Six steps for meeting your child's educational needs with ADHD accommodations at school.
by ADDitude Editors
Federal statutes require public schools to provide free special-education services to children with attention deficit disorder (ADHD) and learning disabilities like dyslexia. It's up to you, however, to make sure your child gets the ADHD accommodations he needs to thrive at school.
If your child is struggling academically, school officials may suggest an evaluation to see if special services are needed. If they don't, you can request one. Should the school refuse, or if you're dissatisfied with the school's assessment, you can arrange for a private evaluation. (In some circumstances, the school may have to pay for the outside testing.)
A multidisciplinary team that includes parents, a classroom teacher, and special-ed teachers will meet to determine whether your child is eligible for special-ed services. Come prepared: Bring a file of essential documents on your child, including copies of tests, report cards, and medical records, as well as a log of your communications with the school and other professionals.
Be an advocate, not an adversary. The parent who is assertive, considerate, and respectful in supplying information and requesting services will make more headway than one who is confrontational.
However, if you feel the school is insensitive to your child's educational needs, you'll have to dig in your heels and fight. If the team decides your child doesn't need special ed, for example, you're entitled by law to appeal your case in a "due process" hearing.
If your child qualifies for special-ed services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), you'll meet with the team to develop an Individualized Education Program (IEP). The IEP identifies your child's educational goals and outlines ways to meet them in the "least restrictive environment."
Be sure that the goals are specific, measurable, and achievable. Include time limits: "By month three, James will reduce his interruptions from 10 to two times a day." Have the school write into the IEP how James will be taught to stop interrupting. If the strategies aren't specified, they can't be enforced.
The law requires the school to provide an "appropriate" education that meets your child's unique needs. If the school instead tries to shoehorn your child into programs it already runs, don't agree to the plan. The school may decide to offer additional services, or you can file for a due-process hearing.
If you're successful, the school may have to pay for your child's education in another school - public or private - that offers the needed services.
Ask for team meetings whenever you think they're needed to monitor your child's progress and make changes to the plan. Revisit your child's IEP at the start of the school year. Your child's progress during the summer, or the demands of the new grade, may necessitate changes in the plan.
Take notes, keep copies of all documents, and tape-record meetings. Afterward, send thank-you notes to team members, along with a synopsis of the meeting.
If you'd like an educational advocate to attend school meetings with you, contact a chapter of Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. If you need legal advice, the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates maintains a national database of lawyers with an interest in special education.