Meeting with School Counselor & Teacher to begin 504 Process - see

[JoyBop]

We are going through the same process now while DS is in crisis mode. Shame on them for not helping sooner. I've been blown off since the beginning of school until our doctor wrote a compelling and strong letter referring to PANDAS as a terrible affliction.

 

Here's what was requested.

 

A cool down area

A cardboard office to restrict his views from others.

Rewards for any possible positive actions.

Modifications of assignments.

Handwriting regression to be excused.

Daily visits with several adults in school.

Visits with these adults during panic attack or when anxiety and agitation becomes overwhelming.

Give him lists of preselected books that have been deemed free if his fears.

Only positive redirection, no punishments of any kind.

No loss of recess.

He is not to Re do assignments handed in for any reason.

Give him mouse pad for quiet drumming.

Use of fidgets to provide for movement.

Allowance to move or stand.

Expectation that academic skills will return after crisis or flare therefore he is to be excused from assignments that cause distress.

Notification required when any child in school has strep.

 

There is an asterisk on accommodations that are only to be enacted upon during flare or crisis which can be implemented upon direction from teacher, parent or doctor. (Did not asterisk above, but you get the picture)

[T_Mom]

I like to think of a 504 plan as "leveling the playing field", it provides ways for the student to access the material that is already being offered in a class setting. Whereas an IEP provides just that, an individualized ed. plan.

 

There were some excellent article resources for teachers explaining P's, they may be pinned under "helpful threads" at the top of the forum, and/or be located on the www.pandasnetwork.org site under resources--

Good luck with this, keep it up!

[philamom]

I have to agree with T.Mom.

 

Some other suggestions: excuse the attendance policy while in a flair, extensions and/or modifications for assignments due to lateness/absences, allowing a parent to write out homework assignments dictated by child, chunking of tests if needed. You may also want to suggest not having your child chosen to walk another student to the nurse's office, increasing the risk of illness.

 

We started out with a 504 and eventually needed more accommodations. Our district refused an IEP for my daughter, stating some medical but mostly somatization as the reason. Even though we had four doctors letters, lots of abnormal lab tests including elevated d-nase, positive culture for borrelia w/ photo of spirochetes in her blood sample - it became a fight. We were headed towards hiring a lawyer. Well, after a 2 yr battle, my daughter received an IEP two weeks before the school year ended last June.

 

It has been instrumental in getting my daughter back in school. She has a case person there at all times to assist her if needed. She is in her first year of middle school and she would have never been able to attend, without some of the accommodations from the IEP. I cant believe it took this long!

 

She had some recent treatments that helped as well (couple months on doxy, ivig, intensive program at rothman- fantastic), but still definitely needed the IEP.

 

For those you know my issues with school - dd has completed 14 full days and 2 half days - Yay!! Started with minor symptoms 2 days ago with dental cleaning, so worried about that

 

Good luck!

[CarLy]

Just wanted to add that the 504 can really help with absences also. Our school only allows 8 missed days for a semester. This puts a lot of pressure on a kid and the parents when they are unable to attend. With the 504 plan, the days can automatically be waived. This may also be common knowledge, but wanted to add just in case. Our dd is a senior in high school this year. When we met with her guidance counselor to renew her 504 this year, the guidance counselor told us to be sure to let her know where dd is going to college next year so her 504 plan can be sent to the college she attends. Counselor also added that her husband had an IEP in place for himself when he was in college.

[JoyBop]

Carly, just realize that the 504 and IEP are only mandated in public schools that accept federal funding. If your child goes to a private university they make accommodations upon their own discretion. Im sure you knew that, but thought it was an important point to bring up.

[airial95]

JoyBop - be sure to check your state laws. Some states enforce it at all schools regardless, even if they don't get federal funding. In our state (FL) they have a scholarship program for kids who have tried but couldn't be accommodated by the school district. It can be applied at any private school but the school has to follow the IEP/504 laws on the books.

[lynn]

Sorry I am late to this topic but I just want to add that having a 504 in place since middle school is very important for concerns later on. For instance, if you need extra time for the SAT and ACT, having a 504 in place is a key piece of getting that. Also, if the sky suddenly falls in, like it did for DS last year, the school has much more latitude to do things like give credit, but no grade, for a class when the child gets too anxious to take the final (curse you pre-calculus). I found that the teachers were very good about making sure that DS got to use the accomodations that he gets (as much extra time as he needs, extra bathroom breaks to let out tics, no penalty for handwriting/alphasmart available.)