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DD10 is going into middle school next week after accelerating from 4th to 5th grade last Spring. Frankly, I am trying not be overly anxious about her EF skills when dealing with 8 different teachers. I saw some really great ideas on this forum that would be a help to her if they could be put in her 504 - particularly the idea that she could email all her work to the teachers. It would end the absolute panic and meltdowns we saw this past year when she, over and over again, forgot something on the way to and from school. It's our main problem - the black hole that exists in my car which sucks up all homework, band sheets, etc.
I emailed the 6th grade counselor, and she emailed back "6th grade teachers must learn how the disability manifests in the school setting to be sure that there is something that must be reasonably accommodated. Doctor recommendations are appreciated, and would be considered by the team, but not passed into effect unless truly warranted."
Well, how will they see how this "manifests" itself unless I let DD consistently lose things and have emotional meltdowns all the time? Her anxiety level will go through the roof. The woman will meet with me - how do I work with her?
Sorry for all the posts - school is days away, and I am exploding with questions!!!

If she identifies one or two teachers as "nice," try emailing them directly and asking about the possibility of emailing assignments to them. If you can go into her 504 meeting in a few weeks with data showing that she is succeeding in classes where the teacher is allowing that, and not succeeding in classes where the teacher is not allowing it, you will have gold-standard evidence that the accommodation is "truly warranted."

Do you have any documentation from last year? I kept a mountain of email.

Is the 504 for ADHD and/or anxiety? In our district, the scan/email homework thing is, evidently, fairly standard for ADHD. Another option (that our coordinator said is also standard) is for the student to turn in all homework at the beginning of the day, to the homeroom teacher, who then distributes it to the team.

Big issue for my DS isn't so much getting the assignments/permission slips, etc., *into* the backpack, but noticing and remembering to turn in. Of course, I have to supervise the entire ordeal--check assignment planner, electronic gradebook, etc., walk him through his entire day verbally and ask "is there anything else," etc.

We were able to get the scan/email accommodations because the teachers do not want to ask for homework, since the kids are supposed to be responsible for this. A reasonable expectation for non-impaired students...but with mine, you could tape an assignment to his forehead and he'd still forget.

For us, the most important accommodations are communication (about assignments and performance), alternative methods of turning in work, and extended time. DS doesn't need extended time to complete things, per se, but I need time to be sure no balls have been dropped.

Is the counselor in charge of 504 drafting and/or compliance? Is there a way to find out what "standard" accommodations for your DD's disability are in that school?

I'm going into 504 tomorrow and am hoping to make the case that I want DS' access rights covered (and not wait for disaster) but will be working with him on the skills needed at home, also.

Sorry this is not very organized--just sharing thoughts. Feeling your anxiety!

I read some previous posts to remember what your DD's school experiences have been so far. I couldn't tell for certain how much of an issue the disorganization issues have been (for the teachers) so far. Our experience was that elementary level teachers were naturally more accommodating and supportive in the EF area than MS--probably just easier, less moving around, fewer total students to monitor.

Word to the wise: I'd go into the meeting asking what has worked for other students with ADHD who have trouble organizing/remembering. And expect the staff will want to know what *you* are doing at home to help. DS' 504 mentions things that "parent will do."

I have very little natural organizational ability myself--this hasn't helped me help DS work out systems. I'd suggest some sort of checklist system for the backpack, to happen the night before. I suggest it, but haven't managed it myself...

I don't think it's unreasonable for the school to expect parents to be doing some of this at home. If DS' big issue was remembering to pack the backpack, it's understandable they'd want this addressed at home. The problem we faced is it could all be *in* the backpack, but it would never, ever, ever be removed and turned in.

You will also need to know what daily assignments and long term assignments are, well in advance. I couldn't tell if this was a problem area for your DD, but knowing these things will help you help her with the backpack.

Good luck!

edit: one more suggestion--something in the 504 that says DD can use her own organizational system. You'd think this is a no-brainer, but some teachers are very attached to their systems. My DS is simply incapable of managing multiple folders and binders (not to mention a locker). We keep it all in one Trapper Keeper. Others have had the exact opposite issue (can't manage one big binder, need color coded folders). That's why I'd suggest something about devising your own system, that works for your DD.

