Advocating for a 2e kid

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I am not dismissive of anything. We are obtaining independent testing and suspect adhd or dyslexia or both. DC reads slowly but comprehends everything. Anything timed gives a poor explanation and anything untimed is a different child.

Slow processing speed with academic strength is the twice exceptionality that we know about (we suspect the others and that’s why we are seeking testing). The iPad apps are the school’s apps - all of them apparently rely on speed, which our child doesn’t have. How have you advocated for a child with very slow processing speed but the ability to cope with higher level thinking?

You need to ask for a 504 or IEP plan - both can have accommodations attached. The accommodations you need to ask for are: 1) extra time and 2) use of a calculator. For slow reading, you can ask for extra time, use text to speech and you can ask to be qualified for Bookshare so DC will have free access to books on tape (you qualify if you have a reading disorder but ADHD is not qualifying.)

I am a big unclear what the iPad app is for - if it is for testing, then there should be either settings for extra time and an included calculator function OR the teacher is administering time and providing calculator. If your kid is using an iPad app to practice-acquire math facts, then your school-district should be using apps that are compliant with disability access - if not then that is a problem for the school district - they are “out of compliance”. Ask the teacher and/or the 504 team to come up with some ways to adapt the method of math fact learning (and any awards) to your kids needs. Maybe there is a different exercise (that doesn’t feel punitive) like copying math facts or audio-recording and listening to math facts or simply asking that the timing element be taken out - i.e. record not how many were done in a minute but how many minutes a student worked on the app (regardless of #right/wrong) or focus on improving personal best correct total, not speediest.

Even if you don’t have a 504 or IEP plan, write the teacher and say you suspect slow processing and is she willing to make informal accommodations to adjust for time. A good teacher will do it because the point is to get the kid to learn the facts and not necessarily the time. But, there are always those (PITA) teachers who insist that accommodations would “break the rules” or “be unfair”. Whether the teacher is or isn’t willing to accommodate informally, either way it will help you when you finally get to the IEP/504 table - if the accoms help, then you are adversely impacted by the disorder and qualify, if the teacher refuses to give accomms and DC is struggling then you have the poor marks to prove adverse impact.

Thank you! This is a fantastic answer - thank you. DC has a 504 in place and the iPad apps are out of compliance with it. The school refused to acknowledge the lack of compliance. Do I raise that with the special education office? I never ran into this with DC1, who has their own issues but speed is not one of them.

[Anonymous]

I think OP is talking about reflex math, an app that tracks math proficiency based on how quickly kids can accurately solve basic math problems. My ADHD DC is extremely good at math but just average at reflex math, so I agree it’s not great for ADHD kids. I don’t sweat it, however. DC’s teacher is aware that it’s not the best format for them and doesn’t judge DC’s math proficiency just on the app. The biggest difference is DC does well academically over all and doesn’t break down doing homework etc. As they say, if you know one kid with ADHD, you know one kid with ADHD. You’ll have to pay close attention to how your kid learns and seek accommodations in those areas.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I am not dismissive of anything. We are obtaining independent testing and suspect adhd or dyslexia or both. DC reads slowly but comprehends everything. Anything timed gives a poor explanation and anything untimed is a different child.

Slow processing speed with academic strength is the twice exceptionality that we know about (we suspect the others and that’s why we are seeking testing). The iPad apps are the school’s apps - all of them apparently rely on speed, which our child doesn’t have. How have you advocated for a child with very slow processing speed but the ability to cope with higher level thinking?

You need to ask for a 504 or IEP plan - both can have accommodations attached. The accommodations you need to ask for are: 1) extra time and 2) use of a calculator. For slow reading, you can ask for extra time, use text to speech and you can ask to be qualified for Bookshare so DC will have free access to books on tape (you qualify if you have a reading disorder but ADHD is not qualifying.)

I am a big unclear what the iPad app is for - if it is for testing, then there should be either settings for extra time and an included calculator function OR the teacher is administering time and providing calculator. If your kid is using an iPad app to practice-acquire math facts, then your school-district should be using apps that are compliant with disability access - if not then that is a problem for the school district - they are “out of compliance”. Ask the teacher and/or the 504 team to come up with some ways to adapt the method of math fact learning (and any awards) to your kids needs. Maybe there is a different exercise (that doesn’t feel punitive) like copying math facts or audio-recording and listening to math facts or simply asking that the timing element be taken out - i.e. record not how many were done in a minute but how many minutes a student worked on the app (regardless of #right/wrong) or focus on improving personal best correct total, not speediest.

Even if you don’t have a 504 or IEP plan, write the teacher and say you suspect slow processing and is she willing to make informal accommodations to adjust for time. A good teacher will do it because the point is to get the kid to learn the facts and not necessarily the time. But, there are always those (PITA) teachers who insist that accommodations would “break the rules” or “be unfair”. Whether the teacher is or isn’t willing to accommodate informally, either way it will help you when you finally get to the IEP/504 table - if the accoms help, then you are adversely impacted by the disorder and qualify, if the teacher refuses to give accomms and DC is struggling then you have the poor marks to prove adverse impact.

