School/Special Education Misc

This is a follow up to a recent blog post – “Back in the Zone (of No Zone): Back in the Zone (of No Zone).

Parents frequently talk to me about their frustration (insistence) that schools diagnose their child’s  dyslexia (or other learning disorders for that matter).

One of my favorite books in the field, “Dyslexia Advocate:  How to Advocate for a Child Within the Public School System,” by Dr. Kelli Sandman-Hurley, comments on this.

As she notes:

“School districts do not diagnose anything.  They don’t diagnose ADHD, autism, dyslexia, nothing.   It may seem as if they do because we tend to hear the terms autism and ADHD thrown around in meetings all the time, but they cannot diagnose those qualifying conditions either.  They can only determine eligibility under specific eligibility categories.  In the case of dyslexia, they will be looking at the specific learning disability (SLD category.”

Something that is a common occurrence will be a parent bringing testing to me that was conducted by the school special education team.   Numbers will jump out at me suggesting weaknesses, “red-flags” and even indicators of “dyslexia” or related learning disorders.

Yet, to the consternation of the parents quite often they are told that the child is not eligible for an IEP and will not be getting any services.

Each state and, to my knowledge, each school district interprets the federal code differently as to what leads to eligibility.

As Dr. Sandman-Hurley states:

“To qualify for special education services, the child must meet two requirements, which is the two-pronged approach to eligibility.  First, the child must have a disability and show the need for services.  In other words, just because a student has dyslexia (or any other disability) does not mean they automatically qualify for services.  Second, it must be shown that the child needs services in order to succeed in the general education classroom.”

In New Jersey, for example, there is an emphasis on the child’s Full Scale Intelligence Quotient or “FSIQ” in determining eligibility.  A statistically significant discrepancy must be shown between the FSIQ and the overall score in academic achievement (typically reading).

Infuriating and puzzling as this may be to parents, children showing signs of “dyslexia” or reading/learning disabilities often  do not have such a discrepancy in their assessment, and therefore they will not be receiving services.

Even if the child is found to be eligible for services, rarely is the child given what is called “direct instruction with multisensory methodologies,” which research and clinical experience show to be the most effective in remediating the deficiencies.

More commonly, the child is given, “In-Class Support,” which is much harder to define than direct instruction.  In-Class Support is the equivalent of having an adult in the deep end of the pool to keep an eye on the weak swimmers to make sure they don’t drown.

This is not teaching the child to swim.

My best advice to parents in this situation is to “bite the bullet” and seek services outside of the school.  While it may not be ideal, more and more providers of these methods are starting to report offering such instruction on-line with reasonable effectiveness.

This recommendation puts you more in the driver’s seat.  You can choose to take an effective action step, rather than remain in the  passive  position of hoping that the school will step-up.

Takeaway Point

Schools don’t diagnose.  They determine eligibility for an IEP.  Even if you obtain an IEP, it does not mean your child will receive direct instruction.

Take effective action on your own.

When a children have a learning disability like dyslexia, typically this impacts their reading fluency, spelling and writing.  For those who have been “diagnosed” as ADHD/ADD their central features are distractability, inattentiveness and impulsivity.

Quite often children have combined features from both of these syndromes.

As I noted in recent blogs (see recent posts on “504 & You” and “Accommodations ‘R’ Us” (Recent Blog Posts,) a top accommodation is to give such children “extended time.”

Most of the kids I see have no interest in “extended time,” even though behind the scenes there is much negotiation taking place between parents and schools for the child to receive this accommodation.

I emphasize again, I am not against extended time, but am against  the “rubber stamping” of extended time as a top “go-to” accommodation.

If the child works painfully slowly and finds him or herself unable to complete tasks within allotted time, then extended time is an appropriate accommodation.

For distractible and impulsive children who also struggle with reading (spelling and writing), such an accommodation has virtually no impact.  There is no “leveling of the playing field,” which is the central concept guiding the implementation of a 504 Plan in the first place.