Right my low tone kid had the mandatory 3" white binder of doom in middle school. I finally told them it might work for 1100 other middle schoolers but it wasn't working for student number 1100 and 1. That thing made ME cry.

You can also say emailing assignments is a skill a child needs for college. Many college assignments have to be turned in electronically by midnight of the deadline.

Another compromise is for the child to email the assignment and at the same time put a hard copy in backpack and try to manage to get it the hard copy turned in. If it is turned in the teacher can grade the hard copy. If the teacher grades the class and says whoops Johnny or Jill's paper isn't here, let me check my email...there it is! So the email becomes a backup.

Extended time has many uses...sometimes it is used because the actual work is taking longer, sometime it is a clerical/organizational issue that needs more time, and sometimes my son needed an extra day to just freak out about the assignment. As he has matured there has been less needs more work time, less clerical/EF issues and way less freaking out.

Last year he contacted his English teacher via email and said "I am not turning in my assignment today and using my 504 extended time accommodation for this assignment because I am having a rough time with it." This was a major accomplishment for him and his teacher had no idea he had been struggling. They chatted about it, he finished it up, and turned it in.

Do you have any emails, report cards, etc. from teachers last year stating the disorganization issues? It's not like those issues would have magically disappeared over summer break.

I hate to say this, but I would see that email as a kind of a red flag. It has a tone of "teacher input is more important than YOUR input, or even the DOCTOR'S input." We have had teachers who simply refuse to deal with issues or see them, they don't want to deal with "accommodations", have meetings, etc., or they think that labeling a child as a child with special needs is harmful. Or they don't think ADHD is a real disorder. So what if some of the teachers say "Oh, she's fine, parent is overly-anxious or making excuses" when that is not the case? Start documenting and try to get everything in writing. If your DD brings home an assignment with points taken off for being late, save the assignment. Print or save emails from teachers. That is your best defense.

edited to add, I had the same issue last year in terms of "helping" DD, and then she didn't look as impaired as she really was. For writing assignments, for instance, I was sitting down with DD and helping her plan, organize, edit, etc. I did inform the teacher of this, but apparently it went right over her head, and she insisted that DD's writing is fine (Strange-because DD was doing basically NO writing in class). It's a dilemma. If there is a disability, it's not fair to the child to say "It's your problem--figure it out yourself" just so that the disability can "manifest itself" and warrant the need of written interventions/accommodations. If she has multiple different teachers, though, I think she will have enough problems at school keeping track of her stuff by herself, and getting what she needs to each class, that it should be pretty obvious to them that accommodations are needed even if you do help at home.

Question re: emails. What part do these play in 504 meetings? Do they give you an opportunity to share this "evidence?" Ours have never included that component.

I really don't think the point of 504 updates is to "start from scratch." My understanding is that it is a dynamic document and is adjusted to meet the student's current needs. Does anyone have a resource explaining that point? It sounds like the counselor in OP has a misconception of the process. Or am I missing something?

May I note irrelevantly that I misread the title of this thread as "504 twerking," and it was fun that way?

This is the funniest visual ever--I want a video.

I would prefer never to see our school psychologist twerk, thank you.

(I bet the vice-principal would be good, though.)

I'm somehow having a mashup in my head of our last 504C as Miley Cyrus, and our former principal as Robin Thicke. Not pretty, people... not pretty at all. STILL more fun that way, though, I agree. LOL.

On a side note, I have to agree with blackcat about this-- nip this one in the bud, I say. WHO is the expert on your child, again? Right. YOU are, along with your child's specialists.

Politely, but firmly point out that waiting for your child to FAIL is one reason why he has a 504 plan-- that is, so that such a thing doesn't need to happen each fall, thank-you-very-much. Why reinvent the wheel?

I have 504 tomorrow and am willing to twerk if it helps.

I will pass this tip along to our special ed and 504 teams...

So I am seriously reading all the great posts and came to this one. I started snorting with laughter, and the new puppy and the fat old cat woke up from their naps.
Darn, now I have to go back and read seriously again. The puppy is just looking at me.....

