s/o ADHD- IEP/504

[wesleycrusher]

DS was officially diagnosed with ADHD last spring. He has been in entirely virtual school since his diagnosis, although the school counselor and his teachers know he has this diagnosis. At the beginning of this school year, we tried to have him in a communal setting to do school and it was an absolute disaster.  DS's psychiatrist thought he needed a 504 or IEP. We ended up pulling him from the program and hired a woman who comes into our house to facilitate school for DS and DD, plus switched his meds up a bit, and DS is doing amazing. Like, best grades he's ever gotten and has become more of a leader in the classroom. His attitude towards school has gotten so much better and we don't have to fight with him to do his homework like before. Right now we have no idea when DS will be going back to the classroom. Some kids might go back in February?  and even then it will only be for 2 days per week. 

Is there any reason that I'm not thinking of to pursue the 504/IEP at this point?  He's never been medicated while in the classroom or been in the classroom with his current teachers, so I don't even know what accommodations he would need and don't know how the teachers would even know what he needs when he's back in the class. Thoughts?   

[UMaineTeach]

I’d wait, unless you think there are accommodations you think he needs to do remote school or you think he needs different instruction. It doesn’t sound like he does right now.

[luv2rn4fun]

DS1 has had an IEP for 2 years now (ASD diagnosis, suspected ADHD as well). He’s in Kindergarten this year. We started the year virtually and it was a disaster. So many meltdowns over writing. I called an IEP meeting but basically all agreed that they didn’t know him or his needs until he was back on campus and we would reassess and have a meeting then. I gave it a good 2.5 months and finally called the meeting, which will happen Thursday. He’s not socializing with kids (when everyone else is) and his teacher mentioned today she will be requesting more time for tests. Not sure what else will change but I suspect his goals and supports might. His teacher and SLP now understand his true needs so hoping it will be a collaborative meeting.

In your case, it doesn’t hurt to call the meeting and have the assessments done but you likely won’t see any change for now since you are virtual. But at least you would have everything started and in place once he’s back on campus. Totally a personal decision.

[expectantsteelerfan]

I would say it's fine to wait until (if) you think he would benefit from some sort of support from the school that the neurotypical population is not getting. If he is not struggling, or if you are not providing support for him that the school could be providing, then you don't need anything.

[mainelyfoolish]

My DD has had an ADHD diagnosis since before she started K but I didn’t pursue a 504 plan until sixth grade when her disability started to really impact her school performance in that she was having difficulty remembering to bring home all her class notebooks and assignments and get homework turned into her various teachers. Through fifth grade, when she had one main teacher, she was able to manage with informal accommodations from her teacher. (DD has also taken medication since third grade.)

FYI, an IEP is a modification of the curriculum for kids whose needs make that necessary, while a 504 is accommodation to be able to access the standard curriculum. My DD’s 504 specifies that teachers will give her extra prompts to write down and turn in assignments and proactively give her assignments she missed if she was absent, and that someone will check in with her at the end of the day to make sure she is bringing home the papers necessary to complete her homework.

[waverly]

I would pursue a 504 eventually. It doesn't have to be right this moment since he is not in the physical classroom. I think it would be good to have on file for when he does go back to school in person. I would talk with people who have kids with ADHD to see what is in their 504, maybe a support group for ADHD kids and parents?

Typically you might see something like extra time given to complete certain assignments or tests. In elementary school, you might see that they are placed in a room that has flexible seating to allow for movement and bouncing/ etc. Things like that.

[186momx]

I would pursue. Maybe get the ball rolling as it could take months to just get a meeting scheduled. In my experience not all teachers are created equal and just because current teacher is working great doesn't mean next year's teacher will be the same. Having the 504 or IEP on file gives you leverage. I know so many teachers still do the Green/yellow/red cards and take away recess.

[redheadbaker]

We have a 504 plan, even though he doesn't really need the accommodations it provides yet (mostly extra time to complete tests and assignments) and the ones he does need don't require a 504 plan to be implemented (movement breaks, advance warning of transitions, etc.)

[twilightmv]

Is there a school OT or psychiatrist? I'd wait. Our OT observed DS1 in the classroom and then worked with me, the teacher, and the administration to put together a plan. If no accommodations are needed right now for your child to be successful, I'd not pursue it for now and wait until he's back in the school environment to decide what works best. 

[whattheheck]

Maybe pursue the 504 by asking for the things that are currently helping DS succeed - i.e., prompting and redirecting, help with organization, etc. -whatever support this woman is providing. My son's 504 also calls for copies of class notes which might be imporant when school is back to in person and not so much online, a second set of books to keep at home bc he struggles with organization and keeping track of what to bring home and leave at school. He also is entitled to use an organization system that works for him - so many teachers want separate notebooks and folders for this, that, and the other thing and DS really needs one notebook and one multipocket folder.

Also remember when asking for extended testing time that no student can be excluded from instruction on the basis of a disability and therefore his extra time cannot come at a time when instruction is being presented to the rest of the class. (So if a test is going to take half a period and he needs the whole period, he can't be sent to a separate room for the whole period while the rest of the class uses half the period for the test and then resumes instruction for the other half of of the period. He is entitled to be there for isntruction and it's up to the school to figure out where that extra time will come from.)

[wesleycrusher]

Jan 21, 2021 19:58:54 GMT -5 whattheheck said:

Maybe pursue the 504 by asking for the things that are currently helping DS succeed - i.e., prompting and redirecting, help with organization, etc. -whatever support this woman is providing. My son's 504 also calls for copies of class notes which might be imporant when school is back to in person and not so much online, a second set of books to keep at home bc he struggles with organization and keeping track of what to bring home and leave at school. He also is entitled to use an organization system that works for him - so many teachers want separate notebooks and folders for this, that, and the other thing and DS really needs one notebook and one multipocket folder.

Also remember when asking for extended testing time that no student can be excluded from instruction on the basis of a disability and therefore his extra time cannot come at a time when instruction is being presented to the rest of the class. (So if a test is going to take half a period and he needs the whole period, he can't be sent to a separate room for the whole period while the rest of the class uses half the period for the test and then resumes instruction for the other half of of the period. He is entitled to be there for isntruction and it's up to the school to figure out where that extra time will come from.)

Thanks for the all the thoughts.

The sitter mostly stops him from watching youtube while pretending to be on school.  The lack of sitting still/needing more redirections I think has gotten much better on meds, he also really likes the attention from the other students (class clown type of thing). But without seeing how the medication helps when he's in actual school, it's hard to determine to what extent that will keep being an issue. The other major thing is knowing what assignments he has- right now it's easy since they're all listed virtually and he can't lie or "forget" to bring things home. I think that will definitely be something I will discuss when he goes back to school (which is looking likely that it won't be until next year, they just announced continuing virtual through April...)

[jg183]

I would start it now because we have been in process with my son since early November and with a diagnosis are not even close to done the process yet to get supports in place for when/if we go back in April.
I would put general supports in place because it is easier to change the supports (add or delete) if they aren't needed then to call the meeting when they are just going back and get it all going then.
The 504 would be much faster than an IEP- it depends on what kinds of support you think will be necessary but it is still much easier to do before and just change when you get into school