the required homework, giving extra
time for testing, seating a distractible child near the source of instruction. These teachers give
support and encouragement, without blaming the child for erratic performance.
Depending on their teaching styles, some teachers have an easier time providing this flexibility
than others, and if the administrator realizes this, and appropriately matches the child's unique
needs to the particular teacher, problems can be avoided from the beginning. Late assignments
can be accepted, without penalty, misspelling on tests that are not spelling tests can be excused.
There is no battle ground here between the school and the parents. All are partners in providing
this child with the education she deserves, and there is little if any cost to the school district, or to
There are two reasons why informal accommodations don't always work.
The first is that the school refuses to believe that this child, who looks healthy, or is laughing
with his friends in the hall, is in fact sick. Parents should certainly be prepared with
documentation, to back their assertion that their child has an illness that effects her learning -
clear detailed letter from the treating doctor, neuropsychological evaluation, even brain SPECT
scan, if there is one. The child has a right to an education, but the school has a right to the
evidence that a medical problem that effects learning DOES exist.
The second reason that informal supports might not work is that the child needs more than can be
provided without a formal plan. If this is the case, a 504 committee needs to be convened, and a
504 plan is put into place.
Section 504 is Federal civil rights legislation. Under it, a child with a disability has a right to
accommodation to compensate for the disability. And, as I said earlier, it is
By law, a letter from the treating physician should be all that is needed in order to convene a 504 meeting, and develop a 504 plan. This is the easier of the two types of accommodations to put into place, and usually leads to a quicker meeting, therefore accommodations begin more quickly. If the 504 does not seem to be working, if it does not provide for adequate accommodations, then a parent can request the Committee on Special Education to meet. A child with a health problem qualifies to be classified Other Health Impaired
, an IEP (the plan for the child), is put into place, and supports are written into the plan. Supports available with an IEP that are not usually available under 504 include Resource Room, regular counseling for the child with a the school social worker, and school psychological evaluation every three years, as long as the child remains classified.
Here are some of the accommodations that might be put into place, and how I've seen children helped by these accommodations. Some may require that a neuropsychological evaluation document the particular learning problem that leads to the need for the accommodation.
• Unlimited time for testing - a child is afforded extended time to take tests. Some children
with Lyme have problems with the speed of processing information. These children get exceedingly anxious, trying to take a timed test. This accommodation removes the anxiety, literally gives them enough time to think.
• Separate testing location - this is appropriate for children who have problems with focusing
and concentration, and are easily distracted. There are fewer children taking the test, in a quiet location.
• Tests read to student - this is for students who have particular verbal learning problems, in
which their auditory learning is less impaired than their visual learning.
• Excused from a percentage of their homework. Children with profound fatigue, who have a
difficult time just getting through the school day, benefit greatly from having less work to do at home.
Keep in mind that more
school work is not necessarily better
. If a child is fatigued and has problems with memory and organization, of what use is hours worth of homework, at the end of the school day, or on the weekend? Of what benefit is increa