Hey guys!

I thought it would be good to share what accomodations you use in junior high & high school.

What accomodations do you think work best for you?



I wasn't diagnosed in high school, so I didn't have accomodations. In college, I had extended test taking time & taking a test in a room by myself or with just 1-2 other people around.



Courtney

I am allowed to listen to music while I write test. And I am also allowed to read while the teacher dictates notes. I don`t know why, but the more I do the more easier it is for me to concentrate.

Disorder... wow are you lucky! I wish I could read along or listen to music while I take a test. But, then my teachers would think I'm cheating. Not cool.

But I do take untimed testing (as in I can take as long as I need to for a test). And that's pretty much it. Although I wish I could get a bit of decreased homework load; this weekend I have a pamplet, project, historical journal, and two tests to study for. That's college prep high school for ya :p

Im allowed to go into a room on my own for tests and if my teacher is giving a lecture im allowed pre-written notes so I can follow along.

I wish I was allowed to listen to music during tests too. That would really help. :D

At my last school, I allowed my students to listen to their iPods/Mp3's etc when testing or working independently! Sharing earbuds? Gross. But, it was great! Everyone stayed on task during independent work and got a lot more done! Cheating? never saw it. Seems a remote possibility and paranoid to me!

RADD

At my last school, I allowed my students to listen to their iPods/Mp3's etc when testing or working independently! Sharing earbuds? Gross. But, it was great! Everyone stayed on task during independent work and got a lot more done! Cheating? never saw it. Seems a remote possibility and paranoid to me!

RADD
My teachers are really strict about listening to iPods in school. They just don't understand that it does help. I mean obviously we wouldn't be allowed them on when the teacher is talking and stuff but why can't we have them on while working on our own? It would only improve my work and im sure it would help many other kids at school.


Maybe I should start a campaign at my schoo! :rolleyes:

Or, give them a CD of "approved" music to prove it isn't recorded notes.

That sounded better in my head; now it just seems extreme :p

Well in math i'm allowed to use a calculator whereas the other kids arn't. I used to be in two math classes then they took me out of one and put me in a class where i get help for math. At 5th period i get to go to this room called the "learning centre" where i can take my homework and assignments and an educational assistant helps me with it. Their doing their best to accomodate me and help me with school but i still get behind.

So far I've been on Accomodations for about a week...

These are my accomadations

1. Make-up work for full credit when needed ( I can turn things in late... not too late though... for full credit )

2. Set of books at home, so I don't have to worry about forgetting books at school ( I love this one )

3. My work report ( Grades ) for the week are sent home with my parents every friday

4. I can get as much time as needed for tests

5. I can turn things in as early as I like, as long as it is complete, and I took effort to do it.

6. A few little things, like, Showing work on Tests isn't nessissary ( I can do math in my head easily while I'm on the concerta ) and the work-showing simply distracts me from finishing the problem!

Pretty sure that's it...

THere are some cons though, My geography teacher insists I sit in the front of the class ( Calling attention to me in the middle of two lectures this week, asking me to sit where I can focus )... And for the first few days all of my teachers ( Other than my 1st period science teacher, who happens to be my school counselor... wooot ) were asking lots of questions like, are you on meds? Why can't you just sit down and finish it? ... It's actually quite sad that it's so hard to understand for someone who has no ADD...


ANYWAY, this has been very positive though... I'm glad I signed up for the 504 Plan, I reccomend it for anyone with ADD... Just remember, it's there to help you, not hurt... If you don't like an accomodation, TELL THE COUNSELOR! This is actually your decision in which accomodations you get! Of course, nothing outrageous will be granted...

Lets see, I've been on my 504 Plan for about 2 and 1/2 to 3 months, I was diagnosed with ADHD back in November (late diagnosis) I have several accomodations/requirements:
1. I'm supposed to have a 'study buddy' but I took that off because it's a tad bit embarassing since they want it to be a Senior.
2. I'm supposed to sit near the teacher or close to the board to minimize distractions and help me focus. (Sometimes it happens and works other times it annoys me.. My spanish teacher obviously doesn't know i'm not mental since he insists on checking on me every 3 seconds.)
3. In the middle of every day my Advisor checks my assignment notebook and helps me with my assignments or whatever...
4. I'm allowed to turn in assignments late, depending on the teacher.
5. I get prolonged test taking although I hardly use it..
6. My parents get a weekly email from my teachers giving the assignment, any missing work, and my grade in that class.


Those are just some of the things I'm allowed and have to do; as much as I hate my parents having so much contact with my teachers #6 is really helpful.

My mother gets an email every friday of all the assignments for the week. This is frustrating because if an assignment gets changed or pushed back, she doesn't believe me.

