The Nuts and Bolts of IEP and 504 Education Plans
Whereas an IEP necessarily involves school district or school board consent and involvement, a 504 plan can be initiated and written by and with a child's teacher(s). Both plans will require documentation of your child's diagnosis and disability. When you ask for special educational services for your child at school, there are two types of formal procedures and possible plans, each relating to a separate law. Although the specific options and services are similar under both plans, the process by which they're obtained and managed differs with each.
IEP Plans
An IEP plan outlines the specific special education services your child needs, which are covered under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). It requires a formal evaluation of your child's OCD, meaning testing and diagnosis with documentation of his OCD symptoms and their adverse effects on his ability to learn. In order to take advantage of IDEA, which is funded at the national level, the student must qualify for Special Education classification. The student then receives an Individual Education Plan (IEP) prepared by his school district. This program requires parental involvement, allows for parental appeals to decisions made by school staff and offers more accountability than a 504 plan.
504 Plans
The intent behind this law is to “eliminate barriers for every child's education and create a level playing field” for all students. A 504 plan does not require a Special Education classification, and it's appropriate for children who don't qualify for an IEP plan. Having a 504 plan in place makes it easier to request special services from your child's school. 504 plans are more general in terms of who is covered, allowing for in-school and at-home assistance for any student with an “impairment that interferes with his learning and socialization.” Unlike IEP plans, parental involvement is not required, although it is permitted and has become common practice. 504 plans are generally faster to obtain than IEP plans and are viewed by many parents as potentially less stigmatizing for a child.
There are some potential disadvantages of a 504 plan if your child has severe and debilitating OCD symptoms. Services provided under a 504 plan do not receive federal funding, and must depend on state, county and school district resources. As a result, these plans tend to be more informal and can offer less accountability to parents. Still, by parents and teachers working closely together on behalf of children with special needs, these plans are being made to work in school districts all across the country.
Because a 504 plan begins with your child's teacher(s), her teacher is the obvious person with whom to begin the process of inquiry about in-school resources and accommodations for your child with OCD. A parent's initial request for a child's 504 plan must be made in writing, but, unlike an IEP, the 504 plan does not require formal testing in order to be completed and acted upon.
Here's one parent's experience with a 504 plan for her middle school daughter, Jessie.
We've had Jessie's 504 plan approved. She'll have a place to go, either a counselor's office or the library, when she needs a break from the classroom. She'll agree to a certain number of times a day to go the bathroom, which will change as her treatment progresses. If she gets hung up with an in-class assignment, trying to be perfect, or needing to ask too many questions, her teacher will use a code word, something to let Jessie know they can talk privately about it later, but she should keep going for now. It's only been a few weeks, but I already notice she's a lot more cheerful getting ready in the morning. There's hope!
Each student's 504 plan will be individualized for the child's unique needs, and it will by necessity remain flexible as the child's OCD symptoms improve or worsen, or simply change.
Here are some additional differences and comparisons between the two types of education plans.
An IDEA Individual Education Plan (IEP) derives from the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. It has a more narrow definition of disability and involves a more formal process to obtain services.
Since IDEA is a special education provision, in order to qualify for its services a child must be evaluated and “labeled” as a special education student. Although this by law remains a confidential matter, some parents don't wish to have this label attached to their child's record.
A 504 plan refers to an article from federal rehabilitation legislation protecting the civil rights of children with disabilities.
For families who don't want their child to go through the formal special education evaluation process, or if the child's school is not recommending this, they can go the route of a 504 plan. This law defines disability more broadly and often provides the most appropriate model for a school's management of a student with mild to moderate OCD.
If you find knowledge about your child's OCD lacking on the part of her teacher and/or school administration, the next option is to take the proactive step of providing some background about the disorder. In addition to presenting information about OCD in general, offer specific information about your child's learning needs in writing for your child's teachers and administrators.
Your written OCD summary might include the following items.
The definition of OCD as a disorder causing unwanted and uncontrollable obsessions (thoughts and images) and compulsive actions
Your child's current OCD symptoms: For example, worries about contamination; excessive hand washing; fear of physical contact with books other than her own, other students or their clothing; or her fear of using a public restroom
What responses help your child: Giving her extra space around her desk, or more time to get work done. Offering gentle re-direction when she gets distracted
Specific accommodations you are requesting as part of her 504 plan: More time for tests, in-class assignments, and homework; the last in line for cafeteria and gym class
Much of this information can be gleaned from your own daily symptom logs and other documentation of your child's treatment you either have at home or can prepare. It's important to view a 504 plan as a work in progress. Flexibility must be maintained in order to reflect your child's progress, possible relapses and ever-changing needs.
Question?
Do all schools provide the same resources for dealing with OCD?
Special education resources vary from one community to the next, as does the speed in which individual schools are able to respond to your initial request for a 504 or IEP evaluation. There is often a lengthy waiting list for services. Your success in getting your child the care and learning accommodations he needs will require persistence, patience, and a commitment to becoming and staying informed about new resources for treatment in your own community.
Your Child's Case Manager
The selection of a case manager for your child's IEP or 504 plan helps forge an effective home-school partnership for managing your child's OCD. The case manager can be his teacher, the school nurse, counselor, or any other qualified school staff person. The case manager will then keep all of those involved with your child's education and health/mental healthcare, both those within the school and any outside mental healthcare providers involved with your child, informed of any key developments in his care, capabilities, and new challenges; for instance, a change in symptoms.
In many cases, the child's teacher is responsible for writing the IEP or 504 plan and other team members contribute the sections that pertain to their area of specialization. For example, the school nurse might write the section on physical health needs, and the school counselor might contribute the section on behavioral and emotional needs. Having your child's teacher act as his case manager is often the most effective structure for coordinating his education under these circumstances.
Getting an OCD Diagnosis from the School District
If your child has not received a formal diagnosis of OCD from a private mental healthcare provider, and the school or school district does not have an on-staff psychologist who can render one, you should ask the school for an outside referral.
In addition to a formal diagnosis of OCD, in order to complete a 504 plan or IEP your child will need an assessment of her special needs in the school environment. This may require a referral (ideally by the teacher or administrative staff person who is her case manager) to a school district psychologist or another mental healthcare provider in the community with whom the school contracts for this specific purpose. This assessment will determine what school and/or community-based services your child requires, and provides those referrals. With this assessment permanently in your child's school files, her present and future teachers, counselors, and therapists will have a case history and baseline reference for her symptoms, academic capabilities and limitations, and treatment progress over time.