I feel a bit more "armed" thanks to all your recommendations, and feel the need to call the district 504 "intervention counselor" as she/he is called here. I would like to know how to approach the school, and if I really do need to wait until DD bombs a class before the dratted 504 can be changed. Ugh. Haven't even started at the new school, and I feel like "that mom" already. I also have written a letter to our psych. to see if she can draft a letter. Will see how much that costs....

Someone asked if DD has a 504 ADHD or anxiety. It's ADHD inattentive type only at this point, but she certainly has a high level of anxiety about her disorganization at school. Several times last year she experienced screaming panic fits in the car when she realized that she had forgotten something for class. She insisted that the teacher would "kill her" if she didn't bring it in. Her three 5th grade core teachers were the sweetest women on the planet and allowed her to bring things in later (or be emailed). They never witnessed the meltdowns as she only does it within the family. It is so painful to see her worry so much.

This is probably totally off-base, but just in case it's not - my DD had a 504 for ADHD-I, and also clearly had anxiety (which she had some accommodations for). She'd also been diagnosed with dysgraphia, but that no longer seems like a great fit. In June, she was (finally) diagnosed with something that actually made sense to us all - autism. It's been difficult, of course, but also very freeing for us.

Good idea calling the 504 interventionist. Ours is called something different--but she has been instrumental in getting bases covered.

As for anxiety, it's frequently co-morbid with ADHD. I would expect the 6th grade teachers to be less accommodating (at least without 504 accommodations) in regard to accepting late work--that's where extra time can help. I'd mention that historically teachers have been flexible about these issues, and your concern is that the increasing MS demands will interfere with DD's success unless this is accommodated.

Update:
I called the county 504 intervention individual, and they reiterated what the school counselor stated - that the new 6th grade teachers need to see how DD does in class before they will create an addendum to DD's 504. So I asked how I was to handle the fall out at home when DD realizes she forgot her homework. The woman stated that while DD may have done that last year, that was in the past, and we need to see what happens this year. She stated that I could ask to have the 504 meeting in the next couple of weeks after the teachers have gotten to know her.
Thoughts?

I think that they are conflating the IEP and 504 process-- that's my thought.

Because the 504 is about 'equal access' like one's 'unaffected peers' which, um-- you'll need your own pro to write something up stating that not having such systems in place will be detrimental if you want them to address it a priori (IME). On the other hand, I know that in the 504 world, that statement "well, we'll have to see what is needed" when you have parents and experts outside the school stating up front "this is a vulnerability-- we need to think ahead on this one and not let disaster strike BEFORE we do what we can see we should," that is bogus.

Honestly-- what would they do with a child who is legally blind, hmm? "Wait and see?" I hardly think so. (Well, I know of a few districts that would, actually).

The right thing to do is to mitigate what you already KNOW is a problem. They're pushing back pretty hard on that. I'd push for a meeting in the first few DAYS of school. Can you bring in anything from previous teachers or 504 team members?

Our ds' school also purposely schedules the annual 504 updates in the fall a few weeks after the start of school so that teachers have a chance to get to know the student (the previous year's 504 is in place still so accommodations from the previous year are in place). I share a bit of your frustration over the policy! However, if you can't get a meeting any sooner, schedule the meeting asap and document what happens in the meantime.

I'd also look at the situation in a very specific way - rather than worrying about a potential meltdown and anxiety, make a plan for how to handle the organizational challenges together with your dd. Our ds is extremely challenged with organization of this type (remembering what assignments are assigned, bringing home the materials he needs for the day's homework, returning assignments and turning them in). Middle school (6-7th grade in particular) we worked worked worked at helping him get organized on our end at home rather than relying on the school to make it happen. The byproduct of that pro-active approach was we helped ds avoid the anxiety that occurred when he didn't have his materials to work on or when he forgot an assignment etc. It wasn't perfect, ds didn't always like it, and it was a slow process, but it did produce results and helped ds become much more successful at handling his organizational challenges. This is what we did - and you might not be able to do the same thing based on your dd's school situation, but the idea is to set up some type of system that is a daily routine with oversight from someone (it could be you, it could be a teacher at the end of the day, it could be a teen you hire, whoever), and stick with it so that it's repeated every single day. In our situation, we drive ds to school and his middle school teachers posted the assignments for the end of the day on their whiteboards in the classroom. DS had an iPad he could take pictures with. When I picked ds up, I went into the school, verified he had his picture taken on his iPad, had him tell me what the homework was in each class, had him think through what books/supplies he needed to do each homework assignment, verified that they were in his backpack, and we left. After homework was done we went back over the list, verified he'd done all of it and that it was in the backpack. I also would ask him at the end of each day when I picked him up "Did you turn in ___?" (from the list of what was due that day).