Assume that for the children with the combination of reading problems and ADHD issues, has difficulty with managing large, multisyllabic words, following directions and staying on task.

For such a child giving time is not the issue.  Helping with directions would be a top, “level-the- playing- field” accommodation.

Further, the teacher can preview some of the tougher words prior to the child reading.  (“Let me help you with some of the words that are difficult.”)

How do you avoid “rubber stamp” accommodations?

Very simply, you ask a basic question such as, “What does he/or she need that would help level the playing field?”

Asking that question of the clinician who conducted the assessment or the school assessment team is essential.

The team and the clinician  should be able to come up with three or four good accommodations specifically addressing the child’s needs and identified deficits.

If an accommodation doesn’t make sense to you, push back a little and ask for justification and an explanation.  Do not accept recommendations of accommodations that do not match the child’s needs.

Takeaway Point

Be on guard for “rubber-stamped” accommodations.  Continually ask yourself and your team (both in and out of school) what does the child need?  What would help him/her to be on more equal footing with the others in class who do not have this identified disability?

Keep  working together as a team to come up with the individual accommodations that make sense and that address the areas of identified need.

Copyright, 2020 www.shutdownlearner.com
Questions or topics email Dr. Selznick.  Not in the South Jersey area? For a free 15 Minute Consultation, contact Dr. Selznick: email – rselznick615@gmail.com

To purchase a signed copy of  “What To Do About Dyslexia: 25 Essential Concepts” & Dr. Selznick’s other books and to receive blog updates go to https://shutdownlearner.com.

(***  Please note: Dr. Richard Selznick is a psychologist, clinician and author of four books.  His blog posts represent his opinions and perspectives based on his years of interacting with struggling children, parents and schools. )

Recently, we talked about the mythologies associated with the 504 Plan, trying to put some of these to rest (https://shutdownlearner.com/504-you/)

This week we extend the discussion by talking about the realities of accommodations and modifications.

Keep in mind the overriding purpose of a 504 Plan is to “level the playing field,” with the premise that a child/person with a disability or a handicapping conditions is playing on a fundamentally unfair field, in comparison to those who do not have such a disability or handicap.

In this week’s and next week’s post we dig deeper into the issues associated with the 504.

Being a bit of a contrarian in style (If you’re a follower of this blog, you know what I mean), I have pushed back with both parents and schools on some of the common practices when it comes to the 504.

From my perspective, there’s a certain “knee-jerk” quality to the way accommodations are developed.

The classic example of this is the standard accommodation of “extended time” (typically, time and a half or double time extension).

Perhaps for kids from about 10^th grade going into college, this accommodation of extended time is seen as valuable, but to the vast majority of children in elementary and middle school, the last thing that they want is more time on a task/test that they already detest.

(In fact, they would be dancing for joy, if you said something to them like, “Sweetheart, guess what?  Because you tend to be very distracted in school and can be very impulsive, the school has come up with a plan where you can be finished in half the amount of time that the test normally takes.  So, if the test has 20 items and takes about 40 minutes, they are going to cut it down in half for you.  You can be done in  20 minutes.”)

The point is not that extended time is a bad accommodation, but that for most of the kids of concern, especially in their younger years, the accommodation has no legitimate impact in that they neither want the extra time or take advantage of it when it is given to them.  (Of course, there are exceptions that do.)

For the most part, they want less time, not more.

We will continue this discussion of accommodations in next week’s blog, but for the time being, write down a list of no more than five items that you think would represent specific and easily implemented accommodations that would assist your child in comparison to those who do not have this handicap or disability.

Such an exercise will get you started on developing meaningful accommodations that help to “level the playing field.

Copyright, 2020 www.shutdownlearner.com
Questions or topics email Dr. Selznick.  Not in the South Jersey area? For a free 15 Minute Consultation, contact Dr. Selznick: email – rselznick615@gmail.com

To purchase a signed copy of  “What To Do About Dyslexia: 25 Essential Concepts” & Dr. Selznick’s other books and to receive blog updates go to https://shutdownlearner.com.

