Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Thread Like Summary - Should kids get accommodations when doing well?

My DS (11) is in a new school. It is a private school so there are no legal obligations to offer accommodations but they regularly do if needed. He has ADHD and dysgraphia and at his former school, extra time is all that he was given because the school wasn't given the formal dysgraphia diagnosis. After presenting the new school with testing and the report from a psychologist listing all the recommended accommodations (many) for him, they decided he didn't need accommodations at this point. He did too well in school and on various testing and teachers had too much praise for him. Recently, the night before a math test, he kind of freaked out when he realized he wouldn't have extra time. He makes a lot of careless errors so we had worked on strategies and landed on, going back and re-doing every problem to make sure messy calculations hadn't thrown things off or he hadn't thoroughly read directions. Doing this helped immensely in cutting down on the careless errors. But the extended time had allowed him to do this. Now, without the time, he was panicking because he has to do well to remain in advanced math. He ended up doing fine on that test. It was easy so he had time to do it twice.

Anyway, at first when they told me he wouldn't receive accommodations unless he was having difficulties at school, I was okay with it. And then when I started thinking about it, I don't want him to fail in order to prove he needs them. Which, after this long story, finally brings me to the question, when are accommodations appropriate? If he didn't lose points for spelling errors on his papers, he would get higher grades (he can spell if you ask him to spell a word but not when he's just trying to get the words from his brain to the page) but is that a reason to receive spell check? If extended time would allow him to go from an A- to an A+, is it unfair to have extended time? Or, are the accommodations to allow students to reach their individual potential? Should he be denied accommodations because his grades are "good enough?" If classmates are getting extra time because they have demonstrated more need (by getting lower grades) is that fair? I don't have the answers to these questions which is why I pose them here.

This is the wrong way to look at the issue. It's not about getting accommodations to improve grades, and it's not not a competition in which "fairness" should be considered. Your son may not need accommodations. If he is learning and has the means to show what he knows, then they may not be necessary at this time. But you know he has a disability and it may impact him for some classes, some assignments, some tests so what he does reflects his abilities. Generally, when you have a 504 with accommodations, data is collected on how much the accommodations are used and how effective they are. My dysgraphic at 11 was beginning to see where he needed accommodations and where he didn't. For example, he absolutely needed to type his assignments and when he didn't do that, he couldn't express himself. Extended time didn't do squat. But in high school, he was more neurologically mature and could express himself in writing for short sentences. Then he needed extra time and forgiveness on writing conventions.
I'd involve your child in the discussions. Does he feel his work captures his efforts? If yes, then no accommodations at this point. The work may be at a level that doesn't require it. But teach him to notice when his disability is impacting him and to speak up so you can ask for what he needs.