DS *hated* it - so we had an agreement that bits and pieces were dropped (like the locker/backpack check etc) after he'd gone a certain amount of time without missing an assignment.

Not sure that will be helpful in your situation, but I found that it helped me to focus on what I *could* do to reduce anxiety and help support building skills.

Good luck!

polarbear

So if I understand correctly, right now there is nothing in the 504 about late work and you want it added? It seems like them accepting late work should be a pretty standard accommodation for ADHD, or there should at least be something in the 504 that PREVENTS the late work from happening in the first place (like a teacher checks in with her at the start of each class, or end of each class, etc).

I think there is some controversy about accommodations for ADHD such as allowing late work--it can teach the person to be a procrastinator, for instance. So I honestly don't know if I'd want that in a 504 for DD. I would want to focus on modifications to improve organizational ability and supports at the school (such as teachers checking in with child and parent in a way that they don't with "typical" kids).

I do think that they should accept emailed copies of work (for instance if she forgets to bring it to school, it could be emailed as soon as she gets home). That way she's not being penalized for late work when she actually DID do the work on time.

I do think this "wait to fail" approach before adding modifications (when you saw issues last year) is kind of ridiculous. Basically it's their way of saying that they want the new teachers/school to have a say in what they need to do.

Another thought -


You asked the counselor - is the counselor the school's 504 coordinator? If not, I'd consider sending another email to *both* - address the email to the 504 coordinator and cc the 6th grade counselor. Make it brief - state your reason for wanting to update the 504, state the additional accommodation you are requesting, provide a quote from any eval you have which backs up the need for the change, and also provide an example of what happens re anxiety occurs over this.

You might also want to contact a local advocate before you send the email to find out if there's really any way around the 2 week wait in your district, and to get advice on what specifically to request in the updates to the accommodations. FWIW we were in a similar situation last year and when I consulted a lawyer from our state's disabilities legal assistance group, I was told that waiting 2 weeks so that teachers could get to see how the student was impacted in the new year's school setting was legal. I am most likely not stating it correctly (I'm soooo not a lawyer lol!)... but I was told that 504s are "living" documents which will change as situations change. The "wait" was appropriate in that it was a new school year, new teachers, new classroom etc and it was a valid concern on the part of the school to see what the needs for accommodation were in the new environment. This isn't, however, the same thing as saying there isn't a disability and FAPE doesn't have to be provided - my ds was given the same accommodations during that time period that he had been given in his previous school. The team just needed the time to have some "data" re how he was impacted in the new school environment. The things that were obviously required for ds (for instance, he has to use keyboarding to write) he was allowed to do - because he had used them previously and had clear documentation stating that he needed them. Updates/changes/tweaks/new requests needed to wait until everyone (including ds) had a chance to see how the new environment played out.

I also, quite honestly, suspect that part of the issue at the beginning of the school year is that there are a *lot* of 504 meetings going on (in our school district) - because that's the time of year the existing 504 plans are reviewed as well as new students coming in needing new plans.

polarbear

Don't have a lot of time today so I'll try to keep this short.

My experience is that it is normal to wait a few weeks to get a 504 review.

Try to let her do as much on her own these first few weeks so the teachers can see what her level of ability. Document her struggles. My one exception to this is try to manage her anxiety around the situation. Talk with your DD and explain what you are doing.

Email/Communicate directly with her teachers to remind them she has a 504 and what accommodations are currently in place, and how you plan to manage the first weeks until the 504 meeting happens.

Check back with the counselor about the one accommodation my kids both got that can't be adjusted very easily later. That is getting preferential teacher picks. This can't always be managed perfectly but I bet the counselor will know what teachers would be more accommodating.