How To
You have the right to request an IEP team meeting at any time. Here is how to do it effectively.
Email is sufficient and preferred because it creates a record. Address it to the principal and copy the classroom teacher. Keep a copy for your own records.
Write: "I am requesting an IEP team meeting to discuss [specific concern]." Be concrete — for example, "accommodations for sensory regulation" or "revised transition goals."
Schools should schedule the meeting within 30 days of your request. State this expectation in your email: "I would appreciate a meeting date within 30 days."
Bring previous IEP versions, clinician reports (OT, SLP, psychologist), progress notes, and your own observations. You are a member of the IEP team — your input is required.
Send a recap email within 48 hours summarizing what was decided, who is responsible, and the timeline. This protects you and the school.
Related Resources
Written by Spencer Carroll
Founder & Autism Advocate
Evidence on this page
Key claims are paired with their source, evidence tier, and verification date so readers can inspect the public record directly.
Under the Ontario Education Act, every student with special needs is entitled to an Individual Education Plan (IEP) and access to an Identification, Placement and Review Committee (IPRC)
89,799
children are registered in the Ontario Autism Program
1 in 50
According to the 2019 Canadian Health Survey on Children and Youth, about children and youth aged 1 to 17 in Canada had an autism diagnosis
23%
Only 20,633 children have active funding agreements — less than one in four
WHO recommends accessible, community-based early interventions for children with autism — timely evidence-based psychosocial interventions improve communication and social engagement