Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional SST meeting tomorrow to hopefully set up IEP/504

Great news!


It's also important to remember - accommodations can *always* be negotiated, even after the initial paperwork is completed. If an accommodation isn't working or another issue comes up that requires an accommodation, you can call a 504 team meeting to discuss updating the 504 at *any* time.


Do they have a plan for the pre-writing activities? I'm just curious, given that I have a kid who also benefits from pre-writing strategies


Is the homework grade a zero because your ds isn't doing the homework or because he's not getting it turned in? Or does he not know what the assigned homework is? This is an area our ds is struggling with, in just a few classes where the teachers are not organized and predictable re homework assignments, and where the teachers are not posting homework assignments in easily accessible places so that ds can look up and double-check assignments.


How does the homework contract work? Does your ds have a way to verify what he's supposed to be doing for homework or is the contract just about getting it done and turned in?


That all sounds good - and jmo, but if he doesn't have to fit in the extra class, that's probably a good thing too, because taking the social skills class at school would take away an elective, right?


Do you think he needs the keyboarding accommodation or did the psych that did his eval think he needed it? Have you thought of telling him he has to try it but also giving him some kind of reward for doing it? I realize he's 15 and it's very different from getting a younger child to use accommodations - I'm living with a 14 year old And a 12 year old prodigy (not a prodigy with respect to intellect, but with respect to acting like a teen before her time lol). But I've also found that it's really useful with my ds to get him to actually use an accommodation for a certain period of time - because in spite of resistance to try it, as long as the accommodation is something that really is necessary or really will help - after he's been forced to try it, he usually realizes life is much better using it and that takes away the resistance to use it.


This is great - I hope that this psych stays at the school for the remaining years your ds will be there!


Don't ever forget - a 504 plan isn't about *grades* or performance - it's about access to education. If a child is not able to access their education. I know you know that, just wanted to point it out for other parents of kids with disabilities who might be reading this



For anyone who's struggling with advocating for their children at school, having that outside report from professionals really does make a big difference. It's easy to argue, attempt to intimidate, or dismiss a parent who has no data - but professional educators are not going to argue the opinion of a board-credentialed, degreed, whatever psychologist or dr etc.


You aren't where you need to be yet, but you are *so* much farther along than you were last spring! I'm impressed with all you've accomplished and how you've gone to bat for your ds - you've done a wonderful job advocating for him. Compliance isn't easy - but again, if you just keep at it, encouraging him to use the accommodations etc, I think he'll gradually realize that it's all good.

Hang in there,

polarbear

The pre-writing work got me thinking about tools I've used for guiding brainstorming sessions. Basically, many people have no specific idea not for a lack of ideas, but for a lack of constraints on the multitude of possibilities.

One of the best tools is to introduce an external, not necessarily connected constraint. So, you can have a box of pictures (see http://www.ideo.com/work/method-cards ) and you pull a card and try to write towards your topic in a way that you see as related to the picture on the card.

You can also use internal tools, probably the most common is "who, what, where, when" but there are other ways to constrain things. This sort of approach allows a logically inclined person to feel controlled in their exploration.

Building a set of imaginary fictional narrators and choosing one can also help to delocalize the proces, to distance the writer from the responsibility for their writing.

Writers' toolkits will have things like starter sentences, that can be good jumping off points. There are also fomulaic tools for getting thoughts out, kinda a more specific who, what, where with a Mad Lib structure.

On topic nonsense writing may also help, like:
"Christopher Columbus, third cousin thrice removed of the renowned Christopher Kringle, made a paper boat to sail across the bathtub."

I think that is still to be determined. I am going to suggest that his private writing tutor work with him on best pre-writing strategies for him. I know there are dozens of different ways. I do know they are going to require he WRITE something on paper to work from. It sounded like the teacher & psychologist already had a plan formed but we didn't go over the details.

I wasn't able to figure this out by myself. We got somewhere in the meeting. Some of this seems to be miscommunication, not knowing when or what was assigned. Some of is his anxiety kicking in. Much of it is unfinished work and that he doesn't like to turn in unfinished work. This teacher emphasized that while homework is graded on completion if it's 70% done, you get a 7/10 still better than a 0/10. Part of it is when a ship starts sinking, he doesn't try and rescue himself but gets embarrassed and just wants to go down with the boat.

He will be required to go see her once a week at "office" hours. There will be a form that the teacher & he will have to fill out and that I will have to sign. It will include dates for upcoming work, what his current missed assignments are, and she will be required to take late homework for the past week at that time. (She generally doesn't take late homework.) He is encouraged to skip & circle any homework problems he doesn't know how to answer. At this point it will be a 6 week contract and at that point be re-evaluated.


This wouldn't be an extra class. They schedule this during school once a week, different period ever week so it doesn't affect any one class too much and try to take into account not having them miss any tests.


He just doesn't think it would help. About 50% of the time these writing assignments are done in the computer lab anyway. I am not sure who this would be administered and probably need to ask. Perhaps they send him to another room to do the essays? Thinking about it further, as this is a fairly common accommodation my guess is they send him to the resource office to do the assignment but I should ask.

So do I. I really didn't get along with the psyc at this school when my daughter was there. I spend the whole time fighting to keep my daughters IEP until after they need a full assessment her junior year.


Thanks I know but it's easy to forget. I really appreciate your responding. This whole thing can get overwhelming and it's nice to talk with other people going through similar things.