Hello Brains!
When I was in school, I didn't get ANY accommodations for my
ADHD, and let's just say I didn't do as well as I should have.
These days a lot of accommodations are supposed to be available to ADHD students,
but some parents are still having trouble getting them.
So the US Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights,
or OCR, wrote school districts a letter.
And it's amazing!
[Intro Music]
I'm gonna include links so that you can read the whole thing for yourself,
but I want to read a little bit of it to you right now.
"Dear schools,
[Intimidating Music]
Do you know why I wrote to you today?"
I'm paraphrasing.
"We've been getting complaints.
Actually, THOUSANDS of complaints.
About discrimination. [Weary Sigh]
You know Section 504... right?
Part of the Federal Law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability
and requires you guys to provide an equal educational opportunity to students WITH disabilities?
You know Section 504 protects students with ADHD too, right?
We looked into it. A lot of teachers and administrators are doing a great job accommodating these students."
Thank you guys, by the way.
"But looks like some of you aren't familiar with ADHD
or how Section 504 applies to these students.
So we're gonna help you out.
Here's some policy guidance."
[Bad Boys (Theme from Cops)]
Amazing! The letter then reminds them that school districts
must do two things:
1. Conduct evaluations of students who, because of their ADHD,
need, or are suspected of needing, services;
and 2. Make sure that they receive those services
based on the students needs, NOT COST, and not based on stereotypes
or a generalized misunderstanding of ADHD.
So basically the OCR has our back.
Which is partly thanks to the effort and input of CHADD, who shared parents' concerns with them
and pushed for more guidance.
And guidance they gave.
There's a resource guide attached to the letter.
If you're a parent, teacher, adminstrator, student with ADHD,
it's worth taking the time to read this.
The resource guide explains what students with ANY disability are entitled to under Section 504,
then goes into an AMAZING description of ADHD
and all the ways that it can impact a student's ability to learn.
As well as how to recognize ALL forms of it.
That's important, because not every student with ADHD ends up in the principal's office.
Or even gets bad grades!
There are other signs to look for,
such as significant difficulty with beginning a task,
organizing and remembering information,
and completing assignments.
The guide also points out that ADHD often exists with other conditions like depression.
And that an evaluation is the best way to figure out a student's individual educational needs.
And those evaluations have to happen before interventions are put into place.
The guide flat-out says:
"School districts cannot simply group together a bunch of services and provide them in a blanket fashion
to any student with ADHD."
The guide encourages schools to work with the parents.
to figure out what services might be appropriate.
It even points out that a child's needs might change over time
and require re-evaluation.
And best of it all, it acknowledges that ADHD does not limit a student's intelligence or ability or potential.
It just masks it.
With proper support, we can succeed! Even in advanced and honors classes.
Because, yeah, gifted students have ADHD too.
On standardized tests, I was at a post high-school reading level by the third grade.
But being smart didn't keep me from getting distracted,
losing my books,
forgetting to take the SATS,
or dropping out of college.
The guide doesn't specify which interventions should be used to prevent that from happening to other kids,
but it does suggest some that might help, depending on the student's specific needs.
Including:
extra time on tests,
a different testing format,
behavioral intervention,
specific instruction on how to organize, start projects, or deal with getting distracted.
And techniques that parents have found worked for their kids.
Might I suggest **fidget toys**??
And the accommodations can't be limited to free or low-cost options.
This is amazing.
I wish I'd had this when I was a kid.
If you're a student with ADHD, I encourage you to take advantage of these accommodations.
It can feel weird to ask for help
and, if you're anything like me, you feel like you can get through school without them,
but trust me, it's going to be much more of a struggle.
There's no shame in asking for help in the areas in which you need it.
The help IS available. But you gotta speak up!
If you're the parent of a child that's struggling, I encourage you
to request an evaluation to see what accommodations they might need.
The school district can also provide initial testing for learning disabilities,
although you'll have to go to a specialist like a doctor or psychiatrist for an official diagnosis.
If your child does need accommodations, remember
the law says that your school HAS to provide them
regardless of cost.
The OCR made that really clear.
Which is amazing!
But here's the thing.
It's one thing for the law to require all of this.
It's another thing for schools to actually be able to provide it.
There's a gap.
A BIG gap between what students need to have
and what schools are capable of giving.
I actually come from a long line of teachers.
I volunteered in my mom's special education classroom
most summers from the time I was five.
My mom, and every teacher I met,
ended up spending a lot of their own time and money
on teaching tools and supplies that
the school just couldn't afford to provide.
My mom wanted to give each of her students the best education possible.
But she couldn't do it alone.
Now that schools know what your child is entitled to,
here's what teachers need from you to help make it happen.
They need your support.
Teachers go to battle for your kids, and you're the reinforcements.
There's pressure on schools to minimize spending on special education services.
If you advocate for what your child needs,
if you know what the law entitles them to,
and aren't afraid to ask for it,
you can help them make sure that your child gets those needs met.
They need your cooperation.
You know what happens at home.
They know what happens at school.
Together, you can find strategies that work.
And a lot of the time, they need your encouragement.
My mom loved what she did, but she came home defeated sometimes
by parents who insisted it wasn't enough.
But every once in a while, when she had a parent that understood,
who worked with her, who updated her on the progress at home,
and who appreciated her efforts,
it was those parents that inspired her to keep fighting.
Just sayin'.
That's it for this week. I posted a link to the letter in the description below.
I highly encourage you to read it. It is AMAZING.
Also, I'm putting together a video with one of the Brains
who's a teacher that will cover more of what you need to know about how to
advocate for yourself or your ADHD child.
If you like what I do, subscribe! And
if you love what I do, and want to help me keep doing it,
consider donating to our Patreon page.
You can also comment below, hit me up on Facebook or Twitter, and ask me questions for Question Time.
Bye Brains!
Question Time!
I actually have a question for you this week.
I already asked this on the Facebook page, but
for those of you who don't follow that, and you should, I want to ask you too!
Those of us with ADHD can get discouraged pretty easily.
What do you need to hear when you're feeling down?
Comment using #ADHDpeptalk and I might include it in a video.
Mine is: you're not failing at normal.
Your brain just works a little differently and that's okay.
Here's some tea. What's yours?