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Teacher Denying the Existence of ADHD, IEP and 504 Plan

NOTICE: The following posts are taken from the Christian ADHD List discussions. The names, e-mail addresses and locations of all parties involved have been removed to protect their privacy. The posts have been used with permission, but are copyrighted by ADHD of the Christian Kind.

It's been awhile since i have posted..I have mainly read all your experiences and prayed for all. I am currently frustrated and dont know what to do at times. We are stationed in _____, _____ right now and we have a pretty good school. My son goes to school on base and he is in 2nd grade.

My frustration is he has a teacher that doesn't believe in ADD/ADHD and therefore no slack or accomodations are given. Upon arrival in _____ the school naturally tested him to see where he was at. My son scored high..(I was surprised and proud). And they all agreed he didn't need an IEP at the time.

His teacher continues to throw his papers away at least 3 times in a row on 1 paper because his printing wasnt as perfect as SHE WANTED.

My hubby is deployed I am frustrated and I'm sure my son is to.. he comes home emotionally drained and so I dont force homework. Then the next day she keeps him from going to recess because he doesnt do homework and the complaints on this teacher for me go on and on. There are only 3 more months of school and it wouldn't make sense to ask for another teacher..or would it? Please, any advice would be a help. Please pray for us.

It's so hard to sit and watch what our kids go through. How can your son see any successes with this teacher? I know there's not that much more of school, but it's not fair to subject your son to this woman's behavior. Is it possible for you to speak with the principal? Let them know this is unacceptable. I just really have a problem with teachers that do nothing but knock a childs' self-esteem down. Let us know how we can help.

This is my first time posting but have been reading the post for several months now. When I came across yours it was so familiar to me! My son Joshua is 9 years old and is in 3rd grade. His 2nd grade teacher did not believe in ADD or treatment. Joshua has ADD Inattentive type and Generalized Anxiety Disorder. My son is not on medication though we did try it, he did not do well on it.

Last year because of the anxiety disorder he had horrible physical symptoms. He had tremendous stomach pain and vomited. It turned out it was from the fear and stress of his teacher. This year his teacher is a bit more open.

My son tests very high. Last year on his STAR testing he got 100% in all 5 math categories and high 80's - mid 90's in Language Arts/Reading. He also passed the GATE tests. Now with that being said, this year he is barely on average with reading, always falling behind in everything else. The teacher started to pile on the work. She figured he would eventually catch up. It broke him. He was a crying heap of worn out flesh when he came home from school. Though the teacher said that she understood his disorders, she expected him to 'get better.'

He has these times when everything seems easy and then he has other times where he struggles. We did a Student Study Team and included his therapist and also requested District Testing. They have just completed the testing and we are meeting next week to review. They said that he does have an auditory problem but did not elaborate. I will find out in detail next week.

One of the things we agreed to at the student study team was homework modification. He has to do only 50% of his homework and must read every night. He has been doing well with that. Most of the time he completes all of his homework because the pressure is off.

Not being in the military or a dependent, I don't know what the military school policies are, but I would request work modification. I would also contact who ever is in charge and ask what your options are. I know there is just 3 months of school but if he were to get a teacher with more understanding and compassion, it would save him 3 months of agony and poor grades.

Another thing that helped me was getting all the info I could for the teacher on ADD and GAD. I printed most of it off the Internet and gave it personally to the teacher with a cc to the principal. I will keep you and your son in prayer.

Will your son be attending this same school next year? I have been where you are, feeling like it is pointless to start something now with so little time left in the school year. But instead of thinking about the remainder of this year, let's look ahead to making sure next year gets off to the right start. It might be worth switching teachers if another teacher with a different teaching style will benefit your son. If you find this to be an answer, then you know what to request for next year. If you think moving into an IEP is the way to go, which it may, then by starting the process now, you have a jumpstart on next year. However, if your child will be at a different school next year, it may not be worth the stress and effort of making waves at the current school. Just something to think about, because I have played it both ways here, and regret the year that "was too close to being over to start anything".

