School/Special Education Misc

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.

Parents talk freely about 504 Plans and seem to be comforted when their child receives one.

What is largely forgotten (or never understood) is the fact that 504 Plans were an outgrowth of ADA (Americans with Disability Act) legislation.  As ADA noted about addressing those with disabilities:

“No otherwise qualified individual with a disability in the United States, as defined in section 705(20) of this title, shall, solely by reason of her or his disability, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance or under any program or activity.”

With regard to schools, “FAPE” is the guiding principle

“Section 504 requires school districts to provide Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) to children with disabilities, who may benefit from public education, within the individual district’s jurisdiction. Regardless of the child’s disability, the school district must identify the child’s educational needs and provide any regular or special education to satisfy the child’s educational needs just as well as it does for the children without disabilities.”

My interpretation of the spirit of the law is the notion of “leveling the playing field,” to the extent that those with a “disability” need some type of external assistance to help the child to function as close as possible to their non-disabled peers.

The assumption is that the disability puts the disabled person at a decided disadvantage in the classroom.  In theory a 504 Plan addresses this disadvantage.

That was the intent.  The reality of 504 Plans is often entirely different.

For schools, the vast majority of the kids given 504 Plans are ones diagnosed (on the outside by a medical practitioner) with ADHD.  (A learning disabled child is given an IEP based on special education testing, not a 504 Plan.)

Twenty or so years ago or so, getting a diagnosis from a neurologist or other medical practitioner was somewhat novel and even a bit on the exotic side.  It didn’t occur all that frequently.

No more.

Now legions of children are diagnosed with ADHD/ADD and schools are overwhelmed by requests for 504 Plans.  Here’s an article that documents studies citing a doubling of the children diagnosed with ADHD (ADHD Doubling in Percentages) over a 20 year period.

Most 504 Plans (at least on paper) offer the child extended time, possible preferential seating and the potential to have material read to the child.  There are other accommodations that sometimes appear in a 504, but these are the common ones.

While parents may be comforted by the 504 Plan, it is my impression that most kids I know don’t want extra time and they reject the idea of preferential seating for fear of being singled out and embarrassed.

Do I think 504 Plans have some value?  Sure. However, 504 Plans are almost impossible to monitor. There is no objective way of showing that the teacher “repeated directions,” for example, to a confused, distracted child.

I maintain the key to its success is in the relationship the parent establishes with the teacher.  If the parent can establish a good working relationship with the child’s teacher, then a 504 Plan can be implemented with some fidelity.

Without the relationship, the 504 becomes a fairly meaningless document that often receives minimal compliance or attention.  In other words, the plan is nice on paper and parents feel they’ve gotten something of value, but they don’t do all that much.

With a good working relationship between parent and teacher, there is usually a more open dialogue that takes place.   In this dialogue, the teacher might say, “Oh, yes, I check in with him through the day.  I know he needs to have directions clarified a lot, so I remind myself to do it.  I also let him go past time limits when he needs it, but I don’t make a big deal of it.”

Bingo.  The playing field is leveled.

Take Away Point

To maximize the odds of a 504 Plan being implemented, establish a good, trusting relationship with the child’s teacher as early in the school year as possible.  Don’t be overly clinical in your conversation with the teacher. Speak in plain language, conveying what you think the child needs to make things a bit easier for him/her in the classroom.

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.

Parents will tell me of their ongoing efforts to get the school to do what they feel their child needs.

There are usually three or so common outcomes.

One outcome is the school will show data that the child is “meeting benchmarks” or meeting standards in spite of  the child’s struggling.

Another possible outcome is the child will get a “504” Plan, meaning that the child will be given  some accommodations such as extended time or repetition of directions, presuming he/she has received some type of “diagnosis” (almost always the “diagnosis” is ADHD generated from a 15 minute or so review of some rating scales like the Connors or the Vanderbilt).

Classifying the child in special education is a third possible outcome with the child theoretically receiving some type of service or “in-class support” as specified in an IEP  (Individual Education Plan).

When parents describe the process they go through to me it sounds like Oliver Twist asking in that plaintive voice, “Please sir, may I have some more,” as he begs for more food.

