Social skill is not a “service” but a functional skill necessary for daily living activities. Learn what the IDEA, the federal regulations, and the Commentary say about Present Levels of Functional Performance and IEP goals for functional skills.

[rescue_box color=”blue” text_align=”left” width=”100%” float=”none”]Here’s an easy to read description about social skills from Psychology Today.[/rescue_box]

Your child’s IEP must include a description of her Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance. This means what her strengths and weaknesses are – both in academics and in functional areas like social skills.

If your child has “functional needs” the school must meet these and address these needs with goals in the IEP.

[rescue_box color=”blue” text_align=”left” width=”100%” float=”none”]Read Pat Howey’s article on the Wrightslaw website: What You Need to Know About IDEA: Present Levels of Functional Performance and Functional Goals in IEPs[/rescue_box]

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Questions to Ask

Remember, you are part of the IEP team. You have input about your child’s needs and what services may be needed to meet these needs.

  • Does your daughter have challenges in the social skills area?
  • Is her weakness in social skills accurately described in the Present Levels?
  • Does her IEP include goals about how the school will meet these challenges?
  • Do the goals meet her needs?
  • Is she making measurable progress toward these goals?

You need to request a meeting of the IEP team to discuss your concerns and to review and revise the IEP.

More than likely, you are correct. 90 minutes of counseling a month is probably not what your daughter needs to help her learn to interact with friends and react appropriately to teasing or bullying.

For more information:

http://www.wrightslaw.com/blog/is-the-school-required-to-provide-social-skills-training/