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HappilyMom, my ds is considerably farther along in school and doesn't have quite all of the same challenges, but fwiw, here are a few suggestions. Also, fwiw, can you ask for a draft copy of the recommendations that will be coming with the final neuropsych report? It would be helpful to have that now - although I realize you will have it eventually and of course you can always update the IEP.

For handwriting challenges due to dysgraphia:

Scribing answers that are longer than fill in the blank. In early elementary, this usually means "writers workshop".

Allow your ds to begin to learn to type asap. You could request that the school's OT teach him. His hands are likely too tiny at this point to learn traditional touch typing - but that's ok. Lots of students learn adaptive typing - you let them come up with their own system through practice. Some students only use their thumbs and index fingers - looks a bit like texting The reason to let him start typing now is to get used to it and build up a tiny bit of "speed" now so that by 3rd grade he can rely on typing and won't have to rely on a scribe. I put "speed" i parentheses because most of us tend to think of typing as needing to be "fast" to be efficient but, for a dysgraphic student, even if typing is really slow it will most likely be quicker than handwriting, it will most likely be much less stressful, neater, more legible, easier to get the spelling correct the first time around, and you'll see big differences in the amount of grammar/punctuation mistakes.

You can request handwriting instruction and fine motor work from the school's OT. I don't know the ins and outs of your school district, but whether or not your ds will qualify will depend on what the neuropsych/et al recommend as well as meeting a set of criteria defined by your school district.

Oral response on fluency tests

Provide the student with copies of whatever notes/etc they are supposed to copy from the board (copying can be *extremely* unreliable, as well as too slow to keep up with) for dysgraphic students.

Testing is most likely a non-issue in first grade, but fwiw, these are the accommodations our ds has for testing due to his dysgraphia:
-> Time and 1/2 extended time
-> Write answers in the answer book (instead of having to fill in bubbles on a bubble sheet
-> Testing in a quiet location
-> Use of a word processor for essay answers (this is probably an accommodation your ds won't need for 1-2 years when the amount and pace of writing picks up in the classroom.
-> Oral response on fluency tests (these are the short timed tests such as "Mad Minutes", math facts, etc).

Accommodations our ds uses that your ds probably doesn't need until he's a little further along in school:
-> Extended time on tests
-> Use laptop or other computer to type out math assignments
-> Extended time and/or reduced number of problems on homework assignments when needed


For dyspraxia:
If your ds has low muscle tone or he has challenges with gross motor skills, you might want to request adaptive PE class in place of regular PE. Even if you don't feel your ds needs any accommodations for the dyspraxia, you should note it on the medical information paperwork that is on file for your ds in the school's office.

Vision challenges:
Seating close to board
Copy of notes on board
Allow your ds to use any strategies his VT dr or therapists suggest to help prevent eye strain etc in class - my dd used to take a water bottle to school so she could sip through a straw when her eyes were not focusing, and she also does "pencil pushups" and things like that when she needs to while working in the classroom.

Anxiety/etc
I hope your ds will experience what our ds experienced - our ds was significantly anxious the year he was initially suspected of having ADHD, anxiety so bad he was having panic attacks and was scared to go upstairs to his room at school or into his own bed at home. The good news is - our ds' anxiety disappeared almost overnight once he had accommodations and remediation for his other challenges.


That's all I can think of at the moment - hope it helps a little bit!

polarbear

Yeah, I didn't like the sound of this at all... And I'd raise hell. It reminds me of my DS's school's/teacher's attempts to show that they really didn't need to give DS his accommodations... Meanwhile, DS, due to being routinely off-the-bat, denied accommodations started falling apart emotionally - getting stressed, acting out, ect. To which they respond he needs social skills class. Uh, then I find out they're just not giving him his accommodations to "see how he does without them, build his stamina, etc." If a kid has an IEP that gives certain accommodations durng tests and quizzes, the teacher needs to give the accommodations. Period. It is not up to the teacher to decide when the student "really needs them!" The teacher has absolutely no right to 'experiment' to see how well the kid does without them. The accommodations are hard enough to get as it is without some teacher deciding unilaterally to toss them aside just to see how much he can push a student with a disability! Sorry, but this really pissed me off (having gone through this SEVERAL times already and my DS is only beginning 2nd grade). It really is making me sour on teachers - they are nnot neuropsychologists, neuromuscular doctors, connective tissue doctors or anywhere near qualified to be making decisions like this about disabilities they clearly know almost nothing about.

