IEP/504 for Autism Spectrum

Parent Q&A

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  • 504 Plan for Autistic Child

    Feb 6, 2024

    Hi Parents,

    Our son was recently received a full psychological assessment through the school district. Even though he has a medical diagnosis of Autism, he did not qualify for an educational diagnosis of Autism and did not qualify for IEP services. He is a very kind, bright, empathetic child. He is very smart and I know will do well academically. However, I am still worried about how he will do socially. He has trouble picking up on social cues, initiating play in a way that others understand, and will sometimes use animal voices instead of voicing his needs. I appreciate it as his unique way of being, but also realize this could be difficult on the playground. Has anyone had experience creating a 504 plan for their autistic child? What sorts of accomodations did you include that proved helpful in a kindergarten class? Any suggestions on collaborating with classroom teacher or principal?

    I'm very surprised your child was assessed (not diagnosed since school assessments aren't diagnoses, they're assessment for eligibility) but not entitled to an IEP. To be honest, before we had the (private neuropsych) autism diagnosis for our child, the (previous) principal at our elem school worked so hard to obstruct my child's access to services. Please do not settle for the 504. In another recent post, others have recommended DREDF as a good resource for info and advocacy. I also eventually paid for COPAA membership, when I was looking for an educational advocate -- which has a forum of parents navigating legal and advocacy needs for children. It's helpful to hear how others frame their approach to school dynamics. 
    My kid lost two years of possible supports, including during the pandemic, and when I tallied just one year's expenses and costs to me, it was mind blowing, as well. Your child is entitled to a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). My kid is now thriving in a 1:1 teaching environment and they told me it's the first time since kindergarten they like school. They are in 6th grade. They are intellectually gifted, charming, and creative. Finally those qualities are nurtured and their challenges are supported. 
     

    if I had to do it again, I would not have settled for the intermediary steps. Happy to talk to you off the site. 

    Yes, my son had a 504 first and then an IEP, which we had to fight for. Did they evaluate social thinking and sensory integration (defensiveness and seeking)? Those needs usually require direct services (individual and/or group), in addition to accommodations. Districts cannot deny services simply because children are functioning within average ranges academically. They need to consider social thinking needs (services from an SLP with autism spectrum expertise) and sensory needs (services from an OT). Check out Social Thinking accommodations online for ideas. For collaborating with school staff, share with them Beyond Rain Man: What One Psychologist Learned Raising a Son on the Autism Spectrum (IndieBound.org).

    I am not a parent of an autistic child and this does not answer your specific questions, but as someone with some experience on the education evaluation side of things - if you are concerned that the psych assessment conducted by the district did not accurately or thoroughly assess your child and the IEP is important to you, you have the right to request an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE) to be funded by the school district. Maybe you already know this, but just in case, posting here. You may not wish to request an IEE as the school can file due process if they disagree (which could lead to a hearing), but you do have the right.

    Hi - I’d rather not discuss on a public forum, but you can contact me through this I believe. 

    Hi,

    You know your child better than anyone else. Do you agree with the school district assessment? If not,  you have the right to request an independent assessment from qualified specialists, at public expense. This request should be made in writing and directed to the school district.   

  • My son turns 5 this October. He begins kindergarten in August 2024. He will continue with ABA one more year until he transitions into elementary school. A neurodevelopmental psychologist assessed our son and wrote a report, which includes that he requires a full-time one-on-one aide. Our son is nonverbal and is not potty trained. He also does not understand how to use utensils or does not feed himself. He cannot sit still and needs to constantly move his body to self-regulate. He was classified as moderate to severe. We are debating between the Lafayette School District and San Ramon Valley Unified School District (SRVUSD). We were told by a couple of families that they were unable to get SRVUSD to assign a one-on-one aide. This was despite their child needing one. This was not for an intensive case, but a case similar to ours. I am very worried about our son. We want to make sure he receives the right support and accommodations. Could someone please provide information on whether the Lafayette School District is resistant to providing a one-on-one aide? Additionally, I would appreciate any additional details about SRVUSD and any guidance on how to navigate these situations successfully. Thank you in advance for your assistance.

