Individualized Education Program(IEP)/Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) Facilitation: Practical Insights and Programmatic Considerations

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Margaret

Guidance on facilitating IEP and IFSP meetings for early intervention and special education under IDEA. The document explains how facilitation supports clear, structured communication among parents, providers, teachers, administrators, and advocates, especially when viewpoints differ. It summarizes practical insights and promising practices gathered from review of facilitation and special education literature, with emphasis on preparation steps for both facilitators and participants before the meeting to improve learning outcomes for children.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages11

Reading Time28 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Practical insights

Before the meeting

| | C e n t e r f o r
R e s o l u t i o n A p p r o p r i a t e D i s p u t ei n S p e c i a l E d u c a t i o n

Individualized Education Program(IEP)/Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) Facilitation: Practical Insights and Programmatic Considerations
Timothy Hedeen, Ph.D.
Marshall Peter, M.S.
Philip Moses, M.A. Anita Engiles, J.D.
January 2013
CADRE is funded by
| | --- | --- | CADRE is a project of P.O. Box 51360, Eugene, OR 97405-0906 541-686-5060 voice 541-686-5063 fax [cadre@directionservice.org](cadre@directionservice.org) [www.directionservice.org/cadre](www.directionservice.org/cadre) The contents of this document were developed under a grant from the Office of Special Education Programs, United States Department of Education,\#H326D080001. However, the contents do not represent the policy of the United States Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. Project Officer, Tina Diamond. The text of this document is in the public domain and may be reproduced in its entirety or portions thereof for noncommercial use without prior permission if the authors are cited. Upon request this publication will be made available in alternate formats. The Technical Assistance ALLIANCE for Parent Centers at Pacer Center [www.taalliance.org](www.taalliance.org) National Association of State Directors of Special Education [www.nasdse.org](www.nasdse.org) National Dissemation Center for Children with Disabilities [www.nichcy.org](www.nichcy.org) [Mediate.com](Mediate.com) Resourceful Internet Solutions, Inc. [www.mediate.com](www.mediate.com) The authors gratefully acknowledge the significant contributions of Tina Diamond, Noella Bernal, Tom Kelly and Cheryl Stiles. Their hard work, insight, and expertise were of great assistance. Introduction Over 6.5 million youth and their families are eligible for early intervention or special education services (Data Accountability Center, 2011) under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 (IDEA) . The principal mechanism by which goals, objectives, services and placements are determined for Part B of the IDEA are Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings. Programs for children birth to three who receive services under Part C are developed in Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) meetings. Each plan or program is developed by a team of parents, early childhood service providers, teachers, administrators, and related service providers as well as attorneys and advocates, in some cases. These meetings represent an important opportunity to draw on participants’ expertise and aspirations in the interest of developing a plan that leads to important learning outcomes for the child (Reiman et al., 2010) . Making important decisions and developing plans on one’s own is often difficult. Making important decisions with others—particularly those who hold differing views—is further complicated. Fortunately, many groups find that the challenges of aligning diverse viewpoints can be overcome with the support of a facilitator, a term grounded in the Latin word for ‘easy’. An effective facilitator makes a group’s work easier—or at least, less difficult—by supporting clear communication among prepared parties in a structured and focused process. Put more simply, “A facilitator’s job is to support everyone to do their best thinking”(Kaner et al., 2007, p.32) . The application of facilitation to IEP/IFSP meetings has significantly increased. In 2008, twenty-four states reported using IEP facilitation and another eight states were in the planning or development stages (Henderson, 2008, p.7) . As the practice of IEP/IFSP facilitation has grown, a body of expertise and associated practice recommendations has emerged. This document summarizes practical insights and promising practices for IEP/IFSP facilitation, collected from a broad review of facilitation and special education l

FAQs

What is the purpose of facilitation in IEP/IFSP meetings?

Facilitation makes group work easier by supporting clear communication through a structured, focused process so participants can engage in their best thinking to develop effective plans.

Who typically participates in IEP/IFSP planning teams?

Teams commonly include parents, early childhood service providers, teachers, administrators, related service providers, and, in some cases, attorneys and advocates.

What preparation practices are recommended before an IEP/IFSP meeting?

The document recommends explaining the meeting process and structure in advance, ensuring participants understand topics and materials to be reviewed, sharing draft agendas and relevant materials in participants’ primary language, and introducing ground rules ahead of time.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Margaret