Gathering IEP documentation

Find out what plans, reports, or personal observations already exist—and gather your own notes, strategies, and documents to make sure your child’s needs are recognized, even if the school hasn’t formally assessed them yet.

Even the word goal can feel fraught. For many families—especially those whose children have been exposed to ABA or behaviourist approaches—school goals have come to mean compliance, control, and arbitrary measures of success. They often reflect what the system wants a child to become, not what the child needs in order to thrive.

At End Collective Punishment, we reject that framing. We believe every child has the right to be supported as they are—not pathologized, normalised, or treated as a project for improvement. At the same time, we know that IEPs are a legal tool, and sometimes the only way to advocate effectively is to step into the format the system expects.

How to use this strategy

If your child is newly diagnosed, doesn’t yet have an IEP, or is just beginning to struggle at school, now is the time to begin collecting what you already know.

Start with:

• Any diagnosis or summary letter from a doctor or specialist
• Written observations or logs you’ve made at home
• Notes about strategies that help your child regulate, communicate, or participate
• Emails or meeting notes from school staff
• Documents from any outside services (e.g. therapy reports or waitlist confirmations)

You can also request a full copy of your child’s school file, even if there’s no formal plan yet. This may include internal observations, learning support notes, or early drafts of an IEP. You have the legal right to this information as a parent or guardian.

In British Columbia, schools are obligated to adapt strategies that have been effective at home. If your child uses a visual schedule, noise-cancelling headphones, movement breaks, or a specific communication approach—and it helps them function—the school must consider this as a basis for support.

But how you share that knowledge matters.

What to watch out for

One of the traps families often fall into—understandably—is feeling like they need to “convince” the school to listen. This can lead to tension, especially if staff feel like their professional judgment is being challenged. Many parents are met with resistance not because they’re wrong, but because the system punishes assertiveness—especially from parents of disabled or racialized children.

Here’s a better frame:

“Here’s what’s been working really well at home. I’m so curious how this could be adapted for school, or what might make it more successful in the classroom setting.”

This approach affirms your expertise and invites staff to bring theirs. It turns a power struggle into a shared problem-solving conversation—and shows that you’re not just demanding accommodation, you’re offering crucial insight into what already works.

You are not telling them how to do their job.
You are giving them the information they need to do it better.

Prompt for families

What strategies are helping my child at home—and how can I invite the school to build on them?