Ryan's mom,

Even though your child doesn't qualify for an IEP he should be able to get a 504 plan which allows for certain accomodations, such as taking the extra few minutes to go over the instructions with him. I would enlist the help of your doctor if the school is not willing to help and try to find a parent advocate or parent liason (your school district should tell you if they have any and how to reach them) to assist you. Many times you have certain legal rights but the school will not always do what is best for your child if it involves more work for them so you have to become informed as to what your rights are. They can take advantage of parents' lack of knowledge as to their rights. I'm sure there are several others on this forum who are a lot more knowledgable regarding specific legal rights etc. There is also a book that may be helpful called "Making the System Work for Your Child with ADHD" by Peter Jensen. You may be able to find it at your library (and you can request any book from your library if they don't have it--it's called an interlibrary loan and they will check out other libraries in your state, including university libraries).

Elaine

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The rule for a 504 plan is that the disability (ADHD) must significantly impact a major life function(learning). If you can show proof thru grades and tests that Ryan's disability is interferring SIGNIFICANTLY with his learning than he meets the qualifications for a 504 plan. Unfortunately some parents have abused this plan for the purpose of making sure that their child gets all A's, or has extended time for SAT's.... so students who really need the accommodations often have to "jump thru hoops" to prove they need them.

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It is true that you will probably have to prove that his ADHD is severly affecting his learning. I have a daughter that was diagnosed in second grade and I have tried many times to set up a 504 for her, but because she gets good grades, they will not allow it. She is also a Gifted and Talented child which does not help her case. Our school district will not help us (with a 504) unless she starts to "Fail" some of her classes. Every year we have to meet with her teachers and discuss problem areas such as seating arrangements and that she may need extra time on assignments. She, too , will miss assignments or not finish assignments unless there is someone to make sure she heard the directions. We also request that we have an extra set of school books at home to help when she forgets hers at school. It is a diffucult battle, but has been worth it every step of the way. I would suggest meeting with the principal or VP of your school with your teacher. Maybe even get the counselor involved. Start now. If your son continues to have problems, you have already started the process. Look for the help in the school district and see if you can find other parents that have been through the process.

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Hello Ryansmom,

I am a special needs and resource teacher in a middle school with a vast experience in K-12 curriculums and learning strategies. First of all, students in any grade should receive instruction though auditory and visually supportive channels. This means giving instructions to the classroom and asking at least 3-4 other students to repeat them; thus the non-listeners and students who need repetition would have an opportunity to hear them again. My answer is based on the preparation, we Canadian teachers; receive as part of our training. Asking other students to repeat instructions is plain, good teaching technique. Marianna Quote:

Ryansmom said: My son Ryan has ADHD and is in the 2nd grade. He is doing well in class in terms of his behavior, but is having difficulty with school work. Ryan generally comes home 3 days a week with incomplete assigments and/or papers that have so many incorrect answers he needs to redo. I have found with Ryan that in addition to the oral instructions given in class for an assignment, if you go over and give him an individual summary of the directions as well as providing 5 extra minutes to complete the assignment ,he is able to do so with out difficulty. I continually remind his teacher (she is really good and does try to work with him), but find 2 or three days after discussing this she forgets and again he comes home with problem assignments. He was tested for services but just passed the testing enough to not require an IEP and other services. Last year, he was in reading and math tutorial 4 days a week and this did wonders for him. This year, they say his reading has improved and he does not meet requirements for this program. Yet, he cannot make simple sentences, has trouble with recall, and does not do well on his weekly reading test. In math, they also say he is improving and there are kids worse off that require the program. What can I do? He needs the 1 minute extra instruction time as well as the 5 extra minutes of time to complete. He needs reinforcement with math and reading. Does anyone have any suggestions? Of note, class size is small at 20 students and the teacher has a teacher's assistant so too many students is not a reason.

Thank you

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I went through something very similar with my daughter in her 1st, 2nd, & 3rd grade years. She is now in 5th grade. I found that the older she became the curriculum became more complex and the more she struggled. I had to prove that she needed the IEP to the school, they did not want to give her one. It was a long arduous process, but it paid off. Some things that helped me were: I had her independently evaluated by a very good tester; I hired an advocate (not an attorney) for a very reasonable price that knew the school system, testing, and the law...which was the best money we ever spent; I enlisted one of her teachers to help me point out her needs and disabilities. I read books to help me understand what all these tests mean, and how she learns. One of the best books I would recommend is From Emotions to Advocacy, it gets the process going. After all this, my daughter did qualify for an IEP. However, I am not sure she would have in 2nd or 3rd grade. The curriculum had not advanced enough to show the necessary discrepency. I learned that you cannot depend on the school to lead the way in your child's learning. You know your child better than they do... if you know that something is not right with their learning process then it probably isn't. Trust yourself and try to figure it out. One last thing I learned is..... that even though she receives help now, that is just that....help. I still have to tutor her. Due to all the good testing she received, I can understand better the nature of her struggles. Hang in there, and know that you are not alone in this.

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