504 and dealing with schools

[Guest guest]

Amen! These are wise words.

Judy

504 and dealing with schools

I would not be too quick to offer to get classroom work completed at

home. Home should be a sanctuary where the OCDer can feel safe and regroup

from fighting all those impulses while at school. If you then have the

pressure of having to complete the unfinished work, both the parent and the

child cannot have a chance to have R & R.

Perhaps a better plan would be to have written into the 504 that the

child is given a shortened amount of classroom that covers the main concepts

but in an abbreviated form. Instead of 5 math problems on two digit

addition, have the child do two. That way, the child experiences success,

the teacher does not have to keep checking back for unfinished work and the

parent is able to have " only " the role of parent, not part-time teacher, of

the child. Being a parent of an OCD child is difficult enough without having

to keep after the child for unfinished classwork.

One other suggestion is to also insist on extended deadlines and

abbreviated homework. Yes, you may have to remind the teachers at times that

this is in the 504, but it is worth it. I feel that it is crucial that our

kids are able to feel a sense of accomplishment by being able to complete

work, rather than always dreading that they are so far behind.

Negotiate everythiing!

Gail in N'Awlins