Going into our first IEP meeting next week — what do you wish you'd known?
Posted May 10, 2026
Our first IEP meeting is Tuesday. I have a binder, color-coded tabs, and a low-grade panic.
I'm a planner by nature, but I know going in that I don't know what I don't know. So — to the parents who've sat through dozens of these — what do you wish someone had told you before your first one?
A few things I've already picked up from this community and elsewhere:
- You can request the draft IEP in advance. Reading it cold in the room is brutal.
- You can record the meeting in most states (check yours), and it's reasonable to ask.
- You don't have to sign that day. You can take it home and review.
- Bring an ally — a partner, advocate, or even a friend who takes notes.
- "Parent input" is a real section. Write yours ahead of time, in writing, and ask that it be attached.
What would you add? And what's something you said in your first meeting that you would never say again?