(***  Please note: Dr. Richard Selznick is a psychologist, clinician and author of four books.  His blog posts represent his opinions and perspectives based on his years of interacting with struggling children, parents and schools. )

The  advice in the blogs and in practice is governed by one overriding principle – “If this were my child, what would I do?”   The goal of the blogs and the website is to provide you with straight-forward, down-to-earth, no-nonsense advice and perspective to help cut through all of the confusion that exists in the field.)

Parents will come to me seeking a 504 Plan for their child.

It is my sense that the 504 Plan, while now part of casual language, is not fully understood and is fraught with a great deal of “on-the-street” mythology.

You know how it goes, your friend or neighbor mentions she recently got a 504 Plan for her child and it is working wonders. Then you start thinking about how to get one for your child.  The neighbor makes some reference to her pediatrician writing something on a prescription pad about a 504 Plan after perhaps five minutes interacting with the child.

Your anxiety quickly elevates as you reflect on the fact that your pediatrician looked at you a bit quizzically when you asked her about obtaining a 504 for your child.

One of the “on-the-street” mythologies is that a 504 Plan is school-based, that is it originated from school regulation and procedures.

Let’s put that one to rest.  The 504 is not a school-based mandate, but it is a civil rights law.

How does that come in to play in the classroom?

As noted in the guidebook,  “Section 504: A Legal Guide for Educators,” it was explained that “Civil rights  laws are designed to promote fairness and equal treatment. Put another way, civil rights laws are meant to ‘level the playing field.’”

In explaining a civil rights law like the 504, the guide went further to encourage us to think about a football field.  Playing a game in which all of the players were not on an equal footing would be fundamentally unfair.  “Everyone should be playing on the same ground,” they stated.  “We would not expect that one football team have a smooth, grassy field and the other team have a field that has a ditch running through it and the rest of the field is full of holes and large rocks.”

For children , adolescents and college-age students, the concept is that those with identified disabilities are playing on a field that is much rougher than the one for children who do not have such disabilities.

As we go forward with talking about the realities of 504 and accommodations, I encourage you to keep reflecting on this image of “leveling the playing field” as a guide to for you as to how to proceed.  In practical terms, what does your child need to help level the playing field?

One last point.  In order to obtain a 504, it must be shown that:

• “The students has a physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more major life activities and has a record of such impairments.”

Not being a lawyer, as I read that I do scratch my head a bit with the phrase “substantially limits one or more major life activities” and wonder what that means in reality for children on a day-to-day basis.

Over the next couple of weeks, we will keep exploring the practicalities of accommodations and modifications to try and cut through some of the common “on-the-street” talk.

Copyright, 2020 www.shutdownlearner.com
Questions or topics email Dr. Selznick.  Not in the South Jersey area? For a free 15 Minute Consultation, contact Dr. Selznick: email – rselznick615@gmail.com

To purchase a signed copy of  “What To Do About Dyslexia: 25 Essential Concepts” & Dr. Selznick’s other books and to receive blog updates go to https://shutdownlearner.com.

(***  Please note: Dr. Richard Selznick is a psychologist, clinician and author of four books.  His blog posts represent his opinions and perspectives based on his years of interacting with struggling children, parents and schools.   The goal of the blogs and the website is to provide you with straight-forward, down-to-earth, no-nonsense advice and perspective to help cut through all of the confusion that exists in the field.)

Let’s say I want to improve my tennis game, so I go to a pro to have him size up my skills.   Watching me serve, hit a few forehands, some back hands and a few at the net, he comes up with his recommendations.

“First I want you to go the gym and go on the treadmill.  While you’re there see if someone can help you with balance beam exercises.  Then you should go to a yoga teacher and learn how to center yourself.  All that should improve your tennis.”

Huh???

