IFSP and IEP

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A Comparative Essay between IFSP and IEP
As Will’s teacher, I would encourage his parents to participate in developing an Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP) for him. This would require a comprehensive assessment of Will’s level of development to determine his individual needs for the IFSP. I would encourage the parents to share information about their resources, concerns and desired outcomes for their son. We would then proceed to set achievable goals for him to address his developmental challenges. The support services required would be established and provided for by all of us concerned. I would encourage the participation of a service coordinator who would be involved in evaluations and assessments, at least one family member close to the boy, and a physician or medical practitioner if we deem it necessary.
The main goal of an IFSP is to aid the child to learn and integrate with abled children and the society in which they live. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that the people closest to the child, mainly the family members, participate actively in helping the child cope with their challenges. They need to provide a conducive environment to suit their child`s individual needs and continuously monitor their development. For IEP, the child’s needs and strength should be included in meeting the objectives that connect to classroom activities (Jung et al. 21).
For baby Sara, their four-year-old who also has developmental concerns, I would recommend an Individualised Education Program (IEP).

This is slightly different from the IFSP since it is specifically concerned with the development of the child’s education, not so much the family members. It includes a team-based effort by the parents, teacher(s), child care provider(s), school stuff, and doctor(s) among other concerned parties. An IEP is tailor-made to suit the special needs of children between the ages of 4 and 21 years. It especially helps teachers to understand better the child’s disability and how it affects their learning process. A thorough evaluation of Sara’s individual needs would determine how she understands learning, and how teachers and service providers can help her do it effectively.
As a teacher, I would employ my skills to equip these challenged children with the necessary skills and tools that would enable them to live a full life both at home with their families and with the rest of the society.
Work Cited
Jung LA, Baird SM, Gomez C, Galyon-Keramidas C. Family-centred intervention: Bridging the gap between IEPs and implementation. Teaching Exceptional Children. 2008;41(1):26–33.