Oh thank you so much!!

Polly, YES! Let's stay in touch. I should type up the list I already have of recommended accommodations from our OT and Neuro Optometrist.


I need those terms like "Adaptive PE"... My son last night was telling me they do criss-cross jumping jacks in PE and he can (of course) not do it and that he feels so dumb when they keep telling him his skip is a gallop. He had consistent "below grade level" marks on all the PE skills on last year's report card.


Oh my!! This is a picture of my life right now... and with my husband moved out it can be truly overwhelming. It's one of the reasons I won't homeschool. I need the break. I would be over the moon to go back to him sleeping in his own bed and being able to go in to a different room. A year ago there was no anxiety and then school just about did him in. It gives me a lot of hope to hear that. Thanks for sharing so much of your experience and wisdom as you always do. You are truly an invaluable resource here on this board and I am so blessed to have your input.

BTW I did email my NeuroPsych so hopefully I can get something early.

Polarbear's suggestions are excellent. DS has those accommodations. I'll give the wording of some of them in our to help:

"Allow additional time to process retrieve information and to complete written tasks ...daily"

"Allow additional time (up to time and half) to complete written work"

"Provide side by side copying of information in lieu of copying from the board"

"allow oral response for math fact fluency"

"With each major assessment schedule extended time (up to time and a half), provide opportunities for breaks or movement, chunk tests and shorten into smaller segments, option for adapted tests (multiple choice, matching, chunking), use of a scribe for multiple written sentences, assignments/tests and allow oral responses." (this same accommodation is provided for "local assessments" as well)

And then the specific scribing accommodations as I posted earlier.

DS gets OT for 30 minutes a week. I just chatted with his teacher about getting him typing instruction during OT as well perhaps teaching him to write in script as that may actually be easier for him. She is getting him an Ipad for him to start using for math facts, etc. He also gets VT from/through the school. He does the VT privately with the school paying for it. The school agreed to pay for 20 sessions. It took me a year to actually get that and a bit of a battle. But we got it eventually - only 20 sessions but better than nothing.

I hope this helps and give you some ideas! There are also a bunch of accommodations in DS's IEP that were based on anxiety triggers and those would be different for your child probably. We still have these accommodations in there just in case but they are pretty much not needed now. Like I said earlier, and like Polarbear mentioned, the anxiety is often secondary to the struggles and disabilities not being accommodated. When DS is provided with his accommodations he has no anxiety problems.

Anyway, hope this helps!

Neuro Optometrist recommendations:

TRACKING

 * Label directions on paper
 * Point to the direction when giving instructions
 * Highlight letters or words missed frequently
 * Allow verbal reinforcement to aid discrimination
 * Use tracing and matching activities
 * Avoid poor quality or reduced size copies of paperwork
* Consider printed dittos on pastel colored paper to reduce contrast and glare

EYE TRACKING/FIGURE GROUND

* Move child to front of room to avoid distractions
 * Allow use of templates or windows to reduce amount of visual information
 * Allow use of pointer or highlighter
 * Point out/ highlight important features

HANDWRITING

* Reduce time on written work into small breaks
 * allow oral or taped responses
 * Use large diameter pencils
 * Allow boundaries for printing
 * Allow bold lines and boundaries when asked to copy on paper
 * Color code materials
 * Allow testing in isolated room with frequent breaks and in short answer or matching format instead of multiple choices
 * Allow testing in a non-timed matter to avoid anxiety.
 * Allow verbal responses for testing or homework purposes

-------------------------------------

School has this already BUT some of the recommendations like NOT multiple choice and instead fiil in the blank actually work against the dysgraphia so I know these need tweaking.

------------------------------------------------

The OT gave these next ones in a rushed overnight letter for teacher for start of school. I believe *none* have been implemented which is partly why the rush 504.

The areas of concerns are fine / gross motor coordination, sensory regulation (heighted awareness to dislike to smells and sounds experiencing the inability to calm self if not caught with timeliness), the need for movement breaks and dysgraphy.

Child may display avoidance behavior if the task at hand is difficult; successful participation is done by using First____, Then, words of praise, or a reward system. He displays anxiety to timed written assignments. He has expressive facial changes which are a precursor to the avoidance behaviors (i.e. laying with head on desk or lethargic). or anxiety.

Child would benefit with the following accommodations/supports in the classroom setting for these supports increase in his skills at home and in the community.

Preferential seating - close proximity to the presentation of written material if copied from board or provide a desktop model of information to be copied. Place copy above paper as it is easier than side to side movements. As he becomes more proficient gradually move the copy away so he continues to be successful with copying information.

Provide a model - upper case and lower case letters of the alphabet – highlighted start dots for visual cues for proper letter formation.

Slant board - provides/encourages functional postural position and stability.

Movement breaks as needed throughout the day - suggestions for sensory breaks that would best suit Nicodemus’ needs are movement followed by heavy work. Examples: spinning circular on a swing 10 times to the right, 10 times to the left, followed by jumping on a trampoline and a squeeze machine; or spinning on a swing followed by using a resistive stretchy band placing under feet and pulling up with hands; or jumping and spinning on trampoline followed by animal walks or hand walking on therapy ball.

Access to water bottle

Weighted Blanket/lap pad - lap pads used for calming and increase in attention to task when seated.

Sit and Move Cushion – used during seated work used to increase attention and proper positioning.

Gum – sensory input used for more difficult tasks such as testing.

Warning of change of schedule – written or verbal explanation.

Yes!! Very very helpful Irena!! Thank you for the detail. I'm cutting and pasting in my own doc for school as well as editing.

So on the anxiety... my son has trouble with crowded environments like the playground (70 children!!) or the lunchroom or the end of school where he has to walk through a sea of adults to get to me (he's asked me to stand in a designated spot and I do). He also struggles with the line up by class before entering school in the morning. Any ideas about that?

No unfortunately he teaches high school and mainly the kids can't read and write (as in literacy) sometimes they just don't speak, read or write well in English...I know let's put them in a class of 50 in drama!!! Sometimes they do their monologues in spanish. Some are deaf, LD, etc. but not specifically dysgraphic. He does not give many quizzes and tests. If someone had a keyboarding accommodation of course they would get it with the initial test.

Uh he more than cares....some students really don't want to retake and are thrilled with the score they got. If you can figure out a way to orally test 10-15 students while 40 others take a test as a single adult let me know. It is almost like they also get a preview of the test...the written test or quiz is never entered into the grade book....I think you aren't getting it he is following the plans just giving them a chance to do as much written as they can it is rare they can't do at least some of it. And oral/alternative assessment/extended time is on just about every plan.

Wow, there is some good stuff for sub-IEP (home and informal) intervention for our minor tracking and handwriting issues. In particular, I can't believe we hadn't thought of:
"Provide a model - upper case and lower case letters of the alphabet – highlighted start dots for visual cues for proper letter formation. "
It's pretty obvious DS sometimes can't get the right forms straight in his head let alone get it to paper. Also color coding, highlighting instructions, constrast reduction, and visual windows all sound very helpful.

Oh, this may be this is related to his vision. I do not have strabismis but I had very poor eyesight as a child and before I got glasses and then later when I refused to wear them for vanity reasons these types of situations were HUGELY anxiety producing for me because I could not see properly. Anyway - just remembering my own issues of past LOL. So my only thought on this is t hat the school could assign someone such as an an aid to help him with these specific situations. If your son would be okay with that. Basically the person would come at these times and help your son nicely. My school actually did this as a way to humiluiate my son but it can done in a supportive way. In our situation, my son walks slowly (particularly at the end of the day and with a school bag on his bag)... The pick-up line woman started yelling at him with a bullhorn in front of parents and peers things like, (with a BULLHORN mind you) "[DS's FULL NAME] MOVE YOUR LEGS!" and other such bellowing... When I told her that was unacceptable, they sent an aid to walk with him to the the car. My son and I actually were embarassed by this as all he needed was them to be patient (he really wasn't THAT slow, he just didn't run like the other kids) and he is self-conscious enough about having scribes, etc. so I put a stop to it. BUT I am sure if it is somehting you and your DS need and would be okay with, it shouldn't be much of a problem for the school to assign an aid at those times to help.

Maybe in the morning he could do an important task for the school apart from the other kids lining up....help raise the flag/ unlock a gate/ set up something with an adult...win win.