My mother gets an email every friday of all the assignments for the week. This is frustrating because if an assignment gets changed or pushed back, she doesn't believe me.
ugh i feeel your pain on that one!

hey, during tests. no excuses...no eating, no listening to music, no borrowing of notes,no formula copies, not even allowed to keep on standing/ or doing unnecessary movements.

so, lucky for those whose accomodations were permitted in class.

So far I've been on Accomodations for about a week...

These are my accomadations

1. Make-up work for full credit when needed ( I can turn things in late... not too late though... for full credit )

2. Set of books at home, so I don't have to worry about forgetting books at school ( I love this one )

3. My work report ( Grades ) for the week are sent home with my parents every friday

4. I can get as much time as needed for tests

5. I can turn things in as early as I like, as long as it is complete, and I took effort to do it.

6. A few little things, like, Showing work on Tests isn't nessissary ( I can do math in my head easily while I'm on the concerta ) and the work-showing simply distracts me from finishing the problem!

I would love 1, 2, 5, and 6. But nobody believes me when I say that I forgot at home, or I had trouble with the assignment and therefore could not finish. The town wouldn't let me take a second set of books to loan (long story). And everyone really thinks it would help me to show my work on math tests, but some things I do in my head. You're right, it IS a pain, and it does slow me down.

And everyone really thinks it would help me to show my work on math tests, but some things I do in my head. You're right, it IS a pain, and it does slow me down.As math gets more difficult, you won't be able to do it in your head so you need to know the steps needed to solve a problem. Until you learn the steps or the why of problem solving, the answer doesn't really matter.

As math gets more difficult, you won't be able to do it in your head so you need to know the steps needed to solve a problem. Until you learn the steps or the why of problem solving, the answer doesn't really matter.Forgive me for talking in detail about myself, but I'm just assuming that I am the prototypical ADHD kid, so "I" can be replaced with "we" meaning the ADHD community and it should still be mostly true.

Well, I (used to) do the same thing, and I firmly feel that ADHD helps problem solving. Every month, there is a math competition at school that throws some challenging problems at us and all we need are answers to get credit. I have always been good at math, but here at these competitions I am the top in the school consistantly, and I don't feel my advantage can possibly be intelligence related.

I think it's just evidence of the ADHD mind being suited for tackling more abstract problems. I start by thinking about how to solve the problem in my head or what the best method would be, and this leads to many different branches of thought. The direction I intend to go with will already be partially solved and therefore not as much work will have to be done. Often it just requires typing something in the calculator to come up with the actual number...

You can see how retracing these steps after solving the problem to transfer them to paper would be a distraction and a waste of time for me... Due to the ADHD, I do forget what I was thinking at the beginning often, so in order to show work, I then have to start at the beginning of the thought process and then resolve the whole problem, hopefully getting the same answer as before.
Well, why not just do it while solving the problem? Simple. It's a distraction and often short term thoughts are forgotten while translating my mental processes to math symbols on paper. If they are forgotten, then the whole retracing thing would also have to happen.

The conclusion:
What's the result of showing the work? Inefficiency. I can do it, but it slaughters me in a timed environment.

The conclusion:
What's the result of showing the work? Inefficiency. I can do it, but it slaughters me in a timed environment.The reason for showing your work in Math is so you can show you understand the process. You can solve detailed Algebra equations in your head? Awesome!

The reason for showing your work in Math is so you can show you understand the process. You can solve detailed Algebra equations in your head? Awesome!If you come up with the answer, would you not understand the process?

Anyways, algebra equations are just straightforward manipulation of numbers and variables, so that's not what I'm referring to, but I do skip steps in my head. On homework, I can see that it's important that a student would be able to demonstrate the process to make sure they got it, but when it comes to a test, let it fly!

This is just what I was looking for! My son will be starting middle school in August and I was looking for what accommodations to add to his 504 plan. We already have the extra books one, which was great last year, I was tiring of running back to the school 3 times a week to retrieve one for an assignment. I had thought of the hard copy of notes as well, but the one where the student gets to turn things in a bit late w/o penalty is a good one too...

On the subject of listening to music, it's a great way to reduce anxiety and such, but studies already show even listening to music takes away from the amount of energy for putting towards the test itself. So if you have anxiety, it would benefit you alot, otherwise it may be fun but you are short-changing yourself ;)

Last year, around the beginning of Junior year, I requested a 504 Plan or an IEP or somesomething like that, but my counselor discouraged it...she said it wouldn't be completed until I was a Senior and all of my teachers were understanding anyway so she didn't see the point, which makes me worry about whether my senior teachers will be as understanding, especially since I'm taking two APs....Last year, however, they were very understanding, especially after my hospitalisation [9 days] (I was so behind they let me turn things in about a week late to let me catch up and let some assignments slide altogether).