I sometimes feel that way when I hear the myriad of stories from the front when it comes to children and their struggling.

Things like the following are commonly relayed:

• “The school is focusing on my child’s comprehension, even though he’s been shown to have significant issues with word identification and decoding.”
• “They are emphasizing three paragraph essays, but she has no idea how to write a sentence or even what is a sentence.”
• “Every day he gets 10 math word problems to improve his math.  Only problem is he really can’t read them and has no idea how to do basic addition and subtraction.”
• “We put him on medication and maybe that will help him get organized.” (ADHD medication helps with focusing.  That’s it.)
• “We know she has poor social skills.  A counselor is recommending a video game to improve these.”

Recommendations should emerge from a sensible assessment of a child’s strengths and weaknesses.   A recommendation should closely match the identified deficiency and it needs to pass the common-sense, “smell test.”

If the recommendation makes no sense to you, then you need to question  and, ultimately, challenge it. If you are shaking your head in bewilderment, then there is probably something off.

“Wait, why are we focusing on comprehension, when his deficits are in word decoding?”

“How can she do math word problems, when she can’t read or understand them?”

“If my child doesn’t know how to write a sentence, isn’t it too much to expect a three paragraph essay on his school trip.”

More important than the “diagnosis,” an assessment should help you to prioritize  and guide you in good “next-step” thinking.

With sensible recommendations guiding “next-step”  thinking, you won’t be having your child walking on a balance-beam to help him with his forehand.

Copyright, 2020 www.shutdownlearner.com
Questions or topics email Dr. Selznick.  Not in the South Jersey area? For a free 15 Minute Consultation, contact Dr. Selznick: email – rselznick615@gmail.com

To purchase a signed copy of  “What To Do About Dyslexia: 25 Essential Concepts” & Dr. Selznick’s other books and to receive blog updates go to https://shutdownlearner.com.

(***  Please note: Dr. Richard Selznick is a psychologist, clinician and author of four books.  His blog posts represent his opinions and perspectives based on his years of interacting with struggling children, parents and schools.  He reminds readers that he is neither a scientist, nor a researcher.  The  advice in the blogs and in practice is governed by one overriding principle – “If this were my child, what would I do?”   The goal of the blogs and the website is to provide you with straight-forward, down-to-earth, no-nonsense advice and perspective to help cut through all of the confusion that exists in the field.)

Last week we talked about 504 Plans and ADHD/ADD diagnosis (504 Plans & the Pie Chart).

504 Plans in the schools are (theoretically) for disabled children with the intent of “leveling the playing field” for the child with a handicap.

The vast majority of children with 504 Plans have received them based on the “diagnosis” of ADHD, although 504s can be given for other handicapping conditions.

I put quotation marks around “diagnosis,” because frequently the diagnosis is made with very little actual assessment taking place or the factoring in of other variables that may explain the attention deficit.

For example, a mom this week told me of her adolescent being “diagnosed “ in about 10 minutes. After a cursory glance at Connor’s rating scales, the physician declared, “Yes, your child has ADHD.” There was no consideration of other variables or consideration of other factors such as the fact that her child has been recently embarrassed and bullied by other children in school.

So the diagnosis was made.  Seriously, who can argue with a physician’s definitive statement.

In line with that, this week we encourage you as parents to not be too quick to over-accommodate.  When it comes to accommodations, both formal as in a 504 and informal,  it is essential that you find the right ratio, the right balance between accommodating the child and having the child do it on his/her own.

The ration I suggest is about  a 10-15% accommodation.

What does that mean?

Essentially it means that the child is basically responsible for his/own stuff and that you shouldn’t look to make things too easy

Or, as the renowned psychologist John Rosemond wisely reminded us, “Never agonize over anything a child does or fails to do, if the child is perfectly capable of agonizing over it himself.”

Sure, accommodate where it is necessary but, be careful to not make it too smooth sailing or easy for the child.

