I’m interested in which accommodations work the best for our kids in school, and how 504’s and IEP’s are successfully implemented. My son is out of school now, but we struggled over many years to work cooperatively with the schools. It was tough! Please share the age of your child in reply.
My son was in school in T-R, they made IEP's and stuff like that, he had the daily help of an educator and was exempted fro Social studies and siences. We moved in Repentigny and everything collapsed. The new school says they want to reevaluate him. They have been saying that since last October! They droped my son in a classroom, with the regular curriculum. Picture how overwhelmed my son is!
That being said, the IEP's in the first school was respected as much as they could, they do not want to put pressure on the kid, they want to kids to work at their pace, by themselves. They prefer them working on their own in school better than having a parent sitting with the child and helping. ok... very nice, but in the end where is the evolution?? What is best?? They said the IEP follows him from elementary to secondary school, and if the child needed to do grade 6 math in sec 2, that what was going to do.
What next? When he looks for a job, people wont tell him to relax and go his own pace!
How is a kid supposed to feel proud of himself?? How is he supposed to feel accomplished when he is always last, behind his peers? My son feels like a cheet because he does 10 words instead of 20 for spelling! He feels like a failiur, he feels like an idiot... it is very hard to see him like that. When he works with me, he is able to do the work. I get him started and he can do it pretty much by himself. so my trail of thoughts is getting me to inquire about home schooling, but the downfall his the poor social side of it.
lol sorry for talking so much!!! lol Hope it answered your question!
My 11 yr old is in his 1st year of middle school, and the 504 doesn't seem to be as helpful as it was in elementary school. Our most successful accommodations have been: sitting on a stability ball, small group setting for testing, and the step by step interventions for the teacher. However, in MS the teachers are much less willing to communicate and follow the 504. We have 2 teachers that are GREAT about communicating, and 5 that are not. :(
The accommodations that are not currently working: writing assignments in his agenda, and sitting near the teacher.
The thought that keeps me going is that MANY, MANY, MANY highly successful people didn't do well in school! :D
It is not the first time I hear about the exercising ball, I have to try that!! I don't know if it is like that for your child, but mine is a sponge, he loves sciences and math... he understands it very well, but to produce it... that is a challenge!! Still, last year, I had him go on internet and make a research on famous people with ADHD. It was unbelievable how many people are!!! such as Jim Carrey, Daniel Radcliff, Robin William, Albert Enstein, Robert Munch... it encourraged him to hang in there and do his best :P
My brother is also ADHD (emphasis on the H) who also happens to be a successful chiropractor. He has to sit on a stability to get his office work done. One of the issues my son has is that he can “see” the correct answer to problems but not the steps… math/science teachers tend to frown on that.
My 8 yr old daughter has ADHD, as a result from an aquired brain injury when she was 5 months old. She has an IEP in the 2nd grade (has since pre-K) and this year we've not given her any medication for ADHD. Constant redirection is required since her regular classroom has about 25 students. She gets tests read to her and small groups for reading help. I made an "end of day checklist" that is taped to her desk for her to check off as she puts things in her bookbag to bring home. She sits at front of classroom and close to the teacher. The ADHD is evident, but not the most concerning for us. (It may be for her teachers though!) She has trouble with executive function and other things (limited use of right hand) but is hanging in there and making progress each year...although it's really not fair to compare her to other "typical" kids her age due to her brain injury, but that is how public schools test her.
Thanks for these thoughtful responses and tips everyone! It’s beneficial to imagine these accommodations in the contexts you have described.
I know that IEPs are for children with varying exceptionalities. The 504 plans are strictly for kids with ADD or ADHD. Both provide accommodations. However, when you have an IEP, it seems to be taken more seriously (depending on your school district). As your child gets older, his need for you to have a louder voice grows. Talk to those teachers who do not respect the plan and remind them of it. If it continues to be a problem, go to the principal. Unfortunately, way too many parents are left with a feeling of “oh well, what can I do?” as their child suffers. As your ADHD child gets older, you may feel as if you are alone and at the mercy of teachers and the district. You are not! The law is on your side. There is a reason why the 504 plan is in place. If his teachers are not complying, they are breaking the law.
