Out Specialist is in the process of sending us the paperwork so I can have a meeting at school. HE prefers us getting an IEP however, I spoke with the person over Special Education and she said she didnt think our daughter would qualify for an IEP- that she knows she would a 504 plan and that the school could still put revisions in the plan where the teacher has to accomodate her in certain areas...
Does anyone have experience with this?
Our Daughter (almost 5) recently has been diagnosed with
Sensory Integration Deficits
ADHD
ODD
OCD
and Anxiety
( gezz I wish there was a spell check, its late, Im sleepy and I KNOW I am misspelling words hehe)
I think my son actually has a 504 plan, but I always call it an IEP. I'm not really sure what the difference is because he's getting all the things he needs from school. I'm so incredibly happy with the resources he has gotten over the last 4-5 years.
In Kindy, the social worker worked with him in the classroom to model social behavior for him. (This was before a diagnosis and before a plan was in place.)
In 1st grade, his teacher, principal, social worker, OT, special education teacher met to discuss his needs and what plan would work best for him. The commotion at the start of the school day with kids coming in from their buses and putting away their backpacks really overwhelmed and upset him (having a meltdown), so they had an aide get him from the bus and take him to the playground for 5-10 minutes of swinging. By the time he got to the classroom, things had settled down and he could handle it. He had about 3 other motor breaks during the day. He would go to the OT room to do: mini trampoline, punching bag, wheelbarrows, sitting scooter thing, or other activity. End of day was overwhelming too so he'd go with an aide to either swing or read a story in the library. He also started having sessions with the special Ed teacher.
That was the plan for 2nd grade as well, maybe fewer OT breaks during the day. The people I listed meet every 6 weeks to discuss all the kids with plans, see if things are improving, meeting their needs, not meeting their needs, what to change, what to keep. Then once a year hubby and I go to a meeting with them to review it all.
They did a full academic testing in maybe 1st or 2nd grade (??) to see how he learns to work on an academic plan for him. He gets tested every 3 years.
I have to go for now and my battery is running out. More later!
I just noticed that I forgot to add that he continued to see the social worker twice a week to work on social behavior. I think it was in the classroom and in her office.
Just wanted to add:
His plan changed as he got older. He got less and less OT and more academic help. He's great with math but his writing skills really needed help. He's slightly behind with reading but seems to be catching up, he's just about at grade level. His main issue is timed tests and activities. So he's allowed more time or untimed tests, like for the statewide mastery tests.
He continues to meet with the social worker to develop his social skills and to help with his anxiety.
Let us know when your meeting is and how it goes!
An IEP plan, they are legally required to follow it, which could be good but they will be very reluctant to put a lot of specifics in it because they don't want to get themselves in trouble if they happen to lack resources or organization at a particular point in time and can't follow e.g. they have a budget shortfall and have to fire the aid. In most schools there is a fairly narrow definition of who demonstrates enough needs for an IEP, and it requires a lot of testing beforehand. With a 504 plan you have more flexibility, not so many legal requirements which can sometimes mean things can fall through the cracks if the teachers do not have good support to keep the plan going. I have taught at 3 different schools and one did a wonderful job with writing and keeping very helpful 504 plans and the other two did not do well with it at all.
(07-30-2011, 01:07 AM)chasenDESTINY Wrote: [ -> ]Out Specialist is in the process of sending us the paperwork so I can have a meeting at school. HE prefers us getting an IEP however, I spoke with the person over Special Education and she said she didnt think our daughter would qualify for an IEP- that she knows she would a 504 plan and that the school could still put revisions in the plan where the teacher has to accomodate her in certain areas...
Does anyone have experience with this?
Our Daughter (almost 5) recently has been diagnosed with
Sensory Integration Deficits
ADHD
ODD
OCD
and Anxiety
( gezz I wish there was a spell check, its late, Im sleepy and I KNOW I am misspelling words hehe)
Your specialist is steering you the right way - my son's 504 was
useless because there is no "teeth" to it, it's more like a suggestion for the school. After I saw how pointless that was, I demanded the school re-evaluate him[/u] and we got an IEP, and those the schools
must follow. It's made a huge difference in getting accommodation for my son. He's in a cyber school, not brick-and-mortar, but there are still adaptations he needed, testing adjustments, and now he gets OT through the IEP.