Tips & Tools for Working with Your Child's Educators

As you prepare your children for the upcoming school year, understanding how to get the most from the educational system can require a lot of work. Whether you choose an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or a 504 plan, successfully accommodating the educational needs of a child with a disability has to be a team effort. Nonverbal learning disorder (NLD) is a common problem in individuals with Spina Bifida, and parents need to educate school personnel, not only about the disability, but about the specific ways in which the disability affects their individual child.

A 504 plan, available under Section 504 of the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA), is a general education initiative that can be implemented in the regular classroom. Its purpose is to prevent discrimination against a person with a disability, and to assure that every child has free access to learning. Section 504 is enforced by the U.S. Office of Civil Rights.

An Individual Education Plan is mandated by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and allows more specific interventions, going beyond what a regular classroom teacher can provide. Compliance is enforced by the U.S. Office of Special Education, but each state has its own compliance procedures. Contact your state’s Department of Education for information. Curriculum cannot be changed under either plan, but with an IEP it is possible to change the tools with which the curriculum is accessed. The use of a calculator and digital clock are good examples. A student with a disability will learn the same material as another student, but he may not go to the depth another student would without the necessary tools.

Generally, implementing an IEP involves a more formal, written process, and is more rigidly controlled than a 504 plan. For example, IDEA mandates re-evaluation at least every three years. A 504 plan requires documentation that a disability exists and how it interferes with a normal life activity, but does not require re-evaluation. Federal law provides schools with additional funding for students on an IEP. No such funding is available for students on a 504 plan.

The laws that provide for both a 504 plan and an IEP place responsibility on the school to provide a “free and appropriate public education” (FAPE) for every child.

Recommendations for parents with children in elementary school

• Reinforce the individuality of your child by bringing a photograph to each intervention team meeting.
• Be open to insights contributions, and new ideas that educators will bring to the table.
• Parents can bring to the table a list of accommodations they feel are needed, but should be prepared to be flexible. Choose which accommodations you need to insist on, and which can be optional.
• As a student grows, his needs or abilities may change, making necessary changes to his intervention plan. The district is responsible for re-evaluating the plan as needed, at a minimum of every three years for an IEP.

Recommendations for parents with children in junior high school

• As your child progresses to higher grade levels, more teachers become involved. Choose one person who can serve as your main contact person. Usually that is a counselor or assistant principal. Your communication with individual teachers for specific issues is still important, but general communications should be made through the contact person.
• Have your child tour the new building before school ends for the summer, allowing him or her to see students at work and to meet some of the teachers. Have her meet the main contact person, be it a counselor or assistant principal, so that she can begin to build a strong relationship with him.
• The lack of recess in junior high may make it necessary to build sensory breaks or a study hall into a student’s schedule.
• Work with the teachers to create an IEP for home use which implements many of the strategies that are helpful at school. If you are not reinforcing the positive things that are happening at school,” everyone is just wasting the teacher’s time.

For more information on NLD and Education Implications view SB University’s education and employment session titled Nonverbal Learning Disability and Education Implications presented by Jannel Phillips, PhD and Kimberly Rotundo, MEd.

Other resources:
IEP – The Complete IEP Guide: How to Advocate for Your Special Ed Child, by Lawrence M. Siegel is available through the SBA Marketplace at www.spinabifidaassociation.org.

504 Plan – Visit the U.S. Department of Education at http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/504faq.html for a list of Frequently Asked Questions.