# IEP QuickTips: Reframing Weaknesses as Strengths and Needs

July 16, 2015

**Today’s tips are for:** All members of IEP teams for students in grades K-12

**The challenge:** Starting the process of figuring out how to support a student’s learning

When you sit down with an IEP team to start the planning process, it can be tempting to start with what a student _can’t_ do: _She can’t read yet. He can’t follow the teacher’s directions._ But as Mary Falvey points out in her book _[**Believe in My Child with Special Needs!,**](http://products.brookespublishing.com/Believe-in-My-Child-with-Special-Needs-P185.aspx)_ taking a problem-focused approach defeats your goal of high expectations and creative problem-solving. Falvey notes,

> “Statements that focus on the student’s weakness often result in IEPs of low or no expectations. Collaborative [IEP] teams must make a commitment to solve problems rather than admire them, reinvent them, or conclude that there are no solutions.”

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It’s true–getting “stuck” on a student’s challenges can make it tough to move forward with an effective IEP that meets his or her needs. Give this a try instead: flip those immobilizing “weakness statements” into specific strengths and needs statements that point the way toward solutions.

This graphic gives you 5 great examples of what that sounds like (just give it a click to see it full size):

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**What do you think?** Do you consciously try to flip weakness statements into strengths and needs statements during IEP meetings? What are some other ways to avoid getting stuck on what a student can’t do yet?

### EXPLORE THE BOOK

Check out **[Mary Falvey’s book](http://products.brookespublishing.com/Believe-in-My-Child-with-Special-Needs-P185.aspx),** a great resource to share with parents, especially. It’ll help them:

- understand their child’s legal rights
- pursue an inclusive education for their child, from preschool to high school and beyond
- collaborate with educators on their child’s IEP
- promote their child’s access to the general curriculum
- support their child as he or she develops friendships
- and more

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