Partner for science lab for ADHD?

[lclark]

I am trying to work out some kinks with my son's program this year.  He is an eighth grader, with a 504 plan (ADHD).  His science teacher has kept him after school 3 times this fall to complete unfinished labs.  BACKGROUND: My problem is that this teacher does not seem to care about accommodating student needs.  It is his second year with her (small school, so there is only one science teacher for the junior high school) and ended last year with my son experiencing such anxiety on science days that he was experiencing headaches and stomach aches on science days.  She also played a big part in my daughter, with autism, becoming so overwhelmed without the accommodations in her IEP being provided during junior high school that she shut down and was moved to an out-of-district placement.

Anyway, my son has had to stay after school to complete labs (he has no study hall).  He says a big part of the issue is that he does not have a lab partner.  the other students have lab partners, but his moved away.  Now he has to complete the labs by himself.  Something I've noticed about him when he is doing homework, is that he works a lot more efficiently with a "body double".  He asks me a question, I reply with, "what do you think you have to do?", then he figures it out and keeps going . . .  Is it appropriate to ask for an accommodation stating that he works with a lab partner?  How would I phase that to make sure she places him with a non-distracting, relatively good student? (while science is currently his lowest grade, he is still on the high honor rolls and wants to remain there for the year)

Thank you for your suggestions.  I have to be careful because the home-school connection had been damaged while trying to get the staff to comply with my daughter's accommodations and modifications.  We've been through the state complaint process.  The decision came out in my favor, but the district still denies that they have done anything wrong.

 

Thank you

[Backroads]

I am aware there is a lot of potential issues when it comes to mentioning other students on an IEP, even without name, but I feel this is something that could be put into an IEP. Working with a trusty lab partner seems reasonable enough.

That said, I'm useless on advice on how to word it.

You obviously can't select a student by name. Even "non-distracting, relatively good student" is vague (and I realize that's likely you tossing ideas out onto an anonymous forum rather than the IEP language you want). I've even heard stories where there were simply no students in the class that were suitable for the task. 

A lot of the phrases I'm thinking of are so vague they'd be hard to implement.

That said, partner work is a pretty run-of-the-mill classroom strategy, as is partnering up strong students with weaker ones. I think it's worth approaching the IEP work with an expectation of a lab partner. 

 

 

[Carolyn Rowlett]

I would suggest first approaching this from the general education classroom, rather than from accommodations in the IEP.  If all the other students have lab partners, he should have one, too.  It shouldn't have to be an accommodation in his IEP.  I would reach out to the science teacher (even though I realize she is uncooperative and this may not get you anywhere) and nicely say, "I realize that my son's lab partner moved away, but is there anyway he can be placed with a lab partner?  If there is an odd number of students in the class, could he be placed in a group of three?"  If that doesn't get you anywhere, I would then reach out to the principal and get a little more direct.  Lay out the issue, then state:  "I have tried to resolve this issue by not having to involve the IEP team and/or requesting additional accommodations, but I have been unsuccessful.  I am just asking that my student have access to the same classroom experience as the other students in his science class. "  Or something to that effect.  Hopefully, the principal will get the "hint" that your student is potentially being discriminated against due to his disability.

If that doesn't work, then you may have to request an IEP meeting add an accommodation.  The potential sticking point with that (and one reason why I suggest trying to work this out in the gen ed setting) is that you will need data to support that he needs a lab partner.  It is much easier (or should be) to just say "hey, everybody else has a lab partner to help complete labs, why shouldn't my son?"

[Carolyn Rowlett]

Also, if you do happen to get "lab partner" added as an accommodation, I agree with Backroads that specific language will be difficult. You will probably have to let the school choose the partner and then reconvene as a team if that particular partner isn't working out.  But you'll need "proof" as to why it's not working out.