What's individualized about that?

I have a bee in my bonnet that I can't stop from buzzing around. I've been sitting with these thoughts for awhile now. Let me paint you the picture...

The Kingston public school board has a special education team. Within that team there are specialized teams - a learning disabilities team, a behavioural team, an autism spectrum team...
A childs family takes part in an IPRC (information, planning and review committee) meeting that consists of parents, the teacher, the principal and vice-principal. The child is welcome, and I'm assuming that if there were EA support, the EA would be welcome as well. The purpose of the IPRC meeting is to label the child as fitting on of the pre-determined teams available for support.

After the IPRC meeting, and IEP (individualized education plan) is developed. IEP meetings are meant to be held annually, but any of the involved parties can request a meeting anytime throughout the school year. Sounds like a great system, right?

I was excited to have Max IEPd. I thought that the meetings and the documentation would lead to written support for him. That achievable goals would be captured for him. That a written snapshot of strengths and needs would be captured.

What a horribly bland, uninformative document it is!! It is general and vague. It offends me on so many levels. It is three pages long... the first is general demographic information and testing dates. The second and third contain the recommended accomodations that Max requires in the classroom. At least I think that's what I'm supposed to glean from it.

We all do things to regulate ourselves. Max's regulatory behaviours are all physical in nature, but he can and does minimize or maximize them according to situation and context. He has difficulty with verbal expression when overstimulated. In a class of 20, he's often over stimulated. He does grade 3 or 4 level math in his head at home, reads at the same level, and has pretty neat handwriting for a grade one kid. Apparently at school he does not.

The IEP has not helped Max. There are no recommendations in it. Accomodations, yes (but not great ones) but no suggestions about how to make the crazy world of school easier to navigate for a little guy who needs that help. No goals. No tips on how to support him in the class room. No paragraph on the 2 years of Floortime therapy that has been instrumental in his growing and learning. No note in the report of a passionate family who will happily follow through with extra work at home, or by following the teacher's lead on tough situations. No sentence that explains that setting an expectation for Max is the easiest way to get compliance from him.

Instead all the appropriate boxes were checked. Max was referred to the SLP, OT, and every other T they could think of. He doesn't need the SLP at this point, and OT recommended that he wear big headphones at school assemblies (where she never observed him!) to help him stay regulated. Just a thought, but isn't the whole point about helping him integrate, helping him to be involved rather than giving him an excuse to tune out?!

Headphones - bah!!! How could they have met us, heard us speak about Max and his abilities, our years of work to develop coping mechanisms, and then suggest headphones??!

Is it me??? Or is there something very wrong with this picture...