ADHD & 504 Plan to Help for Daughter Who Forgets to Turn in Assignments

My daughter had a 504 plan for much of her public school years. Whether or not your daughter will qualify, it's important to consider a few things when preparing.

1. Understand exactly what a 504 plan can do. It doesn't change the curriculum. The 504 student gets the class material and lessons as originally intended. What it can change is the time the student has to complete an assignment (for example, extra time for a child who is sick frequently), reduced work load (for example, only do the even-numbered questions on an assignment when the student has demonstrated that he or she understands the subject matter, or to save stress or fatigue or pain the child doesn't have to answer in complete sentences when it's clear the child is capable of writing well - my daughter only had to write "13" when the question was "how many original colonies were there in the US?" when all the rest of the students had to write the answer in a complete, grammatically correct sentence with the words spelled right). The 504 plan can allow for private test taking for an anxious student, and it can allow for teachers to grant some leeway in collecting assignments.

2. Sit down prior to the meeting and think about your daughter and her behaviors regarding homework. Make a clear concise list of what would help your child. For example: [Daughter] completes homework but keeps it in her binder rather than pass it in. Teacher should privately request homework from [daughter]. [Daughter] receives one extra day after an E warning to turn in homework. Things like that. They don't let your daughter off the hook, responsibility-speaking, but they give her an extra step towards satisfactory homework completion.

3. Speak to your daughter's doctor or psychiatrist - whoever knows her best. Ask that person to write a letter to the school staff. Make the letter non-medical, but focus rather on how certain accommodations would help your daughter. And be specific. For example, this type of letter is NOT helpful: "[Daughter's name] has been diagnosed with XYZ syndrome, and requires 10 mg of XYZ medication. I believe she also demonstrates symptoms of ABC disease". This kind of letter is helpful: "I have treated [daughter's name] for X years. Due to her diagnosis, it would help her reach her educational potential if she were granted extra time to complete assignments. Her diagnosis means she often is forgetful or inattentive, and I advise that she be given assistance in the classroom to make sure she turns in completed work" or whatever you and the medical professional agree would help her the most.

4. At the meeting, don't use words like "scared", or try to explain the finer points of ADHD. You're the parent, the advocate for your daughter. Be reasonable, calm, and just explain that despite all the helpfulness, your daughter still can't complete the turning-in part of the assignments in class.

5. At home, try a few visual clues to help her turn in work. Buy a separate folder that is very brightly colored, and ONLY keep completed homework in it. Help your daughter develop the habit of putting work in that folder at night, and the next day, she checks that folder and if there's anything in it at all, it means she's forgotten to turn something in. No leaving school until the folder is empty.

6. And if she's granted a 504, help her understand that it's private, like a doctor's appointment. Make sure she doesn't brag to other students things like "oh, I don't have to do that homework tonight because of my ADHD". Teachers do not have access to her medical or psychiatric diagnosis, they only are informed of what it means in the classroom. And make sure your daughter knows that this doesn't give her a free ride, but it's a little extra help. Explain exactly what that extra help means as far as your daughter is concerned.

Finally, she may have to fail from time to time. And failing doesn't mean that giving up and losing hope is inevitable. You might consider getting her counseling to learn some specific strategies to understand failure, and how to get back up and keep trying. Because eventually it's going to be on her - you won't be able to be the safety net forever. Learning good tools for perseverance is always helpful, and kids with a learning disability or other disability often need a little extra help to face challenges in a healthy way. Or, you might get some counselling for yourself, to learn how to help a child with a diagnosis that impacts her life. It doesn't mean you're making mistakes - it means that you also need a toolbox to help a child with challenges. My 1st child was textbook - the usual kid stuff, not many problems at all, pretty much sailed through life with friends and success. The 2nd, my daughter? Turned the whole world upside down with her diagnoses and conditions and issues. My husband and I have had several counseling sessions to help us understand how to be effective parents and how to handle her many difficulties.

She absolutely qualifies for one. She has a disability AND her school performance is being affected by her disability. If the school turns you down, take it to the district superintendent. I found if you go high enough, things happen. Mention you want to avoid getting a disability rights attorney involved. (Even if you're not sincere about doing that, pretend you are ... they know they're messing with the law and will suddenly think your daughter qualifies.)

Don't be wishy-washy at the meeting. Go in there strong and informed. Read up about 504 plans on the ADDitude website. Our son has ADHD, along with a laundry list of other conditions. I've found when we go into his 504 plan meetings with clear ideas of what we want, solicit meeting participants for ideas for other ways the school can help (school may surprise you with other accommodations that might benefit your daughter) and treat it like a collaboration, it tends to go well.

I understand well the fine line of letting them learn from mistakes vs. recognizing the challenges of the disability. Our son also drives me crazy not turning in completed homework. We have yet to find a good solution, other than a clear reminder as he heads out the door in the morning.

