Welcome to part 7 of our sneek peak posts into Doctor Hammond’s soon to be titled book on raising emotionally healthy children. Today, we’re taking a look at the differences between a 504 plan and an IEP plan, but what are they and who needs to know about them? Read on to find out.
Any parent with a child that has ADHD will certainly admit to how challenging it can get trying to advocate best interests for him/her in an educational process. Still, few end up a little confused as to what kind of help their child needs. However, knowing the difference between a 504 plan and IEP plan will assist you to discover your rights, in addition to knowing which between the two is best for your child.
Both plans are specially designed to offer assistance and educational access to children with disabilities through the public system. However by definition, both plans differ.
A 504 plan
A 504 plan is specially designed to ensure students with disabilities receive the required accommodation that will see them successfully continue with their education. Students in need of such a plan naturally suffer from a specific impairment which impacts learning. In most cases, they do not need any specially designed instructions.
An IEP plan
An IEP plan is specially designed to ensure that any child with any disability is offered the required resources as per their needs. Actually, they receive specialized education services that are totally free of charge. On top that, the plan naturally undergoes a regular review to ensure achievement of educational objectives.
To assist you understand further, here are two key aspects that clearly distinguish the two.
1. Eligibility
A 504 plan
A disabled student is eligible for a 504 plan if he or she needs accommodation in order to have similar access to classes or programs. For instance, a student on ADHD medication may require a separate room for administering that medicine due to the drowsiness induced by the medication. And in a case where the kid easily forgets to bring home their books, an additional set of books will be given to them to keep at home.
In many cases, no modifications to the curriculum are necessary in order to help the student to learn under this plan. And because of the support in organizational and behavioral modification, the child will perform exceptionally well academically under the said plan.
An IEP plan
Compared to a 504 plan, an IEP plan is much harder to obtain. To begin with, for it to be implemented, a parent must show proof that their child actually has a disability and the said disability severely affects the child’s ability to learn and perform effectively. It’s only after that they can then proceed to ask the administrator for one.
2. Plan Development
A 504 plan
Under normal circumstances, a 504 plan will be developed by the teachers, administrators and even parents. This is done in a much more informal setting.
An IEP Plan
After the child has been evaluated and the disability established, the IEP plan will then be drafted by a representative group which features both special education and general teachers, administrators who are well-informed about the district programs, evaluators, therapists and in certain cases, both the parent and the child.
In summary, while each plan has its own set of attributes that separate them for one another, they key differences, as we’ve observed, actually stem from three aspects: how much your child needs, level of involvement of the experts in designing the plans, and lastly, where within the school system the child is placed to receive the highest level of attention to be successful. So, carefully study each of them and find one that suits you best.
Be sure to come back next week as we continue our sneak peaks into Doctor Hammond’s book! If you’re liking our preview posts, please leave a comment below and tell us about it!