Yes, we are expecting to be here for 3 yrs unless military says differently. So he will be at this school til 4th grade. Yes Im going to try to change teachers today for him. Please pray for us that doors will be open.

You need to print off proper ADD / ADHD paper work and take it to her. If she refuses then go higher up the chain. One thing I know is if your kid is so frustrated he will lose interest in trying and learning. Fight for him as he is too young to do it.

_____ in _____ where I fully understand being refused a IEP and fight for everything.

We went through this in ____, and since I moved to Oklahoma have found the law here makes the teachers buy into the ADHD. I had my 10 year old go through testing and has a 504 which makes the teachers implement special accommodations in the class room. These kids are finally being recognized for their special abilty. Thank God. It took a while, but I got it done. My son is now at the top of his class, has friends, and is happy. We do use medicine too. I also want to give my families heart felt gratitude for you and your husband's service. Where would freedom be without our soldiers! God bless you so much.

Thank you all for advice. Yesterday I talked to teacher and she is still a disbeliever and makes smart aleck comments to me. So today I'm going to request a teacher that has experience with this disability and start an IEP and 504 unless they are same thing. After my frustration and I calmed down last night, I realized through talking to friends and family that I can't waste my time and son's time trying to get her to believe. Instead it should have been how we can help him. But it didnt go that way. Pray for us. With a new teacher it will take time and the end of the yr is right in front of us.

An IEP and a 504 are NOT the same thing. If you need more info about how they are different, please post back. An IEP gives your son access to acedemic changes within the classroom and through Special ed. A 504 limits it to only in the classroom.

I am having lots of trouble with my nephew in his new school. I don't think the school is goining to be very helpful either. His Math teacher informed me that he can't cater to one student that he has other kids that want to learn.That really makes me mad. And my nephew has been picked on and made fun of since he started 3 wks ago. Any suggested reading for those of us that are new to the battlefield? Like how to understand what our rights are and what we should expect from our school districts?

Our local public school had a class for children with learning disabilities. There were only two children in the class at the time. My boy did a lot better in it. See if they might have that kind of a program, or a high school kid who could tutor him. Some schools do that during study hall and it's a good thing.

I couldn't recall, does your nephew have an official diagnosis? Is there anything in place, such as an IEP or anything like that? If not, then that needs to be first on your list. Once you have an official diagnosis, then you can get these other things in place. If your nephew had an IEP, then the teachers and public schools don't have a choice. They have to go by the guidelines in the IEP, and give your nephew whatever help is requested in the IEP. Let me know if I can help.

Thanks for asking - yes he has been diagnosed with ADHD since he was about 4. He does have an IEP from the school he was transferred from. The new school just put him into regular classes for a 30 day evaluation. But he is not doing well at all and I am afraid that by the time any changes that need to be made will not be effective for this school year. These schools are the kings of red tape. It appears that nobody wants to go one extra step for these kids. I have a great respect for you guys that have been dealing with this for years. It is a shame that these kids are the one that suffer because of paperwork. He was in ISS (in school suspension - I didn't know if that is what all the school call it or not) and he told us last night that he got a schedule change yesterday but he forgot to bring it home, so I don't know if it for just one class or all classes have been changed. I had asked last week that they move him to another math class after his math teacher said that about not being able to "cater" to one student. I told them that he wouldn't be able to learn anything if the teacher felt like that, so maybe this schedule change is only for that. He is "in the system" as far as his IDEA paperwork because he has regular ARD reviews at his old school. But I am somewhat confused on all the acronyms - how is 504 different from being protected under IDEA? Any help you could offer is much appreciated. I am praying for all members in this site. I know God is working here and I am glad to be a part of this group.

P.S. Last week I got a call at work and when I picked up the phone there was a recording and the man said, "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.......Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality." Romans 12: 12-13. I thought, whoa! God called me at work to tell me this so I better listen...ha ha. But you know and I know that He did send that recorded message to me for a purpose and I put it on my monitor at work so I won't forget His faithfulness to me. I thought I would pass that on - I love to hear of the ways Jesus gets our attention!

