[onhazier]

C will be entering kindergarten in the fall. We just sent in the form alerting the school that C will enroll. C has PTSD as a result of the abuse endured for the first two years of this little one's life. There are times when this comes out: fear of strangers, especially men, disassociative states and some manic behavior. We've been working with daycare to manage the days when C is feeling off, anxious, or processing bad memories. Knowing all this, should I be seeing an IEP for C or a 504 plan?

Thank you for your thoughts.

[millie58]

Depends. If you can tell what the stressors are and if the school personnel works with you, you can do a 504. If not, it will be an IEP.

[wordsmither]

We have an IEP for our son who has PTSD. You don't have to determine the reason up front. Just write a letter to the school requesting the IEP plus educational and psyhological assessments.

[greenrobin]

just remember that they don't have to give him one even though you request it.

they'll want to screen him first to see if it significantly interferes with his learning. if it does, it can be written as OHI--other health impairment (or maybe impaired? idk).

usually they want to wait about 6 weeks to see the child in his usual state before determining if an IEP or 504 is needed.

do take wordsmither's advice--the district has a time limit in which to respond to a written request.

[onhazier]

Thank you all for your replies. I'm very familiar with the IEP process as R has one for ADHD. I had just never heard of another family getting one in place for PTSD. In my conversation with the school counselor, she was unaware as well.

DH and I are prepared to work with the school to set up whatever supports are needed to help C be a successful student.

[ajjhmf]

My son has PTSD (amount other dx's) and he has an IEP. The school found it very helpful in trying to understand his behaviors and they always called me first before deciding how to handle him.

[Marleygirl99]

We are in the process of setting up a 504 plan for our FD and we were told we just have to prove that her condition is affecting her learning in class. We met and her teachers agreed she needed extra help to get thru. The reason why we chose the 504 over the IEP is because she gets very good grades with extra help at school and extra work at home. She did not want to "feel different" but was okay with what I explained to her as "a folder of information that will go to your new teachers every year so they know how you learn and they can help". Since C is so young, maybe you could talk about starting with a 504 and switching if he needs more individualized attention or vice versa. I am not sure about the IEP, but the 504 is reviewed yearly to make changes. Keep close in touch with the teacher and find out what she is seeing in class.

[millie58]

ajjhmf: do the people at your school work with you? Mine don't.. I do see their point, I get a phone call for everything.

[qs mom]

PTSD is also among my son's many DX. In Kindergarten and first grade it was rough. Kindy was worse. We were extremely fortunate to have a teacher that LOVED him and loves him dearly to this day - 6 years later.

He had an IEP, more for the DX. But a safety plan needed to done for the PTSD episodes, as my child would bolt! And kick. I authorized his teacher and principal only to do safe holds if required. I trusted both of these women with him. His teacher could see an episode just a few mintues before it happened - and smell it. She said it was the strangest thing, he emitted a certain odor. She would remove him from class, remove his shoes, hold him and rock him. The shoe removal was for her safety - he was a kicker too!

The safety plan was instituted throughout the school. He was to NEVER be alone, except in the in-class bathroom. He was escorted everywhere. The class room aide wasn't paying attention in gym class, another teacher went into the gym closet, my child locked her in, laid on the floor with his feet against the door and everything. Something about her frightened him and he thought he was defending himself.