Modification/Accommodation

[Anj]

Hi all,

my 10th grade daughter has selective mutism/ social anxiety and has had an IEP for years. She has made much progress and speaks to many teachers and peers freely but not all. 

She is struggling in algebra 2 despite the math teacher being wonderful and helping her some days before school and again alter in the day during advisory period. She spends a lot of time each night trying to get everything completed and has started to have headaches and TMJ due to stress and anxiety over math. Yesterday at the annual IEP meeting we asked for a modification/reduction of the amount of work she needs to complete each day. The SPED director was resistant to this and suggested we just try peer tutoring at school but also agreed 2- 3 hours a day is too much. We are going to meet again as we didn’t get through the IEP yesterday in the meeting.
so I am typing up an email this morning to memorialize and again to request a reduced assignment amount. Perhaps all odd or all even numbers. 
she only needs this on the assignments where she is struggling. Some assignments she is able to grasp and complete fully.

I’m seeking advice in reference to asking for this. We do not want to jeopardize her credits and ability to graduate but just want to reduce her stress so she can learn.

Thanks for  any input that may be helpful.

[Carolyn Rowlett]

A very common modification is for the disabled student not to have to spend more than 1  and 1/2 times on homework that her non-disabled peers spend.  So ask the principal what a "normal" amount of time is for homework in 10th grade.  Then to get to the reduced amount, put in a modification along the lines that you suggested - only do even or odd numbers.  Another way to word it is that "once mastery is shown," do not require additional problems.  So on concepts that the does grasp, let her move on without doing busy work so she can spend more time on the concepts she doesn't understand.  Finally, you could also consider asking for modifications to the curriculum in math.  Is she really going to need all that she's being taught in math for her future that it's worth the stress it puts on her?  Schools are very resistant to changing the curriculum to something like "functional math," but some experts are championing for this for disabled students.  I'm not saying that your daughter can't learn the concepts, but rather are they worth learning.

[Anj]

Thank you for this. It is very useful information for me to take back to discuss with the Sped director. so far she has not responded to my email as a follow up the the math question at the IEP annual review meeting a couple days ago. At the meeting 
she suggested peer tutoring at school as the solution. I’ve been told told that is something that is accessible to all typical kids so not appropriate  as the sole solution for my daughter. Additionally, with her Selective Mutism and social anxiety and the real possibility of  being tutored by a different peer  each week that would be difficult for her.

Thanks again. Much appreciated. 

 

[JSD24]

I wouldn't use the word 'modification'.  Use accommodation.  Reduced homework accommodation:  XX's teacher will accommodate XX's slow processing with doing math homework by selecting 50% of what is assigned as representative of the concept being taught.  XX will do the reduced assignment and it will count as 100% complete toward her grade.  At her option, XX can do more than the 50% the teacher selected.

[Carolyn Rowlett]

You are exactly correct, JSD24.  My apologies.  Thank you for catching this.  My first two suggestions would be accommodations.  My third one would be a modification.