You have the right to request an IEP meeting at any time. They MUST respond within 30 days. If I'm not mistaken, you don't have to agree to a 30 day evaluation. When we transferred from one state to another, the school here had to honor my son's IEP. You really have to sometimes fight for your child's rights. More times than not, the school officials will try to bully and manipulate the situation, if you let them. I don't mean to sound negative, but I've just been going through this for several years.

I am not positive on this, but I believe the new school has to follow the old school's IEP. If he was in spec ed at the old school DEMAND minutes while he is being re-evaluated. Sometimes, as the ONLY one that is going to fight for our kids rights, we have "make a little noise" doing it. Go to the principal, and then the superintendent if that doesn't work asking why they can't put the old IEP in place. You can always hint that you may sue. Hope this helps.

Sadly, this is true. My boy would wander off. Between our house and the bus stop, he'd easily end up at the river, or the park. Coming home, he'd end up at who knows who's house to visit (everybody's a friend).

Knowing that they must safely get the child from home to school (fed law), I'd written a letter to the school (make paper trails) concerning the situation. I explained that Federal Law (IEP) states that considering my boy's problem of wandering off, they must provide transportation from his doorstep to the school and back to his doorstep. But, as I figured, they and they flatly refused saying that State Law doesn't allow for that.

I wrote back voicing my disdain for their attitude concerning the law and explained that they MUST provide the door to door transportation according to Federal (IEP) Law which over rules State Laws. Again they refused.

Finally, this entire situation was explained to the Director of the Arkansas State Department of Special Education. With two hours, I received a phone call from the Principal who informed me that the bus would pick the Spud up here at the house....GRIN

We must know where our leverage points are. Start at the lower levels, but know that we can go to the top if necessary.... and don't hesitate if the necessary is needed.

I would suggest that all pertinent phone numbers and addresses be kept on hand. Always use paper if possible. I'd write letters then not answer the phone when the school officials would call because they will at all costs not leave a paper trail. I learned that when the principal responded to one of my letters with a phone call. I told him that I wrote him a letter and I do not want a phone call in return. I requested (in the letter) that he respond in writing. They will get out of it at all costs and [I might be wrong], but if they can't get you by phone, and don't respond by mail, then they've neglected to contact you about your concerns as a parent.

Of course I'm home schooling now, so I don't have that problem any more....

When we moved from _____ to _____, they tried the 30 day evaluation with _____ and I called the State Dept. of Education and found out (after being transferred 10 times) that I did not have to agree with that and they had to honor his IEP upon starting the new school. Hope this helps.

Good info and advice - I appreciate it all very much. I thought about home schooling my nephew also, but I am afraid that he won't learn how to coexist in society if I do that....what are your feeling about that?

Home Schooling: A Well Socialized Conversationalist

I took my two daughters, ages 5 and 7 to a local bookstore to browse the shelves and have a treat. It's one of those bookstores with a cafe inside. After the treat, the girls decided to hit the kid's section.

I leisurely finished my coffee and headed over to check on them. I found my 7 year old deep in conversation with a mature woman. A younger woman near her saw me approach, smiled and asked, "Is that your daughter?" I replied in the affirmative. She beamed at me and then asked, "Do you homeschool?" Again I replied in the affirmative, meanwhile wondering just what my 7 year old was discussing!? She got very excited and told me that the woman my daughter was conversing with was her mother.

The younger woman told me that she wanted to homeschool, but her mother was worried about socialization! I laughed, what else could I do? My children regularly interact with other children of ages between infant and adult.

A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR:
____ makes an incredibly important point here! I didn't quite realize it until she mentioned it, but it's true. As a homeschool parent, I realized that I am much, much more tolerant of children asking me questions. Plus, I noticed the same of other homeschool parents. As I begin to worry that one of my children is bothering another homeschool parent, before I can even say anything, I see the other homeschool parent stoop down onto her knees and say, "I didn't hear your whole question honey, ask me again..." Wow, what an incredible environment for children to grow up in! A world where their thoughts, questions and analysis REALLY mean something!

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