It is important to keep  in mind that p­art of the hidden agenda of school is learning to deal with things that are not always fun or pleasant  and to “tough it out” when things get a bit challenging.

So, when I talked to a disconnected 12 year old who was bemoaning the fact that school and his teacher were “so boring,” that he decided not to do his work.  I looked at him incredulously.

“Wait,” I said in astonishment.   “What are you talking about? School was always boring.   It’s the way it is and probably will always be.”

Should we accommodate this 12 year old because he can’t handle his boredom?  Perhaps but you don’t want to do too much.

That is, you help some to help him get reconnected, but you  don’t want to get in too deep.

It’s the child’s problem.  Not yours.    Keep thinking 10-15% or so and help a bit, but not so much.

It’s ok if they sweat a bit.

An example, would be offering some assistance with directions.  Most of the kids that I assess seem to be fundamentally confused when it comes to following more complex directions.

They don’t know how to start or how to proceed.

So you help them some. You point them in the right direction.  You can even sit close by at the dining room table, which I strongly recommend while doing some of your own work, but that’s it.

Similarly, in school with the 504 Plan the teacher can offer some assistance with directions, with the emphasis on the word “some.”  Touching base with the child, reading tough words, helping with some directions are appropriate examples of offering “some” accommodations, but not accommodating too much.

Takeaway Point

Find the right ratio when it comes to accommodating.

Don’t overdo it.  Don’t make too nice.

Copyright, 2020 www.shutdownlearner.com
Questions or topics email Dr. Selznick.  Not in the South Jersey area? For a free 15 Minute Consultation, contact Dr. Selznick: email – rselznick615@gmail.com

To purchase a signed copy of  “What To Do About Dyslexia: 25 Essential Concepts” & Dr. Selznick’s other books and to receive blog updates go to https://shutdownlearner.com.

In  Struggling Kidland There’s often a lot of finger pointing taking place.

Played out ritualistically on a near daily basis,  there’s the classic parent finger-pointing dance.  It’s the, “You’re too soft on him – You’re too tough on him” ballet.  While the parents point fingers at each other in this dance, the kid is in the basement or the family room with his headset on playing Fortnite or on Youtube.

The dance makes no dent on him.

Or then there’s the adolescent finger pointing telling his mother that it’s her fault that he didn’t get out of bed in the morning or get his homework completed.

Schools receive a great deal finger pointing, as they often are viewed as not delivering services or meeting the child’s needs.

In return, behind the scenes the school is shaking its head and finger pointing with  a collective sigh  accompanied by a “What’s their problem,” when it comes to the parents.

There are few truisms that I can reliably count on in Struggling Kidland, but here’s is one that I know.

99.999% of the time it’s not ever one thing or another – it’s always multifactor variables contributing to the struggling.

Or, as I like to explain to parents in my, oh, so scientific and scholarly way, “It’s always a soup-pot of variables.”

What this means is that whenever a child is struggling or not meeting expectation whether it is with dyslexia, ADHD, oppositional behavior, challenging temperament, etc., the struggling is never explained by where the finger is pointing.

Finger pointing is a one-factor explanation.  There’s no “soup pot” with the finger pointing.  It’s reduced to the object of the finger-pointing as the culprit of the child’s struggling.

Almost to an obsessive fault, I find myself pushing back on these one-factor finger points.

You can hear it in the way the problems are presented or hypothesized.  Here are a few common ones I hear:

“My wife is a pushover – my son runs roughshod over her.” (While that may be true, there may be other variables explaining his behavior.)

“It’s his ADHD – that’s why he keeps interrupting.” (Certainly ADHD children often impulsively interrupt. However,  I could think of a few other reasons beyond the ADHD for the interrupting.)

“She refuses to read – I’m sure it’s her dyslexia.”  (There are many dyslexic kids who are not obstinately refusing to read.)

“The teacher is so unmotivating – of course he’s bored.”  (Are all the children in class similarly bored?)

