Frequently Asked Questions

An IP is an Intervention Plan. It is a document that is written for each child who receives special education services. It is a legal document. An IP is tailored specifically to meet the needs of the individual child.

The main ingredients of an IP include:

• Eligibility Statement
• Program Options, Services, and Instruction
• Accommodations/Modifications
• Participation in General Education
• Present Levels of Performance
• Goals & Objectives
• Behavior Support Plan
• Plus a lot of additional details…

Public Education Act (PEA – Québec)

In Québec, the Public Education Act (notably sections 96.14, 96.15, and 235), the Policy on Special Education, as well as the Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms, guarantee parents the right to be informed, consulted, and involved in decisions relating to the educational services and the individualized intervention plan for their child with a disability.

The Public Education Act (PEA):

-Recognizes the student’s right to appropriate and adapted educational services
-Requires schools to develop and implement an individualized intervention plan
-Grants parents the right to be informed, consulted, and actively involved in decisions concerning their child
-Key sections frequently cited: sections 96.14, 96.15, and 235

Autism is a neurological disorder most recently renamed as a single umbrella disorder known as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Each individual has a range of characteristics, differing levels of severity, and various delays. Therefore, each individual requires different levels of assistance and intervention. Autism Spectrum Disorder is characterized by symptoms that cause functional impairment, in two main areas:

• Social communication/interaction
• Behavior (repetitive and restricted)

In May 2013, the fifth edition of the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) was released, presenting a revised diagnosis to Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). This manual is the main reference used to determine the diagnostic criteria. Some of the key changes in DSM-5 include:

• The elimination of the sub-diagnoses of Autistic Disorder, Asperger Syndrome, Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified, and Disintegrative Disorder. The diagnosis will be
• called Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
• The diagnostic criteria have been rearranged into two areas: 1) social communication/interaction, and 2) restricted and repetitive behaviors.
• Symptoms must begin in early childhood, although they may not be recognized fully until social demands exceed capacity.
• Symptom severity for each of the two areas of the diagnostic criteria is now defined.
• There is a new diagnostic category of social communication disorder.

For more details regarding the changes to the criteria, visit the American Academy of Pediatrics News website at http://aapnews.aappublications.org/content/early/2013/06/04/aapnews.20130604-1
Visit the DSM-5 website for the American Psychiatric Association’s Autism Spectrum Disorder Fact Sheet: http://www.dsm5.org/Documents/Autism%20Spectrum%20Disorder%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf
To see the full text of the diagnostic criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and the related diagnosis of Social Communication Disorder as they appear in the DSM-5, visit Autism Speaks’ website: http://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism/diagnosis/dsm-5-diagnostic-criteria
For a side-by-side look at the diagnostic criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorder under both DSM-IV and DSM-5, visit Talk About Curing Autism’s (TACA) website: http://www.tacanow.org/family-resources/diagnostic-criteria-for-autism-spectrum-disorder/

Down syndrome is an intellectual disability caused by an extra chromosome at the 21st position. Children (and adults) with Down syndrome often have:

• Distinct physical characteristics (almond shaped eyes and decreased muscle tone)
• Cognitive and physical developmental delays
• Additional problems such as delayed speech, hearing impairments (60-80% of infants), congenital heart disease (50% of infants), thyroid dysfunction, seizures, sleep apnea.

An individual is considered to have an intellectual disability based on the following three criteria:

1. Intellectual functioning level (IQ) is below 70-75
2. Significant limitations exist in two or more adaptive skill areas
3. Condition is present from childhood (defined as age 18 or less)

In addition, you will also often observe:

• Delays in speech and language
• Delays in fine and gross motor skills
• Social and play skills are significantly impacted

For more information on Intellectual Disabilities, visit the National Dissemination Center of Children with Disabilities (NICHCY) website: http://nichcy.org/disability/specific/intellectual

• It is a permanent disorder.
• For people with learning disabilities, incoming and outgoing information that is processed by the brain often becomes fuzzy or scrambled, making learning difficult.
• It is commonly recognized with significant deficits in: Reading comprehension, spelling, written expression, math computation, problem solving, organizational skills, time management, or social skills.
• It is often inconsistent, causing problems one day but not the next, or in only one area, or in many areas.
• Can be very frustrating, to themselves and to others (especially if not properly diagnosed or if the student does not receive appropriate interventions).

It is a permanent disorder. For people with learning disabilities, incoming and outgoing information that is processed by the brain often becomes fuzzy or scrambled, making learning difficult. It is commonly recognized with significant deficits in: Reading comprehension, spelling, written expression, math computation, problem solving, organizational skills, time management, or social skills. It is often inconsistent, causing problems one day but not the next, or in only one area, or in many areas. Can be very frustrating, to themselves and to others (especially if not properly diagnosed or if the student does not receive appropriate interventions). For more information on Learning Disabilities, visit the National Dissemination Center of Children with Disabilities (NICHCY) website.

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• Children who are delayed in speech have difficulties with their pronunciation or with stuttering.
• Children who are delayed in language have difficulties understanding what is said to them, or have difficulties expressing themselves.

Areas of Speech and Language:

• Expressive language is expressing ideas verbally using appropriate vocabulary, grammar, and sentence structures.
• Receptive language is the comprehension of language; understanding grammar, vocabulary, directions and questions.
• Articulation is how well the child is able to produce sounds in words and sentences.
• Fluency is age appropriate flow of speech.
• Voice is age appropriate pitch, volume, or nasality of the child’s speech.

For more information on Speech and Language impairments, visit the National Dissemination Center of Children with Disabilities (NICHCY) website: http://nichcy.org/disability/specific/speechlanguage

• Talk to your child’s doctor or pediatrician
• Talk to your child’s teacher
• Contact your local Regional Center
• Talk to the school nurse, speech therapist, or other education specialists
• Contact your local school district (the school psychologist, school principal, and/or director of special education)

State and federal law under the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) guarantees parental rights

• Notice: Before a child is tested or placed in a special education program, you have the right to be notified of what the school plans to do.
• Consent: You must give your consent before special tests are given and before your child is placed in a special education program.
• Evaluation: You have the right to a full evaluation of your child to determine individual educational needs.
• Records: You have the right to know what records are kept on your child.
• Confidentiality: With the exception of school personnel with legitimate educational interests, no one may see your child’s records without your permission.
• Least Restrictive Environment: You have the right to have your child educated with children without disabilities to the maximum extent appropriate.
• Due process: If at any point along the way you do not agree with how the school is dealing with your child, you have the right to request a hearing. At this hearing, you and the school will reach an agreement concerning the identification, evaluation, placement or educational program of your child.

The Student Protector is responsible for defending the rights of students and their parents within Quebec’s public school system. It is an independent body from the school service center (SCC), specifically created to ensure fairness and access to remedies. It intervenes when a student or a parent believes that their rights have not been respected.

“Fédération des comités des parents du Quebec”: https://www.fcpq.qc.ca/action-parents/5-choses-que-les-parents-doivent-faire-avant-leur-prochaine-rencontre-pour-le-plan-dintervention/

“Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew” by Ellen Notbohm http://www.ellennotbohm.com/article-archive/ten-things-every-child-with-autism-wishes-you-knew/