Conference

Luckily I have had the chance to be a part of an IEP meeting involving a child who is Selectively Mute. In my student teaching experience there was a child in the class who had SM and I got to sit in on the meeting with the parents. Since I was the student teacher I wasn't participating in the meeting and there may have been a few things I would have done differently, but I think I would have done it very similar.
In an IEP meeting I think it is important to go in stating the positive things you are seeing with a child. So I would first start out by going over the growth I have seen in their child and what has been going well.
Then I would ask the parents if they have seen any of this going on at home or if they have any questions or concerns they would like to bring up and go over throughout the meeting. I would explain some strategies that we are in working on in the classroom. Such as using yes and no cards for the student to hold up if they don't feel comfortable talking. I would also talk about how the child has the opportunity to share in the classroom whenever he/she is comfortable, but is never forced to speak out. I would want to know what techniques they are  using outside of school. I might suggest some that I have found throughout my blog, which are having the child order at dinner, handing money to a clerk and taking small steps to communicate in public. I also think trying to keep anecdotal notes or some type of record of how the child is doing. Maybe once a week observe the child or have another teacher or specialist come in to see how the child is doing and what types of communication is being used. If there are notes to look back at we can use what is working and move forward and maybe try new strategies to replace what isn't. At the end of any meeting I would want to re-bring up if the parent has any questions or concerns or if they have any of their own ideas. I have learned that parents know their children best and working positively with the family is the main goal in helping the child.