Like Oliver Twist, the parents are in a lower hierarchical position.  Even if you get “more food,” if your child is struggling you want to try and overcome the pervasive sense of one-down passivity.

I believe the only way to do that is to to not wait around for the few crumbs coming your way.  You need to take the proverbial “bull by the horns” and find the right type of person who can work with your child and do what needs to be done, typically in an individual format targeting the child’s areas of deficiency. Usually this is in the form of tutoring or some other type of therapy.

There are pros and cons to this recommendation.

The pros are you will be taking an action and not waiting for the crumbs to be thrown your way.

The cons are that it (the remediation) is likely to be an out of pocket expense and will  typically be after school, in the afternoon, evening or on the weekend for a couple of sessions a week.  So, it will be time and money.

Takeaway Point

Keep pressure on the school, but understand that that the three outcomes are the ones largely at work and often you will not feel satisfied with any of them.  If you can, take action on your own and step out from the hands-out,Oliver-like posture.

You will sleep better at night.

So often, in the work that I do with parents regarding their kids, there comes that squeamish point, where the parent asks the inevitable dreaded question…

“So, what do we do about it?”

Why it’s dreaded is there is almost never, and I mean never (at least from my point of view),  an easy answer to that question.

The answer depends on so many variables too numerous to list.

As part of the answer, I’ve lately been talking to parents about the “Pyramid of Fantasy.”

The pyramid is my way of breaking parents in to the reality of how it all works and what they can expect in the “real world.”

It goes something like this.

“Well, let’s talk about something I call the Pyramid of Fantasy.  At the top of the pyramid is what would be seen as the ideal, it’s the unicorn portion of the pyramid – basically it doesn’t exist.  Like in my mind’s eye, your child ideally needs intensive individual remediation with a teacher who is highly trained and experienced in the research supported methodologies to address his deficits.  Probably this intensive individual (i.e., one-on-one) instruction would take place five days a week, an hour to an hour and a half a day over the next few years.  The problem is, while this scenario I describe is what I would say is the ideal, it’s a fantasy.  It doesn’t exist anywhere in the world that I know, but his problems are significant and that’s what I would like to do about it”

“Moving down the pyramid, the school may be able to deliver a very small group (no more than three or four equally-matched kids) on a daily basis using the research-supported methods.  It’s not the most ideal (the fantasy), but it’s not bad.”

The problem is that level of the pyramid is also often not easy to receive either.  We’re still mostly in the fantasy zone.  The school may not have sufficiently trained teachers and they generally don’t do much “pull-out” instruction these days.

The next level down in the pyramid is pretty much the zone of possibility and reality – what you are likely to be offered if your child is classified.  If the child is classified as eligible of special education (many are not who are struggling, I might add), he is likely to be offered “In-Class Support.”

As far as I can tell, In-Class Support is the state of the art these days in special education in terms of the pyramid of fantasy.  What it represents is making sure that someone is close by your child in the deep end of the pool, keeping an eye out so he/she doesn’t go under water since he really doesn’t know how to swim.

Within this level of the pyramid, it is likely that you need to take some other action to gain a sense of control, by seeking help on the outside – usually in the form of specialized tutoring.  If you are really working toward the ideal, twice-weekly tutoring would be recommended, but often due to finances and schedule, such a scenario is not possible and you need to consider moving down the pyramid some.

The point of all of this is not to depress you, but to ground you in reality.  It’s possible that somewhere an absolutely ideal answer exists to the, “so what do we do about it, question.”  But giving parents the unicorn fantasy of what to do, is not helpful, so I emphasize the interventions that may not represent the ideal, but are more realistic and attainable.

Takeaway Point

When your child is struggling, strive to get the best, ideal interventions delivered as intensively and individually as possible, but keep the pyramid in mind.

To purchase a signed copy of  “What To Do About Dyslexia: 25 Essential Concepts” & to receive blog updates go, to https://shutdownlearner.com.

Copyright, 2018 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

I’m sure you know the old school expression,  that something “sticks in your craw.”

Probably not a day goes by where something is not sticking in my craw.  The only good that comes of it is I usually get inspired by the stuck craw to generate something to write about in the  blog.

