IEP & 504?

[Rusticchef]

My 13 yo daughter struggles in school. She has an IEP for "learning disabilities". We had her privately evaluated and she was diagnosed with ADHD. We are requesting a 504 for ADHD and want to keep the IEP in place for the learning disability. The accommodations would co exist. Does anyone have experience with this?

[Aspen797]

You should be able to ask for an IEP team meeting to update your child’s accommodations. Since an IEP is more robust than a 504 and includes accommodations, it should be sufficient. The IEP should address all of a child’s needs that affect their accessing their education —whether they are related to the qualifying category or not.

[LynnInKaty in reply to Aspen797]

Agreed. The IEP has forms to include accommodations, and any specific accommodations not listed can be added (my son had naps added to his accommodations). In addition to the IEP, you could add a Behavior Intervention Plan to address specific behaviors.

[Onthemove1971]

Thanks for joining the group. This is a journey and we are all in it together. The reason to have an IEP ( Individual Education plan) is becuase there areas of weakness that you suspect that need to be addressed.

This means there is an assessment by school employees and if they determine there are things they can teach your child then they will give them direct instruction. In addition if there are accommodations (adjustments) and sometimes modifications ( change in instruction) that your child needs.

504 plans are sometimes "managed" by school counselors, specialized school staff and do not include goals and progress. They usually only include the accommodations and modifications. They can include consultation to teachers and other staff.

An example is test taking, sometimes children with ADHD want and benefit from taking tests in a separate area. This can be included in a 504 plan and just needs coordination of the test, proctoring and a quiet location.

If a child is below grade level in a subject they may need a specialized teacher's knowledge in how to teach children that could struggle with focus or consentration. This will be different from the general teacher they have.

This would be "specialized academic instruction" and would be included in an IEP.

Hope this helps, if you have more questions just let us know, we are always here for you.