504 (?) plan for ADHD

[Anonymous]

My son was just diagnosed with ADHD. He has one year left of preschool and then public kindergarten. I am confused... will he automatically get a 504 plan (is that what it's called?) when we give the school complete professional reports etc.? Or do we have to wait til he "fails" and is below grade level (hope that does not happen) to get a 504 with accomodations (e.g., allowed to stand up at circle time etc.) Thanks for all your knowledge...

[Anonymous]

depends on your school district but in ours you do not automatically get an 504 with adhd. the child needs to show he can't handle the class without one. standing during circle time could be considered best practices of teaching which does not qualify for anything. I dont agree with it but it's what I have been told (allowing my son to move his desk away from distractions is considered best practices). This was at the school he's at. Every IEP team and school is different, maybe you'll get lucky. It's always worth the try! Maybe he won't need one! BTW who diagnosed him this early?

[Anonymous]

I just received my child's report yesterday and I am so happy this question was posted. I will be watching this thread carefully. IMO, I do not think my son need a 504 plan (3rd grade), he just need structure, which his school does not have (private).

[Anonymous]

To get an IEP, the ADHD has to have an impact on his ability to access the curriculum. An IEP is an individualized learning plan. These are hard to get for a child who is academically on target.

A 504 plan is a set of accommodations to help your child be able to participate fully in the classroom. To qualify for a 504 you just have to show that the disability has an impact. It does NOT have to be an academic impact, it could be social or emotional as well. So to get a 504 you have to have 1) a documented disability or diagnosis and 2) show how it is impairs their ability to be fully successful in the classroom.

You will not be automically given a 504. You need to contant the school directly. We are in FCPS and here you contact the school counselor to initiate the process.

[Anonymous]

OP, have you been through the process in your county for early intervention? A little different situation as I am not dealing with ADHD, likely. I am in FCPS, and after months of paperwork and testing we had our eligibility meeting yesterday. We went through the process last year, when my ds was 4, on the recommendation of a county social worker who was in our private preschool working with other children. Last year, his social/emotional issues were not seen as interfering with his "learning".

Fast forward to this year. One month into school, we (teachers and I) decided to get the ball rolling again. At Local Screening, FCPS ordered further testing (speech/language, cognitive, hearing, observation by a psych at his school, teacher/parent interview, teacher/parent social questionnaires). My ds passed all the cognitive and speech/language testing with flying colors.. BUT, his social/emotional ratings (based on a numberof measures) were well below normal on every measure.

So, in our case, though by their measures of cognitive he was average,or above average in all areas, he was found eligible for special education due to social/emotional concerns which make him unable to learn without accommodations. We will receive services in his preschool for the remainder of this school year, as well as in public K in the fall. Our IEP will be held at his prospective ES, so that all are on the same page.

This may be a different set of issues than yours, since we are very likely dealing with Asperger's, but I wanted to share a situation where by measures of cognitive development (which I find a little crazy since he is only 5) he is doing just fine as of now, but there is no way my son would have managed in a typical classroom without intervention. The county experts all agreed. This was under the category of Developmental Delay-social/emotional.

Depending on your son's specific issues, you may be able to get preschool services if he qualifies, so I encourage you to start the process now if you think this will be necessary for your son. We have been at it since November...and just had eligibility yesterday.

GL

[Anonymous]

I highly recommend using an educational consultant for this. It could cost you $1 - 2K but is very worth it. as PP states, it's tricky to show need for accommodations for something like ADHD, particularly as most schools wait for a kid to be failing before they suggest intervention.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just received my child's report yesterday and I am so happy this question was posted. I will be watching this thread carefully. IMO, I do not think my son need a 504 plan (3rd grade), he just need structure, which his school does not have (private).

Structure is part of accomodations (504) and could include things like frequent breaks, visual schedules, wiggle seats, preferential seating, chunked assignments. I find it difficult to believe your child's school does not have structure. If it's not a good fit for your child, then a 504 would be warranted.

[Anonymous]

Your DS won't automatically get a 504 plan or IEP, but to get one, he won't have to fall below grade level either. The criteria is that the OHI (other health impairment, which is what ADHD is classified as) must impact the student's academic achievement and/or functional performance. You don't identify your county, so my information as to how to get evaluated may or may not help you, so I'll wait to post until you tell us where you are located.

[Anonymous]

"it's tricky to show need for accommodations for something like ADHD, particularly as most schools wait for a kid to be failing before they suggest intervention"


PP here. Just wanted to say, this is not my experience. I had no trouble getting an IEP with goals, services and accommodations for my son. I wanted to let you know this so that you don't feel discouraged before you start.

