Help with special needs son at school

[LeslieG]

I've read some other posts about kids having a para with them at school. I assume that is what our school calls a tag? I believe my son would benefit from such a thing. He's going into 4th grade, and I haven't asked about it since KG, at which time they said he would have to be really severely disabled in order to qualify for one, but I have never seen anything in writing stating what the requirements are. Before I approach them again, can anyone shed some light on this topic? He is on an IEP and has some developmental disabilities. As he gets older, the expectations are rising for him at school, and it's becoming more of a concern.

 

[bookwormde]

Welcome,

My son (10 now) is Apsergers and has a paraprofessional. The final trigger for him getting one was high level of anxiety trying to interface to the social world and his need to get “away” from the classroom when anxiety levels got to high. He is in the general educational setting and it would be very difficult to manage this without the paraprofessional since she adapts the environment and curriculum to meet his needs. He is at or ahead of academic curriculum levels but generalizing social skills would also be very difficult without her.

It really comes down to if your child needs a paraprofessional to meet his needs for an appropriate education (academic and non academic) in the least restrictive environment.

bookwormde

 

[metime]

What you do is ask to be reviewed for a 504 plan. It is part of the Americans with Disabilities act.

What the school does is figure out how his disability effects his learning and use of the regular classroom. It all depends on what is being asked of him like does he need an aid to get his things to and from classes. Do they need to get him a special desk. They come up wiht a specific plan that adresses his needs. It can be changed and modified as needed.

My daughter has ADD and epilepsy and we have a 504 that allows for her to ask as many times as she needs for clarification on assignments (the teachers can't just say "it's on the board" or "I said it at the begining of class") and the teachers should check what she has written and ask her to repeat what she thinks they are expecting. It also means if she has a seizure (which she only has at night) that she be able to retake a test or something at a later date because she loses large chunks of information temporarily after a seizure.

The thing is that all the teachers agreed that my daughter is an eager and hard worker she was doing more work than needed on the assignments and was spending 4 hours on homework because she wasn't clear on what was expected. It was clearly a processing issue that was rearing its ugly head.

It depends on what is being asked and what can reasonably be expected from your child.
By law they have to do it if your child's disability affects him in the classroom.

 

[LeslieG]

So a 504 plan is something different or in addition to an IEP?

Who ultimately would have the final say about the para? There's no written guidelines that he has to meet A, B and C, for example, to qualify?

Is this generally something that you have to fight to get? I imagine they wouldn't want the expense. Would his doctor have to send a letter recommending it?

 

[bookwormde]

504 are typically used for physical disabilities and IEPs are used for developmental disabilities (not that there are not exceptions and blended situation where this may reverse).

In an IEP it is all about if it is needed for the school to meet the needs of the child for a free and appropriate education. The IEP team decides if it is needed. Since every IEP plan is individual to the child by statute there cannot be a simple checklist.

What you need to think about is: is my child in the least restrictive (closest to the general education environment) that can meet his needs, are all his needs being adequately met at this time. If both of these are being met then a paraprofessional is not needed. Conversely if having a paraprofessional will allow your child to move to a less restrictive environment or get needs met that are not currently being adequately addressed then he would “qualify” for a paraprofessional. Sometimes it is a 1:1 sometimes some other ratio up to 1 in a class.

bookwormde

 

[metime]

I would speak to the school nurse and the school counsler about looking into a 504. They may also ask for your son's Dr. to write how his condition might effect his learning. I 504 and an IEP are different. Just because you have an IEP does not mena you qualify for a 504 and vise versa.

I sent in the write up from her nuerologist that stated the diagnosis and then printed out information that pertained to what can be an issue with epilepsy and memory from the epilepsy web site. I also sent in the diagnosis of ADD and the procsessing issue. It wasn't a matter of having a disability but what could be done so that her disability was not excluding her from getting the same education.

Then they come up with specific things to help. It would state exactly what is going to be done to assist the child. You can make reccomendations as the parent. At least I did.

 

[clanmcculloch]

This just doesn't sound right. My daughter has an IEP and ALL of her needs are met with the IEP. If you have an IEP you do NOT need a 504 Plan. Everything should be in the IEP. There is no need for separate plans and in fact having separate plans will likely lead to confusion with the school people.

One more thing. Parents ARE members of the IEP team. The school can not unilaterally write an IEP or 504 Plan. Your input and participation as the parent is very important.

My daughter's aid is specified in her IEP in the least restrictive environment section. She does not need a 1 on 1 aid, but she does require an aid to be in the classroom at all times. Her aid is there for others as well but she is required to be there with her any time she is in school. Her teachers simply don't have the ability to focus enough attention on her to be able to make sure she doesn't suddenly zone out or start heading towards a meltdown for any reason or anything else that could happen due to her special needs. The aid is responsible for watching out for these things. The teacher reminds her to use her stress aids or take her for a walk or just touch her shoulder to snap her out of her little world when she gets distracted. Again, this is in her IEP.

