Parent-Teacher Cooperation

No Special Class for My Child

A parent of an ADHD child worries about the school’s choice to move her daughter to a smaller more restricted class. A legal expert answers.

Susan Yellin
By Susan Yellin, Esq. Verified Updated on May 28, 2021
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Kids with EFD and ADHD typically respond well to behavior modification programs like token systems and daily report cards. Parents can request special accommodations at school via a 504 Plan or individualized education program (IEP), or informally request accommodations to help them understand assignments, getting started, and staying focused. Parents and teachers can help lessen the effects of EFD and ADHD with the following strategies and accommodations for help at school. 
Kids with EFD and ADHD typically respond well to behavior modification programs like token systems and daily report cards. Parents can request special accommodations at school via a 504 Plan or individualized education program (IEP), or informally request accommodations to help them understand assignments, getting started, and staying focused. Parents and teachers can help lessen the effects of EFD and ADHD with the following strategies and accommodations for help at school. 

Not right away and maybe never. A basic principle of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is that students with disabilities be educated in the least restrictive environment. Any time a student is placed in a setting other than a regular class in a regular school, the IEP team needs to consider less restrictive options and decide whether they will meet the student’s needs. So if your child’s IEP team has considered a regular class and has explained why that isn’t working for your child, they can recommend the more restrictive, self-contained class as her placement. Of course, the law requires that parents be included in the IEP team, so you can explain why you don’t think it is a good idea.

If they decide to go ahead, you have the right to appeal this decision to a State Hearing Officer. The school is required to keep your child in her current setting while this matter is being heard and decided.