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Is anyone familiar with a section 504 for your child with special needs or learning disabilities? I'm in a big battle with our small town school district over our dd's educational needs. I know in my heart that my 11 yr old dd has learning disabilities(majorly in math and reading comprehension), we have been fighting with the school district for 3 years over these issues. They want to label her a.d.d., i don't agree and have insisted they test her for L.D. which they did last year, claiming she was borderline and not enough criteria was met for her to get extra help. which of course i think is all b.s. because they just don't want to deal with it. If they label her a.d.d. then it's the parents problem and she should be medicated, if it's L.D. then they have to spend their money to get her extra help!! sorry, back on the subject here: Does anyone have a section 504 for their child, how does it protect them, how do you go about getting one? Also what options do i have if they again deny my d.d. for Learning Disability classes??? I'm totally stressed over this because they are threatening to hold her back in 5th grade for next year and i don't think it's right that for 3yrs they have denied her help and now want to fail her. Help,anyone???
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I don't know what it even is, but I sure hope your dd gets the help she needs and deserves! Hopefully someone has some useful info for you!
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A 504 plan is used to establish goals and any possible accommodations for a child that doesn't qualify for an IEP plan - an IEP is more comprehensive and helps with more services for your child.
Here's the issue: You are letting the school "label" your child, which they are not qualified to do. This is an area where I get pretty upset because they don't tell you that and tell you how to meet the issue. Nobody at the school has helped guide you, and they won't. It is your pediatrician's job to guide you, but many are also ignorant of what is a special need. You and I, the parents, are on our own to find answers to our questions. I was lucky enough to find two friends whose children were Special Needs, who helped me find the way. If I hadn't had that, I would be like you, depending on the "authorities" for help, and would be just as frustrated as you are. BUT! You are part of here, where you have friends and others with some similar experience.
First, you need to get an official diagnosis from a doctor - a Developmental Pediatrician is the best choice, and should be covered by your insurance. They are trained in developmental issues, delays, and Special Needs (if you can find someone in your area that specializes in your need, it would be best. Many specialize in ADD/ADHD, and label a child as such, with meds, when the child may have Aspergers, which not all specialize in. I was just fortunate.) The official medical diagnosis is what tells the school what is needed. Take the time and talk to the doctor about recommended accommodations. Our first meeting was three hours long! She observed, talked with, did a full physical exam, etc. The school is not qualified to diagnose and label. The school's psychologist is a good person to have on your side for recommendations, but she's more there to help with problems within the school. It's the resource teacher that can be your biggest advocate.
Anyway, once you get the official diagnosis, then ask for a meeting with the principal, teacher and resource teacher. You can just call the school and let them know that you want to meet w/the principal about this and they will probably call the other ones into play. There are certain disorders that can get different services - for instance, a sensory disorder will enable you to have OT Occupational Therapy, but so will certain delays/disabilities. Verbal apraxia can help with the speech therapy need. You yourself may have to suggest this, and they can tell you if you qualify. However, do your research - their job is to teach, yours is to advocate for your child. Check with your state - don't be afraid to call the state Superintendent. Check with your district also, to see what different programs they have for disabilities. If a principal has not had a child before with a certain need, he may not be aware of a resource he can use. In our case, there are more and more kids showing up as Aspergers, but the school, which is a wonderful one, by comparison, is working with us to find and even create programs. Funding, as always, is an issue. A lot of times, I will ask for something that doesn't exist. The wonderful resource teacher will research it for me and let me know how can create something to meet the need, or she will recommend it to the district for the future. Newer and more autism programs are being introduced at state and district levels, and the schools aren't always aware of them. Communication in the schools isn't always the best.
So get your Dr. dx first, and I trust that will open some doors. It's like a "doctor's orders" type of thing. Schools don't accommodate for what is labeled a "behavioral problem", which an undiagnosed child can be labeled. You as a parent know there is a difference between a kid that misbehaves and a kid who behaves outside of the "norm" due to a disabilility, such as ADD or ADHD. The doctor will /should test for learning disabilities, also. They have a much wider scope to test than the schools have.
Good luck on your quest! Please let us know how it goes. By the way, because there are so many needy kids, it may take awhile to get into one of these Dev. Peds. Try to give them a sense of your urgency, and call periodically to see if there have been any cancellations you can replace, even if you are on a cancellation wait-list.
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So if she has an IEP already, a section 504 isn't necessary? We are so far in the sticks i don't even know if a Developmental Pediatrician is anywhere close to us?
She did see a pyscologist thru the county health and human services department 2 years ago when we did not have health insurance. The pyscologist at the time felt she met many of the criteria for a diagnosis of Pervasive Developmental Disorder. I have no idea what that is other than some various form of Autism? I am not sure i agree with this pyscologist since my dd only had one visit with her.
DD is scheduled to see a child psychiatrist on the 26th of this month, our family doctor referred us to this psychiatrist to rule out other issues like bi-polar,etc. DD does already have alot of anxiety and is on meds already for that.
UGH, all i know is this is soooooooo stressfull, some days i just don't want to deal with it at all,i want to run away and let someone else handle it for once, know what i mean?
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I know what you mean - it can get overwhelming. I'm not strong in the PPD area, as my son was dx'd with Non-PPD. I think you're absolutely right in questioning the dx from one visit! It took about three visits plus multiple page questionnaires before they would dx my son. It's a process.
Since she is already on anxiety meds, I have a thought. Bi-polar is in the family of mood disorders (but you can have a mood disorder w/out being bipolar), and according to my Dr., anti-depressants don't really help w/mood disorders - she said the drugs are in a different family, but can be used w/anti-depressants where necessary - you have to work closely to find the right mix. A psychiatrist is the best choice there - but works best in conjunction w/ a therapist.
Yes, DS' school told me that a 504 is not needed because he has an IEP, which is more comprehensive. You can call your district office or State Superintendent to verify. But I have a friend whose child doesn't qualify for an IEP, but uses a 504, and while it helps, she often says she wishes she had what my son has in services. I don't remember all the details of the 504, since we don't use it (I'd pushed for one before I found out it wasn't necessary), but I remember googling it and reading up.
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Here's some sites of interest:
I thought this had some great answers:
What is a 504:
Wrights Law:
This one will be important for you. Tacoma Ranch has mentioned it, too.
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I had a GOOD day today. I got calls from both the speech therapist and the school nurse today AND the pyscologist that my dd sees for her counseling.Speech therapist wanted to let me know that the proper paper work for dh and i to sign in coming in the mail and it lists all the testing they are going to do on DD. School nurse wanted permission from us to correspond with dd's pyscologist to better understand what dd's going thru. The pyscologist called me today and told me he will refer me to another child pyscologist in a larger city near us for some extensive testing,apparently this woman specializes in this stuff and is really good. So i already know i have our family doctor behind us, the pyscologist is behind us too and soon we will also have a pysciatrist evaluating her also.
I feel like maybe there is some light at the end of this tunnel!
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That is wonderful!!! I hope you finally get some answers!
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Hip Hip Hurray! Good going, Advocate Mommy! :rah rah: