involved
b. Early interventionist
c. Assessor
d. Service coordinator
3. At what age does the law require an IEP?
a. One year
b. Two years
c. Three years
d. When the child enters kindergarten
4. Which person does not usually participate in the meeting where the IEP is developed?
a. Parent
b. Physician
c. Administrator in the school district
d. Special education teacher
5. Whose goals take highest priority on the list of objectives formulated at the IEP planning
meeting?
a. Parent
b. Special education teacher
c. Specialist most involved
d. Interdisciplinary IEP team member
6. Who has primary responsibility for implementation of the IEP?
a. Parent
b. Special education teacher
c. Specialist most involved
d. Administrator in the school district
7. Proficiency level on a task is usually defined as
a. 50%
b. 60%
c. 80%
d. 100%
8. _______ are what a child with disabilities can be expected to accomplish in one school year.
a. Program plan
b. En route goals
c. Criterion
d. Annual goals
9. A child’s IEP must include all of the following except
a. A statement of annual goals and short-term objectives
b. A complete instructional plan
c. A statement of the child’s level of functioning
d. The appropriate objective criteria
10. Which of the following is not a basic component of behavioral objectives?
a. The behavior the child is expected to perform
b. The level of performance expected
c. The conditions under which the performance will take place
d. The day the objective is completed
True-False
1. The IFSP is family-focused while the IEP is still more child-focused.
2. The IEP includes goals and objectives.
3. The IEP process provides for service coordination and smooth transition.
4. The IFSP and the IEP documents are secondary to the process the team uses in developing
them.
5. The multidisciplinary assessment team is expected to collaborate with the parents in writing
appropriate goals and objectives for the IFSP.
6. The primary decision maker in the IFSP is the service coordinator.
7. The IFSP document contains outcome statements.
8. The IFSP and the program plan are one and the same.
9. One job of the service coordinator is informing families of the availability of advocacy
services.
10. The primary purpose of most teacher observation is to determine the etiology of the child’s
disability.
11. When writing a behavioral objective, you should include every possible step that the child
will take to achieve that objective.
12. The IFSP is evaluated every six months.
13. When doing observations, the teacher should only focus on one specific behavior or skill at
a time.
14. Parents do not have the right to reject service coordination.
15. The service coordinator provides the information and evidence for a child’s present level of
functioning.
Short Answer
1. Explain why the most difficult step in task analysis is the terminal objective, the one that is
your final destination.
2. How often must an IEP be evaluated?
3. How is an annual goal different from a related behavioral objective?
4. Why do outcome statements in the IFSP often use the term, “in order to”?
5. What materials might be included in a child’s portfolio assessment?
6. Briefly describe the roles and responsibilities of a service coordinator.
7. Discuss why the IEP is not intended to be a complete instructional plan.
8. What are 2 techniques to accomplish culturally fair assessments?
9. How can the information gathered from an assessment be linked to the curriculum?
10. Describe the difference between the three models of service coordination.
Comprehensive Essay
1. Explain task analysis. How is it used?
2. Transition to preschool is described as a stressful time for parents and children. Why
would that be true? What are some things service coordinators can do to make the
transition smooth?
3. Compare the IFSP process with the IEP process. What are the similarities and main
differences?
4. Write a behavioral objective for use in an inclusive classroom. Identify the three basic
parts of the objective.
5. How do outcome statements in the IFSP differ from goals and objectives found in the IEP?
6. What should a teacher do to be thoroughly prepared for an IEP conference?
7. Assume that you have a group of four children, ages 3 and 4. One of them loves stick
figures with a recognizable face, arms, and legs. Two can draw a stick figure with
recognizable face, and one can only scribble. Your goal is: “To improve the children’s
ability to draw a person.” The terminal objective is, “When the teacher provides paper and
crayons and suggests that the children ‘draw a picture of Mommy or Daddy,’ the children
will draw a circle, then add eyes, nose, mouth, and ears to the circle.” They will draw lines
to indicate arms and legs. The criterion is appropriate placement of the facial features and
at least four lines for arms and legs. Write a sequence of en route behaviors that will be
appropriate for the children. Assume that the younger children will do the simpler
objectives only because they are too young to achieve the terminal objective. However, all
will progress toward the terminal objective.
8. Outline and describe the process for developing an IFSP with a family. What should
happen from the time the family is referred for service until the document is signed by
parents and professionals?
9. State specifically what is required in a statement in the IFSP document that refers to
“natural environments.” Explain the rationale behind the statement.
10. Observations do not always need to be direct observation. Describe some types of
observation samples.
11. Why do we monitor children’s progress? What are some ways to do that?
12. Describe some questions that you would ask a family in order to elicit their concerns,
priorities, and resources.
13. Give some examples of how you would use behavioral objectives as the basis for your
daily lesson plan?
14. You are assessing a child whose second language is English. What considerations would
you need to take in account in order to do a nonbiased assessment?
15. Discuss why it is important for a teacher to observe the child’s total performance even when
focusing on a single aspect of behavior.
Chapter 3 :