If your child is on a 504 or IEP, you have probably heard about accommodations and modifications. An accommodation changes how your child learns the material, such as listening to an audio recording in addition to or instead of reading. They are learning the same material as the rest of the class, just in a different way. A modification changes what your child is expected to learn. An example would be using curriculum below the grade level of same-aged peers, a 6th grader using a 3rd grade textbook. The purpose of both is to meet the learning needs of the student, much like adjusting the basketball rim for the ability level of the players. How many 8-10 year old children would maintain their interest in basketball if they could only play on a court with the professional rim height requirement of 10 feet?
Most parents of children with special needs recognize this and are motivated to find successful solutions as they watch their little one struggling with an overwhelming task. You don’t want to see your children label themselves as failures when they are required to complete a task that is unmanageable for them. You know that one small success can lead to another. You recognize that your child does not learn like everyone else and will only encounter frustration without some form of support, an adjustment to the rim height. Parents are the best advocates for their children. You know better than anyone else what they are capable of, what motivates them and what shuts them down.
There are many sources on the internet that provide lists of possible accommodations and modifications. A Day in Our Shoes and Wright’s Law are two that I recommend for those lists. Charmaine Thaner has an online course for parents with more in depth information on how they can advocate for their children.
It is easy to become lost in the sea of information available to parents. You will want to focus on meeting your child’s needs to lead to their success. Does your child need to master flawless penmanship to become a successful adult? In our computer age, probably not. Do they need to learn to establish and maintain positive relationships with others? Definitely.
As you consider any adjustment to your child’s school experience that will vary from the mainstream, evaluate the costs and benefits. Will it create such a significant difference as to set them apart from their peers, such as having a one-on-one aide during recess? If so, does the benefit it provides, perhaps your child’s safety, outweigh that cost? If the benefit provided does not compensate for the cost, is there another option? Would a peer buddy be more effective? Or more structured adult supervision, such as one staff member assigned to 5 students?
Which would most closely meet your child’s needs, an accommodation or a modification? Modifications do not always mean below grade level curriculum. Does your child just need more time to complete his essay? Or would their needs be more closely met by lowering the requirement, 3 paragraphs instead of 5? Can your child demonstrate math comprehension by correctly completing 10 problems instead of 25? While their peers are memorizing 20 spelling words, could your child be better served by focussing on the 10 most commonly used words? Or would extended time to complete assignments, a commonly used accommodation, be more helpful?
There are many reasons why an assignment can be overwhelming. Understanding which part of the process needs support will help you select the best accommodation or modification for your child. For example, is your child struggling writing an essay because of his handwriting? For children with dysgraphia, handwriting is physically painful. They do much better with a word processor. Does your child struggle to organize ideas and would benefit from using a graphic organizer before beginning the essay? Some students benefit from additional instruction either by having the teacher provide more detailed whole group activities, which benefits other students as well, or in the form of one on one support during individual work in the classroom. Is procrastination the problem? Does your child tend to delay completing assignments until the last moment? Consider an accommodation of breaking a major assignment down into several smaller ones with separate deadlines. For example, the assignment may be a 5 paragraph essay due at the end of the term. It could be broken down into chunks of a topic and outline due in 1 week, a graphic organizer of main and supporting ideas due in 2 weeks, a rough draft due in 3 weeks and the final essay due in 4 weeks.
Consider the goals you have for your child based on their ability level. Do you feel they will need some level of care for the rest of their lives and the best course for them is to learn a marketable skill and develop enough social ability to get along in a group home? Or do you see them as capable of an advanced degree sometime in the future and just needing a few supports now? Keep the long term goals in mind as you evaluate which accommodations and modifications will be in their best interest. If your child is planning on post high training, you may prefer accommodations over modifications for reading, writing and math assignments. You will make the best decisions on accommodations and modifications for your child’s 504 or IEP when you consider your child’s needs and the end goal you have for them.
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