An IEP is an education plan highlighting specifically designed instruction for students who have an identified disability requiring services outside of the general education program. Examples: small group instruction in a resource room for skill development, a study hall period for organizational support, an instructional aide offering assistance within the regular classroom as a behavior management resource. These services are funded by Special Ed. dollars and are outside the realm of general education accommodations. Also, when behavior issues are at stake, the IEP offers protections not available within the general education program; students have a 10 day (cumulative throughout the year) cap on suspensions whereas the school must call a "manifestation meeting" by the tenth day to review the causes of the behavior and possibly, rewrite the IEP toward new accommodations which will address the behavior management more succesfully. This is a big deal and provides students with a safety net when behavioral issues are at play. A 504 Plan highlights accommodations within the general education program and are NOT a function of the special education program. These accommodations are to assist by "leveling the playing field" for students with a documented disability in the regular classrooms. Since the accommodations are at the discretion of the 504 Team, significantly different plans vary at each school based upon each team's willingness to accommodate. Within my practice, this is often a time consuming process for it takes a lot of skill, finese, and leverage to nudge the Principal and Staff to make individualized accommodations. Whereas the IEP process tends to have a similiar set of support activities throughout the district and often follows a more prescribed set of services from least restrictive to more intensive. Since there are no additional funds available from state and federal resources for 504 Plan students, and often it takes strong leadership to help them staff see reasons why they need to make accommodations from a one-size-fits-all format, the 504 planning process is a headache to most parents and beyond their scope of knowledge. Related to 504 Plan supported students who have behavior related issues, the 10 day guideline for suspensions is NOT a protection under this category. Many students with disabilities start with a 504 Plan, especially when the significance of the impacting condition is still in question. Then, as additional resources and accommodations are required for academic success, the IEP evaluation process is kicked in. Check out the resoures found at Wrights Law for more information http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/sec504.index.htm and from the Washington State Office of Public Instruction as well: http://www.k12.wa.us/SpecialEd/default.aspx Q: How can a Education Advocate assist when I want to work with the staff and teachers in colloboration rather than fight with them?
A: As a rule of thumb, I try to assist the 504 & IEP Teams in developing the best plans possible without creating an adversarial relationship between the parents and staff; partnership is essential for the long-haul. Effective advocacy builds from the strengths brought forth by the team members and highlights student needs, best practices, and state law & special education guidelines rather than getting into a "cat & dog" fight with personalities and egos. And for this reason alone, it is very difficult for parents to participate in the process without "taking things personally"; you should for the process highlights your child and his/her academic needs. Having an expert on your side of the table, providing insight and perspective, makes a significant difference. In addition, when I see an imbalance in the process, where district personnel appear to be holding back information or available resources, it works out best for me as the Advocate to play hard ball. This allows the parents opportunity to work with staff from a colloborative position while I go for the jugular! Q: How do students with ADD/ADHD or within the Autism Spectrum often qualify for Special Education services?
A: The majority of students within my casework are within the ADD/ADHD and Autism Spectrum. Both fall within the "Health-Impairment" qualifying category and in years past, many districts did not use the standard IQ test vs achievement test score "discrepancy"; where the student's so-called ability, measured by a WISC III intelligence exam (average scores are within the 90-110 range) was compared to the Woodcock Johnson (also with average scores of 90-110). IEPs were developed based upon extensive medical diagnostic work often paid for by the parents. Within the traditional Learning Disability categories such as reading, writing, and math, students would need to show a 20 point discrepancy or difference between the two tests to qualify. For example, a student with an IQ score of 115 (overall) would require an achievement score of 95 or lower to qualify. With ADHD, Aspergers, and Autism, behavior issues are often at the forefront of referral process, many times requiring social skill development, so the learning discrepancy is secondary to the more intensive issues of behavior and qualifying takes on a different look. In my work, I am using the documents of medical professionals and their recommendations as the basis for qualifying and developing initial IEP plans. Nevertheless, there are challenges to the qualifying process. Specifically, in the world of ADD/ADHD students, there are still many staff members within the schools who see both disabilities as simply "motivation" issues and refuse to believe ADD/ADHD are medical conditions requiring special services. Often, I hear as well as read in report cards, "He needs to apply himself more, He needs to pay attention in class, He needs to spend time on his work" as if its a matter of choice and simple behavior - self regulation skills. And this is frustrating for parents as the schools fail to acknowledge their child's disability. It would be like telling parents of a physically disabled child, missing limbs, "He could walk if he applied himself more". So I am often having to spend time with 504 and IEP Teams in review of the ADD/ADHD diagnosis, the DSM (medical diagnosis), and classic classroom manifestations: organization issues, focus, assignment completion challenges, inattentiveness, distractiablity, and impulsivity.
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