    I’m a general education teacher. I don’t have experience in either of the school districts mentioned. However, I feel that ALL school districts are resistant to providing one-on-one aides because they are expensive and the district must abide by the “least restrictive environment” law. If at all possible, hire a parent advocate to help you with navigating the IEP process. I hope your son gets what he needs!

    Initially I did not reply to your question because our son who is on the spectrum has been out of school for quite awhile - he is now 34 and very successful in his career.

    But I must say - it was a one-on-one aide who got our son over the hump, from being a major time-suck for teachers in elementary school to being on track to succeed in life.

    Here's our story:

    In eighth grade, our son could not stay on task, and could not write more than one or two consecutive sentences.  I was very frightened for him.

    This was the period of time when the OUSD superintendent was Dennis Chaconas, and the head of special educaton was Vivian Lura. The former could not balance the checkbook, and the latter figured out that it was cost effective to give parents what they demanded, in terms of services for their special needs children, instead of going to court. (Neither was on the job very long."

    But while the good times lasted, enter Katie, a credentialed special ed teacher from Florida who was awaiting her California certification.  She figured out what would motivate our son to stay on task: one afternoon per week in the library. She used behavior modification scaled up to the needs of an intelligent thirteen-year-old.

    The academic success that followed set the stage for our son earling good high school grades, being accepted to UC Davis, and a being hired in good internship with a public agency.  Now he has a steady civil service job and an MA in public administration.

    Maybe our son is an outlier, but it was the one-on-one aide who made the difference.

    Vivian Lura, and the director of special ed who followed her, the late Phyllis Harris, realized that one-on-one aides should be classified as "para-professionals" and paid accordingly. Before that they were classified with janitors.

    The right person can make a major difference in a child's life.

    I would urge you to push for the right person to be with your child during the critical years when they are capable of being inspired and motivated.

    OUSD "overlooked" and missed the 3 mentions of a one-on-one aide in our IEE, which meant they also "neglected" to tell us that the IEE recommendation means bupkes and a second OUSD internal evaluation is required to approve an aide. This was on the day before school ended and would have meant our child would not receive an aide were one approved until January. Another parent described the results of those evaluations as predetermined "nos".

  • Hi parents

    Has anyone gone through the process of getting their high functioning child on the spectrum eligible for an IEP?  How does one show that a child's social, emotional and communication issues hinders his/her access to learning?  I am hoping I can get some advice from you lovely people before the next time I talk to the school!

    Thank you so much for your help.  Stay safe.

    You might contact the school IN WRITING telling them you want your child to be tested. The test itself has a section for the child to fill out and questions for the parent to fill out that addresses your student's issues directly. The school has to legally comply with your request. The test is done at no cost to the student or family. You will be able to use the results to support your student all the way through college - with more time on tests. So having a test done by the school is invaluable. If you have a private test done the costs run $2K - and up and are usually not accepted by the School district, as they have to run their own test. Good luck!

    My son was evaluated by OUSD at age 3.5 and has high functioning autism. He’s 6.5 now and has had an IEP ever since. They don’t differentiate between where your child is on the spectrum as far as the IEP goes. There are different classrooms and your child will probably be in an inclusion class which is general education with accommodations. After assessing your child, they will come up with a plan of ways to accommodate your child to help them learn. During the IEP meeting you can make suggestions as to what you think will work best for your child.

    My child qualified for a 504 plan, where you can get accommodations but you have to do the same work as the other kids.  The IEP is where you don't have to do the same work as the other kids.  You can ask the district for a free evaluation and they have to give it to you, without you having to prove anything.  We did this, and then we (parents) had a meeting with the principal, a teacher, and the evaluators (psychologist and other learning disabled professionals from the school, they watched her on the playground and administered tests).  See the dredf.org website.  (disability rights organization.  Good luck, accommodations can help your child!
     

    Just to correct, an IEP and 504 are not separated by the type of work done. A child with an IEP can still be required to do the same work as all their classmates, however, there can be accommodations like more time, or spread out into smaller, more manageable chunks, etc. It's true that the work may be different for some students, but this is not true for all students with IEPs. Also, if you disagree strongly with the results of the school's assessment you can get your own assessment and the district would be required to pay for it. They will probably give you a list of clinicians to use, but you are not required to use theirs. Check out these resources: DREDF, DRC, wrightslaw.com.