[Anonymous]

Original Poster here Thanks for your comments. My son was diagnosed by a private psychologist and the NIH study. We live in MOCO and he has another year of preschool. I have no idea how he will do in a public kindergarten and am just wondering about it. But we do have a year. I have heard that next spring or so I should set up a meeting with the school and bring all the reports. It sounds like each school district is different. We will definitely ask for a 504 (although honestly, I don't know that much about it) b/c we want to make sure that he doesn't start to get in trouble all the time if he needs to move around etc. At this stage it is very very hard to imagine him sitting at a desk doing worksheets. Our older son is in first grade with 28 kids in his class and 1 teacher. He brings home tons of worksheets... I just can't imagine my little 4.5 year old doing that although he luckily (due to b-day) has an extra year to grow. I'm not saying this 504 would be a panacea, but at least to help support him. All this info. is just a lot to process. Thanks for your insights!

[Anonymous]

PP here. In MoCo, what you do to get an IEP/504 is that you ask for an Assessment or EMT (Education Management Team meeting). The request is made to the principal. I know you don't want to start your son off on the wrong foot in school, but my experience was that we could not address the ADHD until after he was in school for a few months and they knew him and we had an IEP since the time he was 3.

You mention being nervous about the worksheets. You might be worrying needlessly. One of the accommodations we have for my son is an adjusted work level. So long as my son continues to master the material, he doesn't have to do all of the work. The teacher assesses him each day or even several times a day and adjusts his work and schedule based on what he is able to handle that day. Also, earlier on, my son didn't have to sit at a desk to do his work - he could stand, walk around, sit on the floor, use a special cushion on his chair, etc. Now he has a goal to improve his classroom behaviors, so he is working on staying in his chair and he's doing pretty well. My son also gets increased testing time and is tested in a small group in a very quiet area.

In years past, he got some of his core academics (reading primarily) in small group or one on one because he just couldn't focus in the larger setting and he became disruptive to others.

Good luck. I've found that the schools my kids are in are very good at dealing with ADHD issues.

[Anonymous]

My school was not. Hand carried in our eval from Pre-k at beginning of K. A confidential file was created but that was about it. Miserable year. As 1st began and we seemed to be heading down same path, we got a fresh Eval, which revealed more, and took it into school. Had an EMT. Still nothing. Hired an attorney shortly afterwards. Unfortunately costly, but well worth it in hindsight.

[Anonymous]

OP. Not sure if this will help or if your child will qualify but if you are concerned I would call DESK in MOCO which is childfind, have an assessment done. If your child qualifies for speech, or OT or academic needs then it will be easier to start kinder with a 504 or IEP. Again, your child will need to show a need or a disabilitiy, ADHD by itself at this age does not count. If your child has a need then you can get therapy or special education throught the county at your local elem or one close to you that can meet his needs. Other than that it's hard to walk into kinder with a 504 when they have not had a chance to work with him (though every school in MCPS is different). I know at my child's school they would want to work with him for awhile and assess if there is an academic need or something that will impact his ability in the classroom. Good luck

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP. Not sure if this will help or if your child will qualify but if you are concerned I would call DESK in MOCO which is childfind, have an assessment done. If your child qualifies for speech, or OT or academic needs then it will be easier to start kinder with a 504 or IEP. Again, your child will need to show a need or a disabilitiy, ADHD by itself at this age does not count. If your child has a need then you can get therapy or special education throught the county at your local elem or one close to you that can meet his needs. Other than that it's hard to walk into kinder with a 504 when they have not had a chance to work with him (though every school in MCPS is different). I know at my child's school they would want to work with him for awhile and assess if there is an academic need or something that will impact his ability in the classroom. Good luck

I agree with this. At the very least, I would suggest in the late winter/spring before he starts K, you call the school and share whatever information you have with them. This way, you're more likely to get a teacher that works well with kids with challenges and would be a good observer. You don't want to wait too late in the spring because that tends to be a busy time for the IEP teams getting in the final IEP and ESY meetings. I have two kids with IEPs, one got it in K (once he was diagnosed with ADHD, it was like magic) and the other came in through Infant Toddler. It was much, much easier getting things in place before K.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My school was not. Hand carried in our eval from Pre-k at beginning of K. A confidential file was created but that was about it. Miserable year. As 1st began and we seemed to be heading down same path, we got a fresh Eval, which revealed more, and took it into school. Had an EMT. Still nothing. Hired an attorney shortly afterwards. Unfortunately costly, but well worth it in hindsight.

I'm the PP who recommended an educational consultant.

Unfortunately this was our experience too. So I guess I would say, while the previous posters' positive stories are great, just be aware that the school may not easily offer you what your child needs -- especially if the child is more inattentive than hyperactive (so fewer behavior or other obvious problems) or does fairly well in school. Know that if it doesn't work the first time around, you can find some outside help and try again.