Yes, it is the law. Section 504 of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1973 was enacted when disabled veterans from returning from the Vietnam war needed protection from discrimination in school and employment. They may have needed a modified chair, for example. It’s an accommodation under Section 504 to sit on a stability ball instead of a regular classroom chair. “Reasonable accommodation” is what it says in the law.
Khcbhc, I like the idea of a checklist taped to the desk to check off at the end of the day.
Kfwellman, who is writing assignments in the agenda, your son or the teacher?.
In middle schools, students move to different classrooms so getting a spot in the front near the teacher might be more of a challenge if he's not the first to arrive in class. Your son could ask a student in the front to move to another desk (self-advocating) with the support of the teacher if he gets resistance. It shouldn't be long before the class knows that he has an agreement with the teacher to sit in front, and a desk likely will be available. The teacher needs to be sure it's not a problem.
Monkeymom, a child with ADD/ADHD can have an IEP, too. The 504 accommodations can be listed on a special page of the IEP. The difference, in my understanding, is that 504's are for the general ed classroom for accommodations that require little or no intervention by the teacher. An IEP is for students who qualify for special education and have listed specific goals and objectives that are monitored or taught by special education staff. Also, any student who needs an accommodation for any disability can have a 504. It took me years to figure this stuff out! My son was almost out of school before we had it right, partly because the school said he wasn't eligible for special ed when the 504 was not helping enough. ADD/ADHD students are eligible for sp ed when a trained psychologist says he needs it, usually under the category "health impaired" when a specific learning disability isn't present. This is what I've learned because it was finally found that his school was wrong. Yes, if the teachers don't have the right leadership it's hard to advocate! You sound like an experienced advocate yourself :). Peace be with you! :/ :)
monkeymom said:
I know that IEPs are for children with varying exceptionalities. The 504 plans are strictly for kids with ADD or ADHD. Both provide accommodations. However, when you have an IEP, it seems to be taken more seriously (depending on your school district). As your child gets older, his need for you to have a louder voice grows. Talk to those teachers who do not respect the plan and remind them of it. If it continues to be a problem, go to the principal. Unfortunately, way too many parents are left with a feeling of "oh well, what can I do?" as their child suffers. As your ADHD child gets older, you may feel as if you are alone and at the mercy of teachers and the district. You are not! The law is on your side. There is a reason why the 504 plan is in place. If his teachers are not complying, they are breaking the law.
I know that a child with ADHD can have an IEP, but i thought the 504 was only for accommodations for those students with ADD/ADHD/BHD medically/psychologically diagnosed etc. My son had an IEP when he still qualified under DD (developmental delay) until he turned 6 years old. This is around the time we started him on meds. I tried to get a 504 plan in place for him (mainly for in the future), but his grades were too good and he was working above grade level, so he did not qualify. I worked as an aide in a 3-5 th grade Resource classroom (for extra help in math and reading) and a lot of our kids had IEPS and 504s. The only kids with the 504s were the ones with ADHD etc. I guess that is where I was confused. Now I work with ASD children, and they all have and IEP. I am also blessed to work at my son’s elementary school, so I am very close to his teachers, counselors, and administration. This whole experience has been eye-opening and I will never stop fighting for my son. It sounds like you feel the same way 
My son has never had a 504 because I have never understood the difference so this thread is helpful. He does however have an IEP. Recently after having a full array of testing we decided to homeschool our son b/c the MS school overseas did not have the staff or the capability to meet his needs. Personally for now I think he is much better off. Some teachers just don’t get how to teach our children.
In our 504, the teacher is to ensure that assignments are written in my son’s agenda. it does not specify who has to write them. I would prefer he did, and have actually programmed reminders on his ADHD watch. Sitting near the front or teacher has become problematic as his school is trying “whole room utilization” which means the front could be any side.
One thing I do like is the school’s use of iRemind which allows teachers to mass text homework reminders and important dates. Just not all of them do…
No front. That would be a problem :). Whole room utilization is new to me.