Getting a 504 Plan for My Son with Tics

I wouldn't worry. It sounds like the meeting is a good thing. I mentioned my daughter's issue at the beginning of the school year and the teacher was glad I shared with her. Last year, I thought her information would transfer from one teacher to the next...mistake. We fell behind because I didn't say anything. Moving forward, I will bring it up to every teacher so they understand her needs.

Some people feel the need to "know their rights" when that is not even the subject at hand. Gramma G gives some good suggestions, take her advice and look a few things up and move forward.

I agree with the others who say this sounds like a pretty clear case, and with the medical provider statements that you are ready to provide, you should have no issues. Try to not go into the meeting with an adverserial mindset; like someone else commented below, teachers really do want your child to be able to succeed and be socially supported and accepted. It helps that your son's teacher already knows him well.

After the 504 plan is written and implemented, it will be reviewed yearly to determine if accommodations are still required and adjusted as needed. If you approach the anniversary and haven't heard from the team leader about scheduling a date for this team to meet again, then you should contact that person and push for it. It can take a while to get all the people in the room at the same time.

Also, make sure you get a signed copy of the initial plan and any subsequent changes to it. When your child changes schools (moves to middle school or elsewhere), you should again follow up with his current school to make sure his 504 plan is sent to the new school. And then contact the new school to make sure they have it and schedule a meeting with his team at the new school after he starts there, just to make sure everyone is on the same page and there are open lines of communication between you and his teacher(s).

Best wishes to you and your son!

I suggest you google 504 plans and "what I need to know before going to one" sort of stuff. There are some awesome sites out there.

Some of the best information I've read has been the actual definition of what a 504 is, what it is supposed to accomplish, and all that stuff. That also takes in the rights and responsibilities.

I think being prepared to find ways to help kiddo succeed while staying in a mainstream style classroom is the best for him.

Giving kiddo the support he needs is crucial. If he needs untimed tests and to go sit in room off the office where he won't be bothered during tests or even while he's doing an assignment then they need to consider that.

One thing they may quibble about is if he needs an aid to help him. If he needs to leave the classroom then he needs an adult with him that can shadow him and get him a sharp pencil, walk him up and down the halls if he's stressed, supervise him when he's out of the teacher's sight basically. They don't want to have these kinds of costs. They get the money they need but they really need to get him one if the teacher has a full class and can't really do much one on one time with him.

This seems like a pretty straightforward case to me and I don't imagine you would have any issues. 504 plans are for health impairments where the student could benefit from accommodations in the classroom to give him full access to free an appropriate public education. His medical need is documented, the doctor has made recommendations in writing that are reasonable and furthermore, will work to minimize disruption for other students. Sounds like a win-win to me. I'll wish you luck, but I don't think you'll need it - just bring copies of the doctor's report and recommendations and write down anything else you want to talk about so that you have check list to remind yourself so that you don't forget anything important. Please let us know how it goes!

I think you know what your son needs. These are very simple requests and I can't imagine a problem occurring at this meeting. I cannot see them denying these simple requests.

People that have children with severe, multiple disabilities sometimes run I to problems getting what they think is needed. It can get complicated. For you, the meeting should be very productive and not very long. Good luck.

If you have questions, write them down and bring them with you. If you don't understand something, just keep asking till you do. If there are things you do that helps your child, let them know that because they will try to use those same things. I will say to stand your ground and don't back down if you know something will benefit him if they don't want to do it. I don't about the 504 Plan, but with the IEP, if I wanted anything changed or discussed, a meeting could be called any time. You should be able to ask questions any time.
don't be afraid, you'll be fine. Take someone with you like a friend, husband, mother, father or anyone so that they can be another set of ears. It can be a lot to take in.

I went into our son's 504 plan meeting ready for battle. I'd heard the principal, who's in charge of the plans at our school, wasn't keen on implementing these plans at all and to get ready. Guess what? It ended up being a very pleasant experience. Anything we asked for, we got.

The key is just being reasonable and all of your requests are reasonable. Treat the conversation like a collaboration. Ask for their ideas, too, on what they might be able to do to help him be comfortable in class with his tics.

Some schools can make things very difficult, so it's smart to go in there armed with information, but also know that many administrators and teachers really do just want to help.

J.,

I have a 504 plan for my own son for a different issue, a vision dysfunction which tires his eyes and limits his ability to close-focus for long periods of time. I found the school counselor and teacher to be very team-oriented and very willing to work with me, provide good feedback (the teacher, esp., her experience with kids my son's age was invaluable and gave us guidance in how we used interventions and when) and they have both been wonderful partners in helping him meet academic standards while being part of the class. By the end of last year, we had crafted a slightly-modified new 504 for this year and the transition to the new teacher was seamless; we haven't had to discuss any of this because the last teacher got her up to speed.

You are right-- the people doing this job very truly are there to help kids succeed in school. They may have some subtle ways of helping your son get breaks in the day to 'let go' in a safe place; what I discovered was how much my son's teacher really wanted to protect his ability to blend in and not be considered 'other' by his fellow students, just 'typical'. On his own, he's learning to look across the room at things to relax his eyes, which is a great coping skill for him (instead of having to stand up and move/take a gross motor break) and we are still working on task persistence, so he may take unfinished school work home to complete without being penalized or kept in during recess. (They are certainly permitted to keep him in if there is a discipline issue.)

All that to say, my experience with the school has only been good. Go in with several copies of the doctor's note/recommendations. I had his evals in hand with recommendations so that they could see this was from an expert and not just my wishes for him. I am sure you are going to get more information from the resource specialists, so bring something to take notes with. And know that 504s can be modified, so that if tweaks need to be made or other issues need to be addressed, do approach them again and see what can be done. Above all, these staff members do want to see the kids doing the best they can to their fullest ability, so if something isn't working, they aren't going to be upset if you bring it up-- they really want to get this right, for your son's sake as well as everyone else's.

I wish you a great first meeting. :)

My daughter has a 504 (different reason) and the meeting was pretty easy. They really just want to figure out some accommodations for him like sitting by the teacher for exams and such. See if they are able to give him some alone time daily for 15 minutes so that he can relax for a bit.

The meetings can be so full of information, legal words, laws, etc., that you might find your head spinning a little.

My suggestion, what I did at my daughter's 504 plan meetings, is to be organized. Have your son's medical information (copy of doctor's letters, test results, anything pertinent) in a readily available and organized file.

Have another file with your questions. Write them down as they occur to you before the meeting. Refer to them during the meeting to make sure each one is answered. Ask how often a review will take place, and what steps to take if one of the accommodations isn't working well enough or perhaps is no longer necessary. Who do you contact?

A third file should contain your criteria, and your recommendations as to exactly what will help your son. Think about this beforehand as well. Picture your son at school during the day. How often will he need to take breaks for stress relief? How long of a break will he need (5 minutes? 15 minutes?) and where will these breaks occur? Would it help if he took tests privately, away from the class in a resource room, or would he prefer to stay with the others in the class? They'll ask you a lot of questions, going over all kinds of accommodations, and some will apply and some won't be necessary. But if you have your ideas and questions written down, you won't forget any of them and you'll be able to contribute your valuable insight to the meeting.

I think that most schools want to help their students. What helps most is an organized, respectful, thorough and prepared parent. Go into the meeting knowing that you are ALL there to help your son have a successful education experience.