ADHD, denied services pt2

11-3-09

After talking to many advocates for children with disabilities and such, and tons of research, I think I am figuring out this process for getting AJ extra help in school. His diagnosis of ADHD/ Bipolar is not enough to place him on an IEP or a 504 plan.

"504 plan, which falls under civil-rights law, is an attempt to remove barriers and allow students with disabilities to participate freely; like the Americans With Disabilities Act, it seeks to level the playing field so that those students can safely pursue the same opportunities as everyone else. An IEP, which falls under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, is much more concerned with actually providing educational services. Students eligible for an IEP,¹ or Individualized Education Plan, represent a small subset of all students with disabilities. They generally require more than a level playing field -- they require significant remediation and assistance, and are more likely to work on their own level at their own pace even in an inclusive classroom. Only certain classifications of disability are eligible for an IEP, and students who do not meet those classifications but still require some assistance to be able to participate fully in school would be candidates for a 504 plan."

http://specialchildren.about.com.od/504s

This really explained in pretty plain English the difference between a 504 and an IEP and helped me understand that AJ may not qualify for IEP, but definitely should be on a 504 plan. We do have a 504 plan in place, but I think maybe its time to modify it.

There are lots of accommodations under the 504 that he would benefit from.

• Sitting next to the teacher
• Pairing students to check work
• Making sure directions are written sown and understood
• Giving extra time to complete activites
• Providing extra assistance with organizations skills

There are many more accommodations to look into, but these are a good start for us.

There is soo much to learn and laws to learn and sample letters to copy; my notebook is growing every day.

One of the biggest rights I, as a parent of a child with ADHD, or any other impairment has, is that if i disagree with the evaluation the school provided, I can request to have IEE done, An IEE is an Independent Educational Evaluation. And this is paid for by the school- at least in Florida it is.

That is my next step, letters to the school the get this new eval done. My next big step is to obtain a copy of AJ's complete file from the school.

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