ETA: just a clarification on chacha's response. For a 504, the school does not need to do an "evaluation" in the same way that they would need to do one for an IEP, which is a different level of accommodation specific to disabilities. The diagnosis from a medical professional confirmed in a letter is all that they need to determine eligibility. If your child had diabetes, they wouldn't try to re-diagnose her at school for a medical problem. That said, it's common for the school to suggest or request that they be allowed to conduct additional testing to see if she qualifies for additional services or to get a better picture of your child's strengths and challenges. For example with my second son, I had a full neuropsych eval done outside of school, which included intelligence testing, academic aptitude testing and Conners scales, which were all provided to the school. The school asked if they could test a few more things that they would have included had they done the testing and I agreed. it didn't change his accommodations, but it did rule out additional learning disabilities and confirmed that in some subject areas, his aptitude was much, much higher than his grades. This disparity allowed him to test into an honors class a year later because they knew that his work habits didn't reflect his ability to master the material.
So...they may ask to do testing to get a more thorough picture and rule out other issues. You can consent to it or not - I always found this testing valuable and agreed to it.

Original: I'm surprised that she hasn't been on a 504 plan all along. It's never to late too put one in place though, and policies like this homework one are a great example of why they are needed. You will need proof of her diagnosis. When my kids were diagnosed, we received a letter from their clinician (the psychiatrist who did their evaluations) that confirmed the diagnosis, the need for accommodations, and some accommodations that they would recommend. If you don't have that from a few years ago, ask her doctor for a letter. They do these all the time and should be able to provide it to you and the school well before your meeting.

Once you have the letter from a doctor, they won't be able to not provide services as she has a health impairment and it's illegal to not provide accommodations. So I wouldn't worry so much about being denied services. Cross that bridge when you get there, if ever. Right now, I would do some research on accommodations that are appropriate for a middle school student so that you know what to ask for. The school will likely have a list that they start with but you may want to add things that they might miss. The ADDitude website, CHADD website and other ADHD websites have a lot of info on this. You'll also want to, of course, take your child's needs into consideration. She may not need movement breaks, for example, if she's not fidgety. But she certainly needs a grace period on homework, and perhaps extra time on tests. Accommodations that are typical for ADHD include non-verbal cues from teachers to attend to work, 50% or 100% extra time on homework and/or tests, movement breaks, the use of a "fidget" tool, alternative seating such as an exercise ball or band around the legs of the chair, seating at the front of the class or away from groups, the ability to take tests in a separate setting, the use of a word processor for written assignments including open responses on tests, a parent receiving a weekly report of missing assignments, periodic progress reports, prompting to turn in assignments, etc. She may not need all of these right now, but it's better to have them in and not use them than to need them and have to schedule another meeting and revise the plan.

Once you and the school agree on a plan, you'll sign it and it will be effective. It will then get reviewed annually and you can make changes over the years.

Do not hesitate for a second to put this in place. If she were hearing or vision impaired, you'd have accommodations in place for her to be able to learn, right? If she were diabetic and needed to monitor her blood sugar or take medication during the day, you'd have that plan in place, right? This is no different. She has a health impairment and is legally entitled to accommodations that help mitigate her impairment and level the playing field. Go ahead and let her have what she is entitled to. A 504 plan isn't magic - she has to advocate for herself to some degree and you might have to push back a bit with teachers who don't seem to get it, but once that document is in place, it overrides things like an onerous homework policy. Good luck!

Unless your daughter is in private school, the principal is completely wrong. It is not a “possibility”—it is absolutely ILLEGAL for them to deny your daughter a 504. The other answers are wrong—there is NO evaluation by the school needed for a 504! They are talking about an IEP which your daughter does not need. All that is legally required is a doctors note stating she has ADHD. The doctors are used to writing these letters and will be very easy to obtain. Once you get the doctors letter, the school will arrange a meeting with you and all her teachers to come up with the plan. I am an attorney and I know first hand that the schools will try to intimidate parents into giving up because they do not want to deal with the issue. My daughter needed a 504 for just a couple things, like sitting in front of the class and turning in homework electronically as well as physically. I have the letter I wrote to the school and would be happy to share it with you so you can send it to the principal with the doctors note. Once they realize you know your legal rights and you will not hesitate to fight them, they will give you what you need. Send the letter and doctors note via email to both the principal and CC the head of the school district so the principal knows her superiors are watching. Message me if you want a copy of the letter, I’m happy to share it. I also agree with the other person who said you can threaten to get a lawyer even though you know you won’t. Just mention lawyer and disability law and they will comply. Best of luck.

So far no one has asked this question, and if I just missed this, I apologize. But I am wondering if your daughter takes medication? I know that people feel differently about this, and some kids can still manage without the medicine. I also know that some kids just can't tolerate it.

I also know that a tutor can help her "manage herself", but that's expensive and she will not take responsibility for herself if someone else is doing it for her. It's a hard balance, letting a kid learn from their mistakes, and accommodating them so much that they never learn independence.