This week’s annoyance center’s on the overemphasis (in the schools) of the Full Scale IQ, typically generated by the test of choice, the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (5^th ed.) or WISC-5.

While I am a proponent of the test and feel that it yields a lot of valuable information, too often the test is used as a justification to not help a child.

The notion of learning disabilities as it is generally written in special education code is that the child is eligible to be classified as “eligible” when he demonstrates at least average intellectual functioning (i.e., a good enough FSIQ) that ultimately shows a legitimate statistical discrepancy between the IQ and achievement (usually in reading.)

What happens, though if I’m a kid coming up with an IQ between 80 and 85, which ranges between the 10^th and the 15^th percentile, not a great place to be on the bell-shaped curve.

The reality is if that’s your score, kid, you’re likely out of luck.  While it won’t be said in such stark terms or plain language, the truth is this child would not be viewed as smart enough to get help.

That perspective bothers me on so many levels as the kids who are in the 80’s of IQ typically have serious academic issues and they are in desperate need of attention and support.

In a mixed grouping class (most are mixed grouping) of about 20 children, by pure statistical properties, about four or five will be  above average students.  Roughly ten or so will shake out in an average range.  That leaves about five or six or who are likely showing signs of struggling to a greater or lesser degree.

Within that group they may or may not have IEPs or 504 Plans.

They may have IQ  scores in the 80s and seen as ineligible, meaning they get no support or accommodation.

Whether children in this lower group have been “diagnosed” by outside professionals with ADHD, dyslexia, oppositional defiance disorder, sensory integration disorder, anxiety disorder, or have no official “diagnosis,” the fact is that lower group needs a lot of help

These are struggling kids regardless of their supposed label or whether they are or are not “eligible.”

___________________________

To purchase a signed copy of  “What To Do About Dyslexia: 25 Essential Concepts” & to receive blog updates go, to https://shutdownlearner.com.

Copyright, 2018 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

This week my “Annoy-O-Meter,” which is usually running pretty high (like at a level of 70 out of 100), was up in the high 90s.

What pushed it into the upper end of the dial was a run of girls that I either evaluated or met with their parents to discuss their girl’s struggles.

I heard consistent stories such as the following:

“We’ve seen our daughter struggling with school practically every day.  It’s not that she isn’t doing her homework, but she breaks down crying in the middle, sobbing that ‘she’s so stupid – she’s so dumb’ and that others are starting to laugh at her in school.  She’s an anxious mess and we think she may be getting depressed.  The school says the same thing they’ve been saying since she was in kindergarten and now in 5^th grade – ‘But, she’s so sweet;  she’s so smart; she’s such a pleasure.’”

“We know she’s sweet – we know she’s smart.  We also know that she’s struggling and that she can’t read, spell or write.”

I know I run the risk of generalizing here and that broad stroke statements don’t account for individual differences, but quite often this is what I find.

The girls are masters at teacher pleasing behaviors (in contrast with the boys).  As a result, they are literally off of anyone’s radar screen of concern.

Interacting with teachers in such positive ways often covers a wealth of flaws that are there, but are rarely commented on because of being “so sweet – so smart.”

Here’s a writing sample from one of the kids, Christine, age 11, a fifth grader, who has not gotten referred for any testing.  She’s not on anyone’s radar screen even though her parents are very worried about her.

Defining the word “barrage,” she spelled it as “brage” and then said it was, “heavey and continuos firing of wea pons during a battle  (no period)

For “pacifist” she spelled the word, “pastifiet.” Saying someone who beleves  that war and volence are wrong.

Writing is always an x-ray that reveals many things including a child’s thought process and understanding of sound-symbol relationships.  The writing should be the bell that sounds the alarm.

In this situation, no alarm was sounded, because Christine could not be more pleasant, engaging and positive.   Yet, every night she was breaking down behind the scenes.

Of course with such breakdowns, someone will be soon diagnosing her with either ADHD and/or an anxiety disorder (with the medication regimen to follow), but that is a subject for another post.

Takeaway Point

It’s really great that your daughter is “so sweet – so smart,” but don’t be lulled if you have concern.  You’ll need to have someone dig a little deeper beyond the sweet and smart.