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Creating an IEP – or Individualized Educational Program – can be an incredibly confusing and daunting experience. The “alphabet soup” of acronyms and legalese often increases the anxiety and uneasiness for families. There are often many professionals in the room, some just popping in and out during the meeting, and families can feel isolated and not fully part of the process. One way to offset these feelings is to prepare ahead of time.

We’ve designed this article to be an at-a-glance format, combining our professional expertise and some handy resources. This information is presented via FAQs (more alphabet soup for …

The concept of Assistive Technology (AT) can be overwhelming for many families and Individualized Education Program (IEP) teams. The purpose of this article is to provide parents with useful information about AT and how to go about addressing it as part of their child’s IEP. We also want to demystify AT and remind everyone that it does not mean just a computer or other communication device. AT is in fact very broad, and there should be a systematic process in place to document its consideration and use as part of the IEP.

OBJECTIVES. This preliminary study examined sensory processing and its relationship to occupational performance in children with fragile X syndrome (FXS) to guide research and evidence-based practice.

METHOD. Fifteen school-aged boys with full-mutation FXS were assessed with three occupational performance measures (School Function Assessment, Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, play duration) and three sensory processing measures (Sensory Profile, Tactile Defensiveness and Discrimination Test–Revised, Sensory Approach–Avoidance Rating). Data were analyzed using partial correlation procedures.

RESULTS. Several significant correlations were found, independent of effects of age and IQ. Avoidance of sensory experiences (internally controlled) was associated with lower levels of school participation, self-care, and …