Overview

Is there a way to scan in the teacher notes and have some software have them neatly typed out? Is this something AI can do? If your child does this, they now have notes they did themself. Makes no sense for this to be the teacher's interpretation of the IEP. The accommodation is there due to a disability. For your child, teacher notes = student notes. I'd want this clarified in the IEP so no one else tries this in the future. Since this is the dyslexia forum, I'm assuming this is the disability. Your child is likely going to transcribe the notes inaccurately given they are going to be rushed. This doesn't 'level the playing field' which is what accommodations should do.

The notes she has from the teacher ARE her notes pursuant to her IEP. She should be allowed to use them in any way other students use their notes. If all other students are allowed to use their notes for a test, she should be allowed to use her teacher-provided notes. Since you're short on time, I would reach out to the entire IEP team asking for assistance. If you don't hear back quickly, reach out (maybe call) the director of special education. If you have a phone call (or calls) make sure to write everything down that was said.

Hello! My child's IEP provides notes to her from the teacher. The teacher is giving the class an open notes test but told my child that she could not use the teacher provided notes. The teacher told her to write her own note card. This instruction was given to my daughter when she asked if she would be allowed to use the teacher provided notes. It was not an instruction given to the full class. This seems counter intuitive to me. Ask a person who has notes as an accommodation to rewrite all her notes. What are my options here. Her test is tomorrow so any advise you can provide quickly would be really appreciated. Thank so much!

High school transition team members should be well aware this is required by most/all colleges. I believe this is why you were offered the eval over the summer. They take time for the school to do and can cost thousands of dollars if a family needs to pay out of pocket - not usually covered by insurance since it's educational. When is the triennial due? An RR is quick to do so it's done to be in compliance with timelines. It could be sufficient for your child as far as IEPs are concerned. If your child has access & is making progress, an RR might be OK where an eval isn't a real need. (Schools often look at evals as what's done so see if a student is eligible for an IEP. Once they have one, the progress monitoring provides the needed data on present levels to set goals & determine services so they don't see the need for an eval.)

Thank you. Yes, she does have audiobooks on her IEP currently. That is something she will always need. I did visit the disability office on some college websites and it does appear that most Colleges require an evaluation be within 3 to 5 years of matriculation depending on the college. Am I correct to assume the High School should be aware of this requirement? I really feel good about her case manager so I am surprised they were trying to suggest an RR. When I asked what colleges would need she said, "We would not suggest an evaluation for the purpose of college. But if you request one we'll do one this summer. " Is that not a valid reason I should give to request the evaluation. Isn't it the HS's responsibility to prepare students for what comes next? Thanks again for your help.

I feel an eval is needed. Reading should be assessed so she can have access to audiobooks in college. (Are audiobooks a current accommodation?) Let them do the RR (likely what they have time to do & be in compliance for triennial eval timelines) and then the full eval over the summer. She seems more like SDL Reading than OHI but dyslexia and ADHD & EF issues as well as anxiety can be comorbