Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional What would you want in 504 for kid with.....

I have an opportunity to suggest the accommodations for my child's first 504. He is 6 and in First Grade. He desperately needs work multiple grade-levels ahead and scores profoundly gifted (yet w a Processing Speed score 60pts below and Beery VMI of only 2nd percentile).

I know anything w/ pencil, coloring, or timed is a huge issue for him. We have some suggestions from OT and Behavioral Optometrist but won't have Neuro Psych report until after the 504 is in place (IEP will follow when Neuro Psych's report is received). Consideration may be given to multi-level acceleration if the powers that be will align but more support will be needed for disabilities should that occur.


His disabilities include:

ADHD
Anxiety Disorder (generalized + elements of PTSD)
Dysgraphia
Dyspraxia
Convergence Insufficiency
Poor Eye Teaming
Poor Focusing
Ocular Motor Delays
Sensory Issues: smells, noise, heat

It is a LOT to cover. Please share any details you can of what you have used or what you would ask for if you had a willing school.

Oh my son has just about all of these (though his eye issues have improved significantly) with the exception (for now) of ADHD and sensory issues. No wonder our kiddos have the same spread! We have an iep that I think is wonderful (if/when people follow it!) I will have it with me tomorrow and I will post some accommodations that my DS has. The dysgraphia is huge - having writing accommodations will help this kid immensely. My son's anxiety is all but GONE when his writing accommodations are provided. How old is your guy again? I hope we can remain on this board together a long time... so that we can bounce ideas off of each other and see what helps ect... because I get nervous about my son's future with the writing and visual-motor issues. I also recommend the book Understanding Developmental Dyspraxia by Portwood.

I just happened to have to write an email to my DS's teacher so I can cut and paste the scribing accommodations we have for him for you right now:

"Primary lined paper will be provided for journaling, Writers Workshop, and special area assignments that require more than 3 lines of writing... for assignments for writing assignments 3 lines or greater."

"On tasks of two lines or less, DS will be encouraged, but not required, to write independently... for writing assignments of two lines or less."

"For writing tasks three lines or longer, DS and a scribe may alternate writing 1-2 sentences each. Scribe will do all writing after Ben completes a maximum of 4 handwritten lines."

Thank you Irena!! We should really talk sometime. Mine is 6. I think I remember yours being a little ahead of mine.

My son suggested 5 math problems or 20 letters as writing limits he could handle.

I have personally seen that the ADHD and Anxiety (which seem to be under control normally) get amped up in a huge way by the disabilities. It's all so interconnected.

How about....reduced number of problems on assignments (thinking math here but can apply to other things).

Modified assignments or alternate assignments....an example might be playing some sort of matching game with vocabulary flash cards with parent rather than writing definitions out.

In class work grade what he completes and count that...so if there are twenty questions and he gets five done grade him out of five. If you have questions about his ability to answer the other 15 have him complete them orally to a teacher assistant.

Parent allowed to scribe all homework or student able to type as appropriate.

Extended time and alternate testing answer recording methods. My husband as a teacher does this he has everyone take tests and quizzes written even if they have a 504 or IEP accommodation. Those who have accommodations who dont do well, he asks to come by at lunch or after school...then he chats with them about the stuff on the test, basically giving them an oral test. If they know their stuff he pulls out the test paper and documents...oral test administered and writes the new grade. Sometimes they don't even know they are getting an oral test. If they don't do well orally, he asks them to study again the topics and will retest orally in a few days.

Why does he do it this way instead of doing the initial test with the accommodation?

Hi,

My DS6, also in 1st, has a huge spread also with a GAI of 160 but psi in the lower 90s. We are working towards some accomodations but it will take time. He does not have ADHD or specific visual issues, but is anxious and has some issues with social skills (though not qualifying for the triad of ASD).

We are going to first work on the developmental coordination disorder, the rest may be fine with that addressed. A 504 I'm guessing. I've read DCD accomodations can include organizational and planning help. For example having a cubby on the end to give more space to them while they are putting on their coat etc, and ease in finding it quickly.

Today DS came home with a writing worksheet where the teacher had written half of each of the sentences. She either started or finished the sentence. I suddenly felt more hopeful about the year as this is before any meeting to talk about accomodations. Also today was the first day since the year started when his behavior was acceptable.

One accomodation I haven't seen in a list but which I have been thinking of asking for when the time comes is that he be allowed to use solely the first letter of his name at the top of each worksheet (they do lots of worksheets and by the time he's written his name some of the kids are done the whole sheet). I should have named him something shorter Tom would be a good short name, the m is maybe a bit tricky: some of DSs m's come out as n's or w's, it varies. Definitely not Sam. Bob?

One I see in all the lists that I will definitely ask for is larger ruled paper, in 1st they appear to be going to use something that seems too small for him.

Our OT is supposed to be sending a list to me, I'll share if anything useful sounding shows up.

I would love to hear is how it goes over asking for a cap on number of letters or words per day. Is that something routinely granted? DS has done more already since school started than I thought possible (and many tears involved)... I'm concerned the school will say well look he's able to complete the assigned work up until now, why should we reduce the volume? How do you quantify the degree of discouragement and find an acceptable level (because there is no way around it, whenever he looks at a piece of paper he feels discouraged)... How do you pick the right number of letters or words they should have to write? If I asked DS he would say zero. And I'm personally torn as I can see the benefit in practice despite DS's unhappiness with it.

Dotted thirds paper helped my DD enormously with handwriting.

Someone asked why my husband does his testing this way...

Because he has 50 students and himself for each of his three periods...he can't possibly test all the ESE, 504 and esol students orally while trying to monitor 50 students. This way if they get any questions right he doesn't have to do them orally. Some students with accommodations do well and are happy with the Bs they get on the test and don't come in for the oral-he gives them the option.


He teaches drama. The PE coach has 100 students which is fine until someone gets hurt or there is a fight. The band teacher has like 60 in a beginning band class....he teaches percussion and they do something akin to stomp...using anything they can to beat the rhythm. I forget how many are in culinary arts class but it is ridiculous no one is going to have a chance to cook.

Sweetie, I'm guessing your dh is a middle school (or at least upper elementary school) teacher? If so, I'm surprised that there are still students who have oral response as an accommodation, unless they are students who can't use their hands at all (to type or handwrite). The goal our school district and our professionals (and myself) aim for with all students is the ability to *independently* produce their schoolwork without having to rely on accommodations like scribing - so in our district, students who can't rely on handwriting would move from scribing in early elementary to keyboarding by the time they are in 3rd/4th grade (if not earlier). I am guessing from what you wrote your dh would allow a student who has to keyboard to use their keyboarding accommodation - at least I hope he would! I totally understand the logistical challenges of teaching so many students and also having quite a few IEPs and 504s mixed in, but there are so many nuances of why it's important to follow those accommodations. For instance, writing by hand causes my ds actual, real live pain. If he was forced to use handwriting for a test, he'd be in pain not only during that test but for several hours after - which is going to potentially impact his ability to concentrate (and keyboard) in the classes that follow that test period. How does your dh decide who "didn't do well" on the test? If my ds has a 504 plan allowing keyboarding, and he misses one problem, while another student who has no 504 plan misses 10... how does your dh make the determination that my son missed that one point because he was using handwriting? The mistakes kids with dysgraphia make are not always blazingly obviously dysgraphic mistakes (reversals, copy errors etc) - sometimes they are mistakes due to working memory being so stuffed full with the act of generating letters non-automatically they can't recall info stored in memory. What is the student who is told they won't receive their accommodations going to think of what the teacher is doing? By the time most students are in middle school (and upper elementary) they are very aware of the extent of their challenges, as well as very aware that they have 504 plans or IEPs and that there are accommodations they are supposed to be receiving. My ds has lost respect for teachers who made it difficult for him to use his accommodations. And lastly, while it's wonderful that your dh is offering the students who should have had accommodations a chance to retake the test via oral response - what about the time lost for the student? When are they taking that extra test the second time around? During a time they are supposed to be in a study hall? During practice? Most student's days are jam-packed at school, and many of our kids with disabilities (and accommodations) are spending 2-3 times the amount of time on homework after school that there peers are. You mentioned some students are happy to take their "B" and don't bother coming back to retake the test - how does your dh know they are happy about the B? What about a student who really does care but also gives up in the face of feeling that a teacher doesn't care? It may not sound logical or fair to your dh, but I can see my ds processing the message of a repeat test very differently from what your dh intends. And last thing.... if he *doesn't* offer the accommodations outlined in a student's 504 or IEP, isn't he placing the school district in a vulnerable position should the student someday sue the district? While there might never be any reason to sue over his class.... I believe this could still come up in testimony in a legal confrontation if the family chooses to sue to resolve another IEP/504 issue.

Sorry for the thought explosion there - I'm not trying to nit-pick at your dh and I'm sure he's a wonderful and thoughtful caring teacher and I understand he's in a tough situation.

Best wishes,

polarbear

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.

One of the big accommodations that's really helped my son (because of his PDD-NOS & ADHD) is preferential seating near the teacher. This allows him to quickly and quietly lean over and ask for additional instruction/reminders/clarifications throughout the day. I would definitely recommend you ask for that - it's probably the easiest accommodation to get them to approve and can be incredibly helpful.

Also note, you can call a new ARD meeting to alter the accommodations AT ANY TIME.

Thanks! I need that reminder. Easy to get in to a "now or never" mindset.

My counselor (for the marriage issues we are dealing with right now) gave me some apt advice. She pointed out that his teacher sounded very "rigid" and that it would be easy to get in a power struggle with her.

I am trying to keep in my mind that we have professional scholarly evaluations (several) and recommendations and I am not there to seek her approval. So far she seems to be the fly in the ointment. I'm saving any real discussion for the 504 and IEP meetings ahead.

I get the distinct impression that she does not believe a child could really be so advanced (you know gaps and all) or have any real mental health concerns. Due to these observations, I think implementing may be a challenge if we are forced to stay in her class.

Sweetie-- He would like that... and heavy work is especially good for him.

I found this on the Dypraxia Foundation Website (http://www.dyspraxiausa.org/tips-for-teaching-the-child-with-dyspraxia-or-dcd/):

Tips for Teaching the Child with Dyspraxia or DCD


• Put the child near the front of the class. If this is not possible, walking around the room can also bring the information to the student effectively.

• Speak instructions slowly and repeat if necessary—the shorter, the better. It is often necessary that the student write the instructions down. In addition, it is helpful to break instructions and materials into manageable “chunks.”

• Acknowledge and praise tasks completed correctly. Positive reinforcement is extremely effective with dyspraxic children.

• Allow extra time for assignments. Processing speed is much slower for children with dyspraxia.

• When possible, if the student is required to copy from a board at the front of the room, allow the student to copy from a written handout instead.

• Organization is one of the biggest challenges for these children. If the student has all assignments and homework in one folder, it greatly reduces the risk of losing them.

• For younger students, assist with fine motor tasks. Cutting, coloring, and writing are very challenging and stressful. Encourage stabilization of the hand when writing.

• Lined and graph paper really help the student organize spatially.

• Allow “body breaks” throughout the day. Stepping outside of class to do push-ups against the wall, jumping, pressing the hands together, or even running a short errand enables the student to return to class more focused. Similarly, if the student feels a meltdown approaching, allow him or her to leave the room until the feeling passes. This can be prompted with a simple cue (e.g., raising hand).

• Encourage good posture whenever possible by having the child sit with hips and knees at 90° and feet flat on floor.

• One of the unique characteristics of dyspraxia is that a perfect day can be derailed with one slight mishap. For example, getting a blue crayon instead of a yellow one can cause a meltdown.

• Feedback helps us to manage dyspraxia better. If the child has had difficulty with certain tasks, playground interactions, poor judgment, or managing emotions, sharing that information with us is not received as a criticism but is actually very helpful!

• Don’t underestimate your importance to this child! You may be the reason this child comes to school happy every day. ☺