Least Restrictive Environment or LRE…what is it? 

Often as a Mom of a child with special needs there’s a steep learning curve when it comes to the special education system. There is so much to learn and part of that is learning the lingo. 

One thing you’ll learn quickly is the special education system loves acronyms. IDEA, IEP, LRE, PLOP are all acronyms you will likely come across.

In order to advocate for your child effectively, not only will you need to know what these acronyms stand for but also have an understanding of what they mean and the concepts behind them. 

Now, as your Mama Bear big sister I know you’re busy and the last thing you need is to have to search for the meaning of all these acronyms you’re going to encounter.

I have your back. 

Be sure to sign up for the Twenty One Dandelions email list. You can sign up at the end of this blog post or head on over to the main page and sign up there. When you sign up you become part of the Mama Bear Crew and gain exclusive access to goodies to help you rock this special life!

One of the goodies is a Mama Bear Glossary full of acronyms we’ve come across in our special education journey along with their meaning. All in one place!

Easy peasy!

What is Least Restrictive Environment or LRE?

In general, LRE means to the maximum extent possible a child with a disability should be educated with children who are not disabled.

Special classes or separate education environments should occur only when education in the regular classroom with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily. 

There are a lot of benefits to educating children with disabilities alongside there peers and because of this there has been a push for inclusion. 

For example, there was a study of 670 preschoolers in Ohio looking at their language development over the course of one school year. Of these 670 preschoolers about half had a disability impacting their language development such as Down Syndrome or autism. Their language skills were assessed using standardized assessment in the fall and spring.

The study found preschoolers with disabilities who attended mainstream classes with typical peers were using language on par with their classmates without disabilities while preschoolers with disabilities attending a special education classroom with other peers with disabilities had weak language skills far behind typically developing peers.

Wondering about the impact on the language skills of the typically developing peers who attended a mainstream classroom that had kids with disabilities in it? There was no negative impact on their language skills. 

In fact, because inclusion has been found to be so beneficial the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was passed. IDEA is a federal law supporting the education of children with special needs.

There are 6 guiding principles of IDEA and LRE is one of them.

The 6 Principles of IDEA

#1 Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE)

#2 Appropriate Evaluation

#3 Individualized Education Program (IEP)

#4 Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)

#5 Parent Participation

#6 Procedural Safeguards

What is an example of the Least Restrictive Environment or LRE?

LRE isn’t a place. It’s a guiding principle.

The LRE will be different for every child with special needs because every child with special needs is unique. The LRE for one may not be the LRE for another. 

I can share with you our elementary school experience with Max. We knew we wanted Max included in the mainstream classroom as much as possible.  When the formal recommendation was he be placed in a special education classroom we cited IDEA and the principle of LRE so he was placed in the mainstream Kindergarten classroom. 

Here’s the thing, Max would never have been successful in the mainstream Kindergarten classroom without the use of supplementary aids and services.

Supplementary aids and services can be accommodations and modifications to the curriculum or the manner in which the curriculum is presented as well as how progress is measured. It can also include providing direct services and supports such as a 1:1 aide and therapies.

It would take a long time to list all of the changes we made for Max such as preferential seating and decreased number of spelling words on spelling tests so I’m going to give you the broad strokes of the big things we did in order to create his LRE.

For Max and his needs at the time this meant a 1:1 aide in the mainstream classroom along with some time in the learning support classroom to work on math and reading.

He also received occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech therapy. Whenever possible the therapists would push into the classroom but at times they would  pull him out for one on one sessions too. We had a behavior specialist who created a behavior intervention plan (BIP) for Max and a TSS or therapeutic service support who helped implement it. 

With all of these things in place Max was successful. As he has grown his needs have changed and so have his services and what the LRE looks like for him. We are always cognizant of keeping him as included as he can possibly be though.

Again, I can’t stress enough that what is right for one child may not be right for another. Some kids may find a 1:1 aide very restrictive and others may find even with a 1:1 aide the mainstream classroom isn’t appropriate.

This is where your expertise as the Mama Bear comes into play. You know your child best. 

Who decides what is the Least Restrictive Environment or LRE?

The IEP team, which includes you as the parent, decides what the LRE looks like for your child.

Schools cannot predetermine a child’s placement nor can they limit LRE placement to what they have available or are willing to provide. On the flip side, parents alone can’t dictate the LRE.

The LRE is determined every year and is based on the child’s IEP. The team does have to consider options that are as close as possible to the child’s home and places them in the school they would normally go to if they did not have a disability. 

What to do if you disagree with the LRE?

If you disagree with the placement decision, as a parent, your recourse is IDEA’s procedural safeguards.

For the purpose of this blog post I’m not going to go in depth regarding ALL of the things you can do if you disagree with the team’s decision. That sounds like a great topic for another blog post! 

I will talk about the first couple of steps you can take.

What To Do When You Disagree With Your Child’s Placement: CALL A TEAM MEETING

The first option I would utilize is to call a team meeting and discuss why you disagree. Once you present your case the IEP team may agree to make changes to placement. 

What To Do When You Disagree With Your Child’s Placement: PUT YOUR DISAGREEMENT IN WRITING

If the team does not make changes to placement after you’ve called a meeting and presented your case as to why you disagree then the next step is to put your concerns in writing. Send an email to the IEP team and request mediation. 

So there you have it Mama Bear!

A guide to the least restrictive environment for the Mom of a child with special needs. 

Now, if you have an upcoming IEP meeting and you want to learn more check out

My Top 5 IEP Survival Tips For The Mom Of A Child With Special Needs

3 Steps To Creating Great IEP Goals For the Mom of A Child With Special Needs

If you want a step by step guide to help you prepare check out my E-workbook

A New Mom’s Guide To Rocking Your Child’s IEP Meeting

Dandelion Tribe Takeaway: In general, least restrictive environment or LRE means to the maximum extent possible a child with a disability should be educated with children who are not disabled.

Special classes or separate education environments should occur only when education in the regular classroom with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily. 

LRE is not a place but a guiding principle.

Mama Bear Share: What does the least restrictive environment look like for your child?