 

[metime]

Talk to the cousler and school nurse and see what they say. Talk to your pediatrician too. The schools usually get a set amount per IEP student regardless of what the needs are, so they may just be reluctant to hire someone given the economy, but that is where the advocacy comes in.

You may end up having to get a second opinion on the IEP needs if the school is not seeing that a para is needed and you feel strongly that one is. Check your insurance about a private IEP evaluation. I think that you can get reimbursed but only if the schools opinion is challenged by the outside one.

I am hoping for the best most efficient outcome for you and your son no matter what it falls under.

If he has an IEP it automatically falls under the 504 ADA. If you can get your Dr to back you then you should be alright.

Also the school can write and envoke a 504 plan with out parent involvment but they do need give opportunity for parent involvment for an IEP. All IEPs fall under the 504 but a child with a 504 does not always have an IEP.

http://www.concordspedpac.org/Section504.html
this is a good link that explains it

 

[ireland_nicole]

I'm sorry, but you actually have it backwards. a 504 plan does not have the same legal protections under IDEA as an IEP does. Special education law is extremely convoluted and confusing, and there are many resources available to help parents navigate this world. There are several differences between IEP's and 504 plans, but one of them is that in an IEP there must be goals; the team works together with the help of the parents (often at the urging of parents) to make sure those goals are measurable, specific, etc. 504 plans are certainly adequate for some students, but if you have an IEP, you do not also need a 504; for instance, DD's accomodations due to her Epilepsy are a small part of her IEP. An excellent source of info for special education law is
www.wrightslaw.com.
here is a specific page clarifying some of the differences:
http://www.wrightslaw.com/howey/504.idea.htm

as far as your specific question re: a para, you can address it as part of the yearly ARD meeting, or you are entitled to request an additional if needed. But you need to be able to present a valid and reasoned argument as to why your child requires a para in order to receive a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment (LRE). It would be helpful to have evals or other documentation from physicians, psychologists, etc. as to why they feel it is necessary. It would also help to have specific goals in mind in order to address need/efficacy.

 

[clanmcculloch]

But you need to be able to present a valid and reasoned argument as to why your child requires a para in order to receive a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment (LRE).

We put in terms that the school could agree with. We explained that the cheapest and most effective was was to have an aid in the classroom. Her teacher agreed that the class does not run effectively if she has to focus directly on DD. Test scores for the entire class would drop if she doesn't an aid. It's far more expensive to have a child in a separate classroom than to have an aid to help not only with DD but with the whole class. It helps that I'm in a school that has been highly cooperative but in general it helps to point out how it's to the school's benefit.

 

[metime]

Any child covered under IDEA (has an IEP) is automatically under the Section 504 laws (but the opposite is not true).

 

[1stluvispooh]

Ok here is my 2 cents. You need to be very specific on what you want. Do you want 1 on 1 para or do you want and aid in the classroom. Now from my experience (lets just say last year was the year from hell) if you do want a 1 on 1 be prepared to fight for it. Our school district will only give 1 on 1's for kids with physical disabilities because of the cost even though DH and I were worried for DD's physical safety as well as other some of the other kids in the class room.

 

[ireland_nicole]

We put in terms that the school could agree with. We explained that the cheapest and most effective was was to have an aid in the classroom. Her teacher agreed that the class does not run effectively if she has to focus directly on DD. Test scores for the entire class would drop if she doesn't an aid. It's far more expensive to have a child in a separate classroom than to have an aid to help not only with DD but with the whole class. It helps that I'm in a school that has been highly cooperative but in general it helps to point out how it's to the school's benefit.

Good job! School's don't always consider long term costs or what seems like a practical solution, but it sounds like you've developed a great relationship with the administration at your school, which helps. Your right as well, that a lot of kids who do require assistance throughout the school day do not necessarily require a 1 to 1 para. DD is similar in some ways to your child. She needs assistance w/ writing, she needs someone to ensure her understanding, someone who can refocus her, someone who can assist her if she becomes overwhelmed. But that person can also work with others in the class. She doesn't need them all the time.

 

[metime]

I know in our school system they have a floating aid for all classes (special ed or not ) and have infact stated that they already have classroom aids on IEPs even though in reality it isn't the coverage or ratio that you would expect.

If the schools says there is an aid in the class room they could mean once a week for art, or that aids are avaliable should the teacher request, so make sure to ask the amount of time the aid is there and what the aid assists with.

 

[clanmcculloch]

Ok here is my 2 cents. You need to be very specific on what you want. Do you want 1 on 1 para or do you want and aid in the classroom. Now from my experience (lets just say last year was the year from hell) if you do want a 1 on 1 be prepared to fight for it. Our school district will only give 1 on 1's for kids with physical disabilities because of the cost even though DH and I were worried for DD's physical safety as well as other some of the other kids in the class room.

Yes, you do have to be very specific about what you want. It's also very important to understand the reasons for your child's needs. Wants and needs are very different things. I would expect to have to justify a 1 on 1 para if I felt is was needed though I would expect my school to pay attention if I do have justification and I would fight for it if I felt that justification was there.