Also, before the hospitalisation, if I needed to because of an episode or whatever (I'm also bipolar, which is more of an issue than attention problems, but attention issues are part of bipolar), I can turn something in a day late...I don't push my luck for anything else because I have a pride issue and I'm afraid they'll think I'm taking advantage...If I feel like I can't handle whatever is going on in class and start to lose my head, I'm allowed to either put my head down to try to collect myself or leave the classroom altogether to go to the nurse or the guidance office, though sometimes I opt to just read a fictional book to distract myself and draw less attention to myself...

I think next year, I'll try to get a set of textbooks to take home...I never actually thought of that, but forgetting textbooks is a problem of mine and I end up doing my homework within the hour before school (I go an hour early on these days) so it's not done and/or not complete and definitely not my best work. AND my organisation skills are atrocious. Most of my teachers expect us to stay organised so I don't know what I'm going to do there...I figure if I spend half an hour a night getting my papers in order, I might be able to do it. Especially for my Teacher Cadet class - she requires everything to be typed, lesson plans in order, etc.

And we're not allowed any music players either, even in study hall. :S Our principal is just short of evil - he's shifted from school to school because nobody likes him, not even the teachers. So, even though music does help me concentrate, I won't even try asking for that accomidation - it would just end in an argument...Most of my teachers already give untimed tests (though I'm not sure about my teachers for this year yet) except for certain exams (my AP history teacher timed our exams to get us ready for the AP timed test) and the APs.

And I really want to plan a bi-weekly meeting with me, my guidance counselor, and my mom to just check in and see what my emotional state is, figure out if certain classes are too much to handle, etc. And since the whole school has study hall at the same time (that's so any student who needs help or needs to make up work can go to that teacher), if one of my teachers wants to get involved, he/she can.

So, in short, most of the accomidations that I need are for bipolar, but some of them apply to ADD-like symptoms. My psychiatrist hates diagnoses ADD/ADHD very, very rarely because a lot of kids are incorrectly diagnosed (not saying y'all are, but that's her opinion) so she won't put me on anything even though I keep telling her I can't concentrate on anything for more than ten minutes...except when I'm hyperfocused. :S Like when I read the seventh HP book...I read it in one night and literally didn't notice ANYTHING around me.

Paige

So far I've been on Accomodations for about a week...

These are my accomadations

1. Make-up work for full credit when needed ( I can turn things in late... not too late though... for full credit )

2. Set of books at home, so I don't have to worry about forgetting books at school ( I love this one )

3. My work report ( Grades ) for the week are sent home with my parents every friday

4. I can get as much time as needed for tests

5. I can turn things in as early as I like, as long as it is complete, and I took effort to do it.

6. A few little things, like, Showing work on Tests isn't nessissary ( I can do math in my head easily while I'm on the concerta ) and the work-showing simply distracts me from finishing the problem!

Pretty sure that's it...

THere are some cons though, My geography teacher insists I sit in the front of the class ( Calling attention to me in the middle of two lectures this week, asking me to sit where I can focus )... And for the first few days all of my teachers ( Other than my 1st period science teacher, who happens to be my school counselor... wooot ) were asking lots of questions like, are you on meds? Why can't you just sit down and finish it? ... It's actually quite sad that it's so hard to understand for someone who has no ADD...


ANYWAY, this has been very positive though... I'm glad I signed up for the 504 Plan, I reccomend it for anyone with ADD... Just remember, it's there to help you, not hurt... If you don't like an accomodation, TELL THE COUNSELOR! This is actually your decision in which accomodations you get! Of course, nothing outrageous will be granted...
Man lucky you!

My school says that the 504 plan just allows you to sit infront of the class and thats it.

I have a IEP and I don't have half of those on it. I'm not allowed to have another set of books at my house, neither am I allowed to carry my backpack (working on that, because I leave everything in it.) My school is really a cheapskat, they think a murder is going to come bursting in the door, and by not allowing you to carry your book bag it prevents that? Yeah likly story, they just like to see us carry all our heavy books and break are backs doing it. I am honest to goodness going to get that on my IEP.

Is it at ADD/ADHD to beable to focus better when your listening to music? Because it has been like that with me, I feel smarter when listening to music. I can study better and do my homework better and also it drowns all the sound out. I just wish I could listen to my CD player or Ipod during a test or class work.

I just wish my school actually understood my needs.

I get nothing watsoever for my ADHD, But because I'm also Dyslectic I get unlimited time and spellings errors arn't counted and I get an enlargment.

I'm just left my Jr. High to go to High school do things normally change with the teachers what kind of things should I ask for in High School (grade 10) I have A.D.D and Can't take meds.