Thank you! This is a fantastic answer - thank you. DC has a 504 in place and the iPad apps are out of compliance with it. The school refused to acknowledge the lack of compliance. Do I raise that with the special education office? I never ran into this with DC1, who has their own issues but speed is not one of them.

I sort of have a 3 strike policy - I reach out to the teacher politely first in writing by email and explain that DC has an extra time accommodation but that he’s doing this mandatory timed iPad activity which is very hard for him because he’s not getting the extra time. Then ask, is there some way teacher can adjust the time - does the app have a teacher dashboard where she can control the time and change it for him, or can he be “graded” on a different basis (completion instead of accuracy) or that you’re open to her suggestions. Most teachers will collaborate to solve with you.

If the teacher is uncooperative in the email response, I forward the non-cooperative email to the Principal and note that DC has an extra time accommodation and the school appears to be “out of compliance” with the 504 Plan because the teacher is refusing to provide extra time and could the Principal please work with the teacher to find a way to provide the extra time and “bring the school back into compliance” so that you do not have to “pursue your due process options”. If principal is non-cooperative, then I forward the whole chain to the associate superintendent of special education.

YMMV about whom you forward non-cooperative responses to.

TBH, IME sometimes teachers don’t actually know how to use the apps, so if you know what the app is, you might look it up online and call their customer support and ask yourself if the time can be changed. At the HS level, DC’s teacher was using the “Quest” online system to administer math/science homework and quizzes and she insisted that the system didn’t allow her to give extra time. I called Quest myself (which is a huge nationwide business) and there response was - “of course our system provides access to disabled students,” (because what responsible school district would buy their product if if didn’t? that would just create legal liability for the school district) your teacher can go to X on the teacher dashboard and change Y & Z controls to provide extra time.

[Anonymous]

^ just re-reading OP’s original post - if the problem is not the extra time per se but that the app is doing a diagnostic which produces a result that he never gets above low level math fact acquisition, then the “ask” to the teacher might be different - maybe extra time would help him demonstrate the skill at a level that gets him placed above math fact acquisition or maybe he gets to use a calculator to do the math facts, which allows him to be placed higher, or maybe the teacher can manually place him at a higher skill level.

All schools are now moving toward this kind of teaching and placement by AI and the problem is that if the placement algorithm doesn’t account for typical disabilities, then the classroom use is kind of “garbage in, garbage out” and the disabled student is losing access to classroom instruction. I see this with the increased use of Desmos and Kahn Academy. If you can’t hear well enough to follow the video, you’re going to need some accommodation - a video transcript to read, headphones, extra time or whatever. It’s the teacher and the teams job to figure out what an effective accommodation is. In some instances that could be excusal from an activity or provision of an alternate activity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think OP is talking about reflex math, an app that tracks math proficiency based on how quickly kids can accurately solve basic math problems. My ADHD DC is extremely good at math but just average at reflex math, so I agree it’s not great for ADHD kids. I don’t sweat it, however. DC’s teacher is aware that it’s not the best format for them and doesn’t judge DC’s math proficiency just on the app. The biggest difference is DC does well academically over all and doesn’t break down doing homework etc. As they say, if you know one kid with ADHD, you know one kid with ADHD. You’ll have to pay close attention to how your kid learns and seek accommodations in those areas.

There is also an app for i-Ready. I-ready is used a lot for math assessments and individualized lessons

[Anonymous]

Does 2e kid have to be lower processing speed? My child is smart, adhd & asd, unmedicated with IEP, 99% percentile at school assessment, has focus/behavior problem but manageable at school.....is that 2e? I am thinking to ask to apply 2e program...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does 2e kid have to be lower processing speed? My child is smart, adhd & asd, unmedicated with IEP, 99% percentile at school assessment, has focus/behavior problem but manageable at school.....is that 2e? I am thinking to ask to apply 2e program...

2e means twice exceptional— gifted with a disability. Depends what you mean by “smart”.

It doesn’t matter though, the strategy to support a 2e child is the same as the strategy to support a disabled child of any intelligence level. Find the supports he needs to level the playing field, and make sure he gets them.

[Anonymous]

Are you in FCPS? 2E is a label, like the above poster said. A child with ADHD and an IEP in AAP would be considered 2E. Mine isn't in AAP but had a significant speech delay and has an IEP; didn't talk until 4 yrs. old but scored really high on non-verbal tests like Naglieri and tests DevPed did, is considered 2E by some.

[Anonymous]

In 1st grade, my 2E kid would do math very quickly if called out by the teacher but in class on paper only write out one or two problems. They would skip words reading….and a whole other host of confusing things. Turns out my kid wasn’t seeing much of anything back then. (It’s better now, they are a senior at TJ.) I don’t know if you have gotten an eye exam from a developmental optometrist, but it’s worth it to check.

[Anonymous]

Have you had a neuropsych? It sounds like you need a clearer diagnosis/direction.