Section 504 meeting

Dear Sue,
What is the real world? It isn’t about the grades you get on the test or whether you get less work. It really is about learning it. It really isn’t the “real world” having to do exactly twenty spelling words,is it? It really is whether you can either spell the word or whether you know where to find out how to spell the word. To give accomodations to someone because it will help them to not be left behind,is really not enabling,it’s empowering.
If a person with ADD in the real world needed to revisit a concept( retake a test) in order to understand and learn,and then exhibit that he learned it,this would be okay,wouldn’t it? Why wouldn’t this be okay in school?

504 law was established because statisticly even the federal government understands that in order to derive the same benefit from an education,sometimes the curriculum needs to accomodate the student,not the student learning to accomodate the curriculum. It levels the playing field,it doesn’t keep the kid from being lost and frustrated, it helps them to learn skills to be able to learn.

Any way just my two cents.

Socks

Socks,
Thanks for your input. I guess I worry that my son will think that his disability gives him the right to think he should be given extra help throughout his life.
In reality I am looking to the future and seeing a boss in the workplace that will not understand that ADD is real and will not give my son the edge that he is used to getting throughout his life.
Would it be better to teach him how to compensate for his disability? In reality though he has stopped caring and feels failing is all he’s capable of doing. He has given up in many respects.
I am obviously very nervous about this upcoming 504 meeting and want to do whatever will help my son. But I do not want to make him more disabled.
Sue

Sue, I understand what you are saying and I also agree with socks. Your goal, I assume, is for your son to learn what he needs to know in order to graduate from high school. If he is in danger of not doing that, then you certainly want modifications that will help him succeed. If you deny him the modifications and he goes ahead and gives up, then what have you really accomplished? Things like extended time for tests, retaking tests, etc. are just ensuring that he learns the curriculum. I personally am afraid of accomodations that reduce the workload to the extent the child will not master the essentials of the course. Things like allowing him to use a spell-checker, type papers rather than hand-write, having notice specific assignment dates (YES, ask for that!), or whatever he particularly needs will help him to be successful and give him hope of making it. And of course, he will need to learn to compensate. And he will need to explore careers that ADD people can do well. You are right that an employer will not give concessions for ADD most of the time.

But your son sounds a lot like mine. My son did not care in high school either. He happened to be very bright and his grades were okay…teachers just thought he was lazy. It took until his senior year in high school for me to figure out what was wrong with him. Finally, after all those years, he told me he was afraid he would not make it in college because he was unable to concentrate to read anything. But by that time he was VERY depressed. We had to work through the depression befoe we could get a good idea what he needed to handle the ADD. Children with ADD/ADHD and depression are at great risk. Please be thankful your school is offerring him the 504. Many people have to fight for it.

Janis

Actually in real life,people make far more accomodations then school. Think about it for a second. I write virtually illegibly. It doesn’t matter,because I have a PC I can use. Once I use the keyboard and spellcheck,noone would have any idea I am dyslexic,right? My disability makes me much more creative and innovative then my counter parts at work. I am the big idea person,just don’t do well with the follow through. No problem,because some of my counterparts are best at that,instead of coming up with the ideas. It is all give and take. The 504 plan is all about learning strategies,learning skills to compensate for some of the negatives. Your son’s feeling about failure is because of not having those accomodations. For example,if a child has problems staying on task and the accomodation is to sit them close to the teacher and away from the noisy hallway,is this telling him that your getting away with something? If the homework assignment is cut down to managable amounts ,and for the first time he was able to do it without spending hours on end is this giving him the idea he is getting away with something? Or is this giving him a big feeling of finally being able to accomplish what is expected of him? ALL kids manipulate,ALL kids like to try and get away with something,this is not the same thing. He will only feel disabled if you allow him to feel this way.

Socks -
Thanks for your comments. I think my son so overwhelmed that doing all the work that is required of him seems to be a hopeless task so why bother. I spoke to someone at the board of education and she told me that his guidance counselor is going to have has situation addressed at the next (January( PAC meeting. She also tried to tell me that not every kid with ADHD qualifies for 504 classification - only those who have problems in school. If getting 2 F’s and a D on a report card does not indicate a problem I don’t know what does.

The increase in his meds seems to be helping, but I no longer want to rely entirely on meds and not getting any help from the school. I am going to continue to push to get what my son needs. The staff at this particular school does not know me very well but they will soon find out how persuasive and persistent I can be.

Della

Okay! You go girl! Listen go to my webpage.
http://expage.com/socksandfriends
There is a whole page dedicated to 504 law. Check it out,maybe this might help you with your inspiration :-)