“My daughter is creative. Asking her to do her math worksheets is stultifying.”  (Could be so, but perhaps she needs legitimate help in math.)

“My child loves LEGOS – he only likes to do hands on things – that’s why he has meltdowns doing something else.” (LEGOS are certainly fun for many kids,  but is it possible that the child is also temperamentally difficult?)

Trust me.  I could go on.

Takeaway Point

It’s cold outside.  We’re heading into winter.

Go make a nice pot of soup with lots of ingredients and think about how it applies to your child’s struggling.

Copyright, 2019 www.shutdownlearner.com
Questions or topics email Dr. Selznick.  Not in the South Jersey area? For a free 15 Minute Consultation, contact Dr. Selznick: email – rselznick615@gmail.com

To purchase a signed copy of  “What To Do About Dyslexia: 25 Essential Concepts” & Dr. Selznick’s other books and to receive blog updates go to https://shutdownlearner.com.

Let’s say you have a 7 year old child who struggles greatly with reading, spelling and writing and has been diagnosed with a learning disability (e.g., dyslexia).

The school has classified the child for special education and an IEP (Individual Education Plan) is being put into place.

As a parent, though, you’re not thrilled with the way the school has been handling things.  So you look into a specialized private school about 20 minutes away that has everyone buzzing that it is the perhaps one of the best ones in the country, the Dyslexia Nirvana School, commonly referred to as “DNS.”

Dyslexia Nirvana School comes with a pretty hefty price tag of $48,000 per year, so you want the public school to either provide what DNS does or to pay for your child to go there.

You come to me for support to run your ideas by me.  “Don’t you think the school should either do what DNS does or send her there at their cost?”

I know this is going to be one of those tough conversations where the mom wants to kill the messenger, so I breathe deeply going into my meditative mode and then offer the following answer –

“Nope, I do not.”

“What do you mean,” she exasperatedly responds, surprised I am that blunt and direct.  “Do I need to get a lawyer?”

From there I go into my understanding of special education and how it all works to try to get the mom on board (not my favorite conversation).

“Here’s the deal – the school is required by Federal Law to provide children who are given IEPs what’s called ‘FAPE’ (i.e., Free and Appropriate Public Education).  (The operative  word in FAPE being “appropriate.”) They are not obligated nor do they have the resources or the wherewithal to provide what a highly specialized private school such as what Dyslexia Nirvana offers.”

I continue, “Here’s the guiding principle.  Think of Dyslexia Nirvana as one of the best most expensive cars you can think of – maybe a Lamborghini.  Schools do not offer a Lamborghini and are not expected to by law.  It’s not that they are supposed to provide a mediocre product, but they can’t offer what a specialized private school offers.”

“Well, we want her to have the best,” says the mom.

“Then, at least for now, you need to enroll her in the Nirvana School and pay the tuition on your own.”

“What do you mean ‘at least for now.’”

“Look,” I continue, “I’m not a representative of the school and I’m just sharing my understanding of how it works, but at this point the school has barely worked with her.  The program they are suggesting is ‘appropriate’ meaning it is an acceptable program supported by reasonable research.

Let’s say some time goes by with this method and their approach and she makes very little progress. Then you are in a position to say they are not providing FAPE and you can make a good argument that she should attend the Nirvana School at their expense.  Let’s hope she makes progress, though .  We need to watch it closely.”

Takeaway Point

FAPE is the guiding principle, with the operative word “appropriate,” being open for interpretation.  Before you go for the Lamborghini and expect the school to pay for it, you need to go a step at a time.

Copyright, 2019 www.shutdownlearner.com
Questions or topics email Dr. Selznick.  Not in the South Jersey area? For a free 15 Minute Consultation, contact Dr. Selznick: email – rselznick615@gmail.com

To purchase a signed copy of  “What To Do About Dyslexia: 25 Essential Concepts” & Dr. Selznick’s other books and to receive blog updates go to https://shutdownlearner.com.