That's why I ask about medication. If it helps her, she could manage better. And the part you mention about her writing because her thoughts are all over the place really made me wonder about the medicine. I have been told by my friends that their boys' writing got much better with medication.

I know you are worried. Middle school is so different from elementary, and it gets no easier.

One of my friends is a psychologist and huge advocate for her child because he has a very specific form of ADHD (he has something as well as the ADHD) and requires extra help.

This is what worked for him - especially once he hit middle school.

He has a tutor (can't think what else to call her) who worked to figure out how best to help him organize his work, study habits, etc. She is one advocate on his team.

He also has a plan.

Mom is the big advocate who goes to the school and meets with teachers and principal - but she has the tutor, plan and other recommendations (about his condition) to bring with her to the meetings.

He has extra time to do work, but after that - held accountable like everyone else.

Not sure if that helps. The tutor person has been vital to helping him learn what best works for him. She also helps with tutoring.

*I should add, our school adopted that policy (where there was some leeway) in middle school and I actually didn't like it. I thought life doesn't work like that, and didn't really get it. Once they hit high school, they found it hard to adjust. But our middle school does allow kids to pass in things late, so long as they talk to the teacher.

Hello,
I understand your concerns with your daughters ADHD, as I had two children with ADHD, one was passive and the other was hyper. I now have a grandson with ADHD also, but there is hope. Your question about the 504 plan...yes have that implemented immediately. The school should of offered this plan to you once you advised them of your child's diagnosis of ADHD. With a 504 plan in place you will get the assistance you need to aid your daughter in all aspects of her academics. For example, she should not be getting E's for homework that is not turned in on time. They should make provisions for her with giving her a day or two to turn it in late, because she has a 504 in place. Once you have a 504 in place, everything that is listed on the plan MUST be adhered to. This 504 plan works for your daughter to achieve success, even by turning assignments in a day or two later. Eventually your daughter will the get the hang of it and turn many assignments in on time, which will work to increase her self confidence and make her feel more accomplished. She may slide back but she will pick it up again. Be sure to have her medication checked by her physician because the more she grows her prescription will be at a higher dosage to work with her body. Also, I know it may seem bleak many times but keep the faith. It's very important, in my opinion, that you express to your daughter that you are proud of her when she does complete and succeed what she is suppose to do. It makes a world of difference to the child....I use to on Friday, take my daughter for ice cream or a special treat. The children with ADHD do get better with handling their challenges but you'll notice you'll always be nudging them to go a little bit farther. She will be off and flying before you know it. Good luck!

I just want to add that middle school is the worst, so anything you can do to help her through, with her love of school intact, is important. Middle school teachers seem to think they are preparing kids for high school and/or college, but for my kids, high school and college teachers were usually much more reasonable. My oldest son struggled with organization at that age, including regularly not turning in completed assignments. His middle school teachers were too often unforgiving, but by high school the school's attitude had changed from "what will he do when he gets to high school?" to "of course he is disorganized, he's a freshman!" By college, if he knew he needed more time, he spoke with his professors and they listened. He recently completed a master's degree. My other children had no such problems with organization, making it even clearer to me that each child's developmental path is different. But, children do grow up, they mature, they learn skills to help them compensate for what doesn't come easily to them. Oldest son knows he needs more time to complete things and he allows himself extra time with everything. Teachers and schools should help with this process. Punitive, one size fits all policies do not do this. So gather your info and advocate for a more understanding approach for her with the 504 plan. But most importantly, reassure your child that you know she is trying her best and will continue to learn and grow.

You put "POSSIBILITY" in caps, which indicates to me that you need to familiarize yourself with the law of Section 504.

Under the law, a school must first evaluate a student to determine eligibility for a 504 plan and the determination is made by a group of people. If a parent disagrees with the determination, the parent has a right to a due process hearing.

So, yes, right now it is just a POSSIBILITY.

Please arm yourself with knowledge of the law and an understanding of the process!

ETA: browneyed you should TOTALLY fight for your child!! My post was only meant to say that I was concerned you were not aware of what you were facing (I misinterpreted your use of the word "possibility" to indicate that you were surprised/scared to hear that there was any doubt). I think you should expect that there will be some testing, as JB indicates, but *also*, some school systems really try to get out of doing too much "extra", taking on "one more headache" for themselves, so as NewName says, I think you should prepare for a possible battle!

ETAA:
Evaluation is *definitely* part of the law. See 34 CFR Part 104 (Subpart D - 104.35 - "Evaluation and placement"). If a school is not conducting an "evaluation" - and that is the word for it - prior to putting a 504 plan into action, they are doing something wrong.

A doctor cannot dictate the specific terms of the school's 504 response to the child's needs, especially insofar as the 504 plan might impact taxpayer dollars in a public school. Also just the feeling that certain specifics are best left to the school staff (like "only answer alternating questions on the test to allow for more time" - that's not going to be a "prescription" coming from a doctor).