Section 504 – Constellation ADHD Coaching

Last week, I attended the International Conference on ADHD. It was great to see coaching friends in person, to meet new people, and to learn so many new things. All three keynote speakers were truly inspiring, imparting information and motivation.

One common thread for all three speeches related to the current situation neurodiverse people are facing, due to a variety of policy and personnel changes in the Federal government. In case you are not aware of these challenges, here is a brief summary (if you know the issues, you can head down to the Call To Action):

Department of Education/Office of Special Education: The Trump administration has expressed its intention to close the Department of Education. Since this can only take place through an act of Congress, the Department’s staff is being critically reduced, and plans have been announced to move various departments to other agencies. These actions will hamper oversight of compliance with IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act), which protects the rights of disabled students. It also can impact administration and protection of Section 504, under which many students with ADHD receive vital accommodations.

Additionally, Office of Special Education staff has been significantly decreased. This endangers distribution of funding for special education programs at schools. There have also been discussions of moving OSEP to the Department of Health and Human Services, which smacks of looking at special education students as being impaired, versus different.

Evidence – Based Care/Treatment of ADHD: There have been many, many studies on ADHD that show that a multi-modal approach to treatment – medication, therapy, educational and work supports – is the best practice when it comes to addressing ADHD. However, the MAHA commission established by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has cast doubt on these studies and treatments. MAHA’s approach could impact the availability of medication for ADHD and other mental health challenges, as well as cause issues with insurance coverage for treatments. The shortage of ADHD medication in recent years has been incredibly difficult for those that rely on medication to do their work, drive safely, and live life to the fullest. One can only imagine how reducing access to medication altogether would impact the ADHD community.

Call To Action!

Do the issues summarized above make you anxious? Frustrated? Angry? Is the thought of your child being unable to get their medication, or having difficulties at school because of programs being erased, something that you do not want to stand for?

After listening to the keynote speakers at the conference, I am ready to fight.

There are simple ways to make your opinion known to your Federal representatives. While you may think that this is ineffective, I can tell you, as a former constituent liaison for a state representative, letters, emails, and phone calls are logged. So while every word you write may not matter, just the act of writing does. We need to show our representatives that access to evidence based care and a protective environment for our neurodiverse children matters!

The CHADD Advocacy Center (https://chadd.org/adhd-advocacy-action-center/) is set up for extremely easy access to your representatives. They supply a template for emails on a variety of important topics. When you insert your name and address, your email is automatically routed to your representative. It takes literally two minutes.

I know that having one more task on your plate is exactly what you don’t want. So here are a few strategies to help out:

Set an alarm/reminder for a somewhat less busy time during your day.
Have Siri/Alexa remind you to “stand up for the rights of ADHDers!”
Stack sending emails with another existing habit (“before I brush my teeth I will…”)
Hop on the CHADD site while doing something else that you enjoy (“I will listen to this podcast only if I am also contacting my senator!”)
Gamify it – how many emails can you send in one week? Set up a contest with a friend or family member. (It is okay to send it over and over, again, numbers matter!)
Think about your future self – will FutureYou want you to ignore this issue, and leave them without meds??
Ponder your values – who do you want to be in relation to this issue? Do you believe that all people are entitled to the assistance that will help them live a good life?

I urge you to not sit on the sidelines. Use that ADHD sense of justice and fairness, and your creativity and compassion, to propel you towards action. For you, for me, for all of us.

It’s just about August. And after that…well, you know.

I’m really not trying to be a doom and gloomer. But, ready or not, before you know it, that big yellow bus will pull up to the corner. So let’s talk about what to do – and not do – before that happens. Let’s meet this head on!

Here we go, in no particular order:

1 – If your child is starting a new school in a district that is new to them (or a new private school), DO contact the school.

Reaching out to the school’s guidance office can be really helpful, in the cases above. You can make sure the school has all documentation relating to your child (IEP’s, Section 504’s, behavior plans). While these documents should travel with your child, there can be delays; you want to be sure that the school is aware of your child’s ADHD and other learning differences.

2 – DO NOT try to meet with your child’s teacher(s) prior to the start of the school year.

I know, I am flying in the face of articles you may have read. But as a retired teacher, I can tell you that teachers are not only incredibly busy getting ready for all of their students, they are probably doing so on their own time. If you’d like to email the teacher(s) to introduce yourself and your child, that’s fine. But meetings should wait until the year is underway. PS – teachers are professionals. They are required to read IEP’s and 504 plans prior to any student walking into their classroom – and they do.

3 – DO include your child in school supply shopping.

Believe me, I am well aware of the pitfalls of shopping with a child, with or without ADHD. However, school supplies are the tools that your child will use all year. They should have choices where possible, including having Fantastic Four folders or a Barbie pencil case. Furthermore, your child will be more apt to use and take care of supplies they have chosen. So Staples, here we come!

4 – DO start to incorporate morning and evening routines, and earlier bedtimes, before the year starts.

Summer is a time of freedom – playing outside by the light of fireflies, sleeping in, ice cream for breakfast. While we don’t want to cut off the fun before we have to, bringing back routines a week or so prior to the start of school will make that first day go much more smoothly. PS – if your child has been having an ADHD “medication vacation,” consider starting on back on medication before the first day of school. This will enable them to adjust to how they feel when on their ADHD meds.

And finally….

5 – DO NOT end the summer before you have to.

Kids work hard during the school year. ADHD kiddos have an even rougher road. While it is great to mitigate the “summer slide” with fun activities that have educational benefits (cooking together, playing board games, taking turns reading a book together), forcing workbooks and other schoolwork on your child during the summer is not, in my opinion, fair. Schools do assign summer work, and getting that done with a few weeks to spare enables your child to have summer last right up until it’s gone.

So enjoy the rest of the summer! Just keep one eye on that corner; that school bus is on the way.

Tag: Section 504

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