First IEP or 504 meeting on Wednesday

[ScaredMommy2]

... any advice or best wishes would be appreciated.

[abryans]

Be as specific as you can about what he needs. An IEP describes the special education and related services (like OT, PT or Speech and language therapy, etc.) needed for the child to access the least restrictive appropriate environment. IEPs generally provide more accountability from the school. A 504 plan usually describes accommodations, such as as frequent breaks, preferred seating, reduced homework etc. that allow a child's full participation. If your child might need a full or part time aide, or any special education (such as a resource teacher or speech therapy), you should ask for an IEP. My daughter's school wanted to provide a 504 plan, but we pointed out she needs instruction related to executive function, technology accommodations and other specific special education. I used the recommendations from her psychoeducational report and we were successful.

[Onthemove1971]

I am hoping you got reports before the meeting? If not then please remember it's slot to go over, you don't have to sign the day of the meeting you can take it all home to go over it if you need to. It's a team so everyone should be supportive.

We are all there with you.

[Hidden]

Be open, this is your team. Make a list about the things you think would help your child. If you don't have the report yet, email the school psychologist or the principal you should have it before the meeting and yes, you can have time to review. Take a DEEP breath, this is GOOD, it was the best thing that ever happened to my child!

[anirush]

Does your child need extra time for tests, no homework or extra time to submit homework?

Does he/she need to be able to leave the classroom if overwhelmed or losing control?

If they are old enough for standardized testing you can request they be given in a small group with breaks if needed.

Bring anything from your child's doctor that confirms their diagnosis.

Be firm. If you believe your child needs something don't let them talk you out of it. Don't let them talk you into a 504 if you think an IEP is needed. That happened to me and I regretted it later.

If your child needs to take medication at school have that in there. Then hopefully it won't be missed.

A social skills class or resource teacher who helps them in class or works with them a couple of times a week can also be requested depending on what your child's school has.

[B19B]

I haven't been able to locate my evaluation/recommendations yet...however, I did find an article from the ADDITUDE MAGAZINE website that might be helpful to you...definitely check it out!!! I will continue to locate my evaluation/recommendations in the meantime.

Do you have an email, where I can send the article?

[Janice_H]

Hi, I know it seems overwhelming but it is all a process. You will get through and feel better that your child is receiving the services they need.

Be prepared with a list of your concerns about your child. For example - Can't remember what they read, cannot write cohesive paragraphs, sloppy handwriting, has trouble copying text from a board, takes an excessive amount of time to complete homework/assignments, has difficulty solving math word problems, is forgetful, etc. You want to be specific about what challenges you see. Talk with the IEP team about what accommodations are available to assist in each area where there are concerns. Also, find out if your child qualifies for OT, Speech Language or other services if they are needed. Any accommodations that you later see are needed, you can ask the IEP team to reconvene to update the modifications. You do not have to wait until your next yearly meeting to make changes.

Finally, once your IEP is implemented, ask your child daily if the services were provided. You want to be sure the school is doing what they should. If your child has special education sessions 3 times a week, ask your child if they were given. You can request to see your child's tests to check for progress. And compare state assessment scores to see if there is improvement. If there is decline, you will want to ask for additional special ed hours.

Hope all goes well!!! You will do fine. I would love to hear how it goes.

Janice

[Onthemove1971]

Thinking about you guys, please update on how the meeting went when you get a chance...

[ScaredMommy2]

Oddest school meeting I've ever had... the counselor asked the teacher what accommodations my little one needed and she said that he's doing great on the meds so none. They suggested that he didn't need a 504 because the meds had solved the problem and the teacher was already providing accomodations for him. I let them know that I thought they should just go ahead and write down what the teacher was doing and add a couple more. We're going to revisit when we get the results of his psycho-educational test (testing on Monday, results in 3 weeks).

Maybe they didn't want to do the paperwork?

[Pennywink in reply to ScaredMommy2]

Thanks for sharing!

I have a 504 meeting coming soon, and I suspect it may go similarly to yours. With the exception of handwriting & remembering to bring everything home, my son is otherwise excelling at school.

My guess is that it isn’t strictly about paperwork. If the disability isn’t hindering the child’s functioning, then it may not meet criteria. Also, school staff & resources tend to be fairly overloaded and stretched thin as it is, to add more for a student who, though diagnosed with a disability, isn’t demonstrating a need for accommodations.

[Pennywink in reply to ScaredMommy2]

Hi - wanted to jump back in here, as i also just had our first 504 meeting. And as predicted, we all agreed it was unnecessary at this time, especially with medication. and to reasses next school year, or if anything changes during the year.

I will say, everyone at my son’s school has been wonderful. His very popular with the staff (for good reasons!), and they really have his best interests at heart.

The school psychologist explained to me that we don’t want to OVER accommodate a child, as that robs them of the potential to become independent. Since my son is currently quite successful in school, adding unneeded accommodations will cause him to rely on those accommodations as he gets older and will grow dependent on them. And we want to help him grow to be a successful, independent adult. (If he was doing poorly in school, that would be a different matter.)

That being said, the vice principal noted that my does gravitate towards adults (he’s only now starting to show more interest in kids.) She’d like to help his social development, and has suggested setting up “lunch buddies”, where he has lunch with the school counselor and some of his friends to help guide & strengthen those relationships.

Which is all to say I really love our school.