504 plan

[Guest guest]

Hi - I haven't posted much in awhile - we've been incredibly busy! I always

thought having both boys in school would make life easier - I was so wrong! :>)

A bit of background - our 7 year old son, Sam, has a profound hearing loss. He

wears Phonak Novo Forte E4 hearing aids and is fully mainstreamed in first grade

at our public school here in Hanover NH. He's currently on an IEP but the only

special education service he receives is speech. He's the best reader in his

class (he's reading chapter books and is way above grade level). He has a new

special ed coordinator (since January) who has not worked with deaf or hoh kids

before, he also has a relatively new speech therapist. He's had the same

teacher for two years (we have K/1 split grades here) - she's been fabulous for

him. She also had my older son in first grade, Tommy has a severe hearing loss.

So! Sam's special ed coordinator called me a couple of weeks ago to say they

want to move Sam to a 504 plan because he's doing so well. On the one hand, I'm

very, very pleased that my 7 year old profoundly deaf child would be doing well

enough to possibly not need services. On the other hand, I know too well that

first grade isn't third grade - the language needs of course are greater, he's

not yet reading to learn, etc., etc. I've spoken at length to several people,

all of whom feel he should continue on an IEP. The tricky question is this - I

know IEPs have to have educational goals and objectives. If indeed Sam tests

out of speech (and honestly, I expect that he will), what goals and objectives

should be included?

His Sped coordinator tells me that they will write into the 504 plan teacher of

the deaf services, as well as consults by the speech therapist. do you think

this is enough? On the one hand, I don't want to keep him in special ed if he

doesn't need to be there, but on the other hand, I don't want him to move to a

504 and then get lost in the shuffle. I have this strong feeling that Sam is

doing well to some degree because of the teacher he has (and he won't have her

next year) and also because of the services he's been provided. I've asked his

medical team (pediatrician, otologist, audiologist) to write letters re: the

depth of the deafness and how they feel that affects learning. His teacher of

the deaf is strongly against the switch - any other suggestions? I just want to

do the right thing for Sam.

Thanks so much - as always!

Barbara