If you were worried about her physical safety as well as the physical safety of others then you definitely need to spell out the difference between what can happen with a 1 on 1 vs a classroom aide. What will the 1 on 1 do differently? Why is a classroom aid not sufficient? It needs to be REALLY spelled out in detail.

Good job! School's don't always consider long term costs or what seems like a practical solution, but it sounds like you've developed a great relationship with the administration at your school, which helps. Your right as well, that a lot of kids who do require assistance throughout the school day do not necessarily require a 1 to 1 para. DD is similar in some ways to your child. She needs assistance w/ writing, she needs someone to ensure her understanding, someone who can refocus her, someone who can assist her if she becomes overwhelmed. But that person can also work with others in the class. She doesn't need them all the time.

Thank you! We really have developed a great relationship. I feel truly blessed to have the school staff and district administration that we have. When DD was first diagnosed, I did tons of research and went to my first IEP meeting prepared to fight for all sorts of things. You wouldn't believe how shocked I was when they not only OFFERED everything I was prepared to fight for (sometimes in a different way than I expected, but still something that met the same need mainly because I wasn't aware of different options, options that worked very well for her) plus they offered things I didn't even know I should ask for. Over time, whenever we get back together to review her goals and needs they are very receptive to my ideas. When she had her latest 3 year review of whether or not she would continue to qualify for an IEP, all of the specialists and her teacher fought for her. I know that because of how high functioning she is and how high she scores on standardized tests (minimum 98th percetile every time) there are a lot of people who don't work with her who question her need. Everybody who DOES work with her was right there at the evaluation (over the summer) to make sure she stayed on an IEP. I can't say enough good things about them.

It does sound as though our girls are similar.

 

[clanmcculloch]

I know in our school system they have a floating aid for all classes (special ed or not ) and have infact stated that they already have classroom aids on IEPs even though in reality it isn't the coverage or ratio that you would expect.

If the schools says there is an aid in the class room they could mean once a week for art, or that aids are avaliable should the teacher request, so make sure to ask the amount of time the aid is there and what the aid assists with.

ABSOLUTELY!! My daughter's IEP clearly states 5 days per week x hours per day (it equals the number of hours that they're in the classroom but off hand I don't remember the number). Her first year on an IEP it wasn't that high and we had problems because the aide wasn't always there. We modified the IEP to include the number of hours per day that she would be in school.

 

[metime]

A willing and helpful school system is really a blessing.

 

[maburke]

It's far more expensive to have a child in a separate classroom than to have an aid to help not only with DD but with the whole class.

I think that's not always true, unfortunately. My two boys (in different schools) have 1:1 aids, but the system is always pushing me to put my more severe son in a self-contained special ed classroom, because I think it's cheaper for one certified teacher to serve 6-8 sped kids than to pay for one para for each kid. (I am talking about a kid who needs 1:1 all the time, but even if the aid could help with the rest of the class, that increases the benefit, but doesn't decrease the cost.)

My less severe son has an IEP for school time, and a 504 for afterschool program. My understanding is that the IEP does not cover optional outside activities, but the school still has to comply with the ADA, hence the need for the 504. I also believe that the 504 does not come with any additional funding, so they don't like to make accommodations that cost, like an aid; they're more likely to do things like allow additional time. The IEP comes with more money from the central district sped office, at least where I am.

 

[metime]

ABSOLUTELY!! My daughter's IEP clearly states 5 days per week x hours per day (it equals the number of hours that they're in the classroom but off hand I don't remember the number). Her first year on an IEP it wasn't that high and we had problems because the aide wasn't always there. We modified the IEP to include the number of hours per day that she would be in school.

I live in one of those systems that is eager to put every child on an IEP but they do nothing more for kids with an IEP unless they are in the special ed class.

You have to fight tooth and nail to get what your child needs here. Which can add extra stress to a family already dealing with a lot.

 

[metime]

I think that's not always true, unfortunately. My two boys (in different schools) have 1:1 aids, but the system is always pushing me to put my more severe son in a self-contained special ed classroom, because I think it's cheaper for one certified teacher to serve 6-8 sped kids than to pay for one para for each kid. (I am talking about a kid who needs 1:1 all the time, but even if the aid could help with the rest of the class, that increases the benefit, but doesn't decrease the cost.)

My less severe son has an IEP for school time, and a 504 for afterschool program. My understanding is that the IEP does not cover optional outside activities, but the school still has to comply with the ADA, hence the need for the 504. I also believe that the 504 does not come with any additional funding, so they don't like to make accommodations that cost, like an aid; they're more likely to do things like allow additional time. The IEP comes with more money from the central district sped office, at least where I am.

Schools get no funding for 504 plans but they get funding on IEP. The school system gets a set amount per 100 IEP students regardless of what the needs are or cost the school, at least in my state. The school doesn't get more money for an IEP child that needs more expensive services than it does for an IEP child that needs less. Some systems are conservative on giving IEPs and some aren't.