7 Guidelines for IFSP/IEP Planning Meetings

Published August 13, 2026

An IFSP/IEP development and intervention planning meeting should be scheduled when a child’s initial assessment(AEPS-3 Test and any additional assessment information the team chooses to include) and the family’s assessment materials (Family Report and/or FACS) have been completed. This meeting has several purposes:

1. To identify priorities for IFSP/IEP outcomes or goals
2. To design teaching/intervention activities
3. To determine an acceptable plan to monitor progress for each goal/outcome
4. To produce an IFSP/IEP document

Here are a few general guidelines for a successful planning meeting:

• Before the meeting, your team should summarize the assessment information and identify possible priorities for intervention. If the family has chosen to complete the Family Report and FACS during the assessment phase, incorporate information from those forms into your summary of assessment results before you begin developing the IFSP/IEP.
• Decide who will attend and facilitate the meeting. The professional who is primarily responsible for assisting the family may facilitate this meeting. If possible, make sure a program staff member who is familiar with the child and family and with whom they are comfortable attends the meeting.
• Let the family identify their strengths, interests, and values. Encourage them to present information in whatever way they find most comfortable.
• Whenever possible, let the family determine the priorities, since these are the source of the outcome statements or goals and objectives. If families need assistance, help them choose which goals to prioritize for both the child and the family.
• For each priority outcome or goal, develop both an intervention and progress monitoring plan. To help with developing the plan, consider posing a series of exploratory questions (e.g., How would you like to see this outcome achieved? Can you think of some ways you would like to make this happen? What resources are needed to complete these activities? How will we/you know when the outcome is achieved?)
• Transfer the outcomes, goals and objectives, and intervention and progress monitoring plans to the formal IFSP/IEP document, along with settings and dates for implementation and review. You may be able to complete the document at this meeting, or you may need an additional meeting to develop a comprehensive, useful IFSP/IEP for some families.
• If this planning meeting reveals a need for additional information, you may decide to initiate referrals for specific family or child assessments, such as a parent–child interaction scale or a comprehensive articulation evaluation.

Keep these guidelines in mind as you make plans for a successful IFSP/IEP meeting. For more guidance on planning interventions and monitoring child progress, refer to the AEPS®-3 User’s Guide.

Adapted from Bricker, D., & Johnson, J. J. (Eds.). (2022). AEPS®-3 Volume 1: User’s guide. In D. Bricker, C. Dionne, J. Grisham, J. J. Johnson, M. Macy, K. Slentz, & M. Waddell, Assessment, Evaluation, and Programming System for Infants and Children, Third Edition (AEPS®-3). Brookes Publishing Co.