Well, this is exactly what happened to me last school year with my son. He was in Kindergarten. The teacher was no help and when I tried to talk about the situation she gave me the run around too. I had many meetings with the school counselor and finally had a meeting with the assistant principal. Still, seemed like nothing was getting accomplished!!! Now in first grade, he has a wonderful teacher. She used to teach special education kids so..she is very patient. My son's teacher last year was so IMPATIENT. We were also doing trial and error with his meds last year and her input was very vital to me. But, as you can see we never got her help. It is very frustrating that these kids have to go through this already but to have a school or a teacher that doesn't support you is even worst.

Let me know if you find out what could be done. I live in Louisiana and the laws may be different here with the school system. Just wanted you to know you were not alone.

Errin

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well i had the problem with my son he had a teacher in second grade that didnt know how to handle him he sometimes still do that by the way he usded to get up with out asking and act like the class clown and the teacher would get mad at him and my son told me one day that his teacher told him that he was going to send him back to kinder and thats when i startd knowing a change on my son self esteem he would always say he wasent good enogh and that he was dumb and that year he repeated first grade then the next year he was still getting in trouble alot and even got suspended but his teacher didnt gave up on him she told me that he might have adhd just by hes behavier she knew and helped me alot with him and the point of this is that there are teachers that are more into ther students then other teachers and if they dont help you with your kid well then go to the school district to see if they can help you cuz sometimes the schools just ignore the situation or they tell you that they are going to help you but they just want us as parents to stop bothering them and then they never have a answer for you

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Hello

I'm a special education assistant, and I know that the first thing that is done in the district where I work is that they send someone in to OBSERVE the behaviour, objectively.

The fact is, unless the teacher has SPECIFIC instances of the behaviour - which includes what happened before, during, after; the consequences... it's not valid DATA.

You can't do anything from anecdotal notes that are vague. It could very well be the teacher has a way of responding to him. THe teams set up to deal with behaviour issues tackle things like that, and give the teacher input as how to respond to the kid so s/he DOESN'T go off... or at least try to minimize it.

It could be that the teacher might need help in recognizing when your child is getting "geared up", and by informing him/her what to look for (behaviours, what sets him off) it will help. Also walking in with something written out helps too - how you deal with the behaviours - consequences.

It might be that you need to set up a consequence plan - make sure you go over it with your child and they understand what will happen. Have it written out so when they have the meltdown (if they do) you have something visual and concrete to refer to...

I don't know the issues, but I do know that many teachers are not trained to know how to deal wtih behavioural situations. I have a degree in psychology and have done my own studies on it, and that's what helps me out so much with my work.

good luck. if you have any other questions, let me know.

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Our grandson has ADD. I was wanting to know if I can make my own 504 plan? We moved from Central Indiana a year ago the school he went to up there was great with him> I didn't have to make a 504 plan for him. we now live in ky. The school he goes to is not doing very good with him. I want to get a 504 plan for next year that the school has to go by. Can I do this my self ? please some one et me know.

Thanks Sunfire

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First thing, NCLB is a Federal Law and most of the states' laws coincide with many of the sections of this. IDEA is also a Federal Law. So whenever anyone tells you that the school/school district/or whatever does not know or have to abide by something, tell them to please read the IDEA or NCLB laws (I suggest you do too as well—§ 300:001 thru end of 300 are the disability sections to read and refer to in NCLB. [I saw a book in my son's principal's office when I was there for a meeting on NCLB, so they have these in the schools.] Granted it is hard to understand, but when you reference these sections and the laws, it is surprising how fast the schools/districts move to get your child accommodations with § 504 and/or IEP.) And if they tell your child tests too high for either, ask for an FBA (Functioning Behavior Assessment) to be completed. Sometimes just the behavior issue is enough to get accommodations/modifications, because if there is a behavior issue, then that means your child isn't learning correctly and the behavior is a symptom/side-effect of the child's challenges. This way along with evaluation for academics, there is also a behavior assessment (my feelings are that this should part of the review anyway). Then at the same time ask for a Psychological evaluation and an IEP meeting. See how fast the school moves then. Use section numbers and references in any letters. Make copies and keep them. You are letting them know you have some knowledge regarding what is required to get started, that you cannot be completely bamboozled and that you want services for your child and they have to abide by the law. If you get to an IEP meeting and they have not performed and completed an FBA (Functional Behavior Assessment) and sent/given you a copy before the meeting—required by law) then you can actually just tell them they did not complete their part of the process and you will be glad to meet them when they have completed all parts of their responsibilities for your child and (if you can reschedule) leave the meeting. They usually will get it done and reschedule fairly soon. Don't let them tell you you don't need it either. If there are behavior issues, you want them documented because this helps with getting accommodations/modifications on a 504/IEP. If you have a personal attorney, when you write a letter to the school requesting the above services, put as a copy to your attorney in your letter (you don't have to necessarily send them a copy, just so that they know you mean business—if you did end up there you can always supply one to your attorney). It just puts a bigger fire under the school.

Also, so you are aware, a § 504 can be helpful but does not have to be followed if the school/teacher chooses not to. They can TRY to follow and many will, but not authorized by law to. With an IEP the school/teachers/district are required by law to follow accommodations/modifications for your child.

Good luck.

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FYI teachers are not experts on ADD/ADHD. We are given only one class in college about Special Ed. I have learned more as a parent than I have as a teacher. Be forgiving of teachers but read up, be informed, be positive, and advocate for your child. (And, try volunteering in class. It's a great way to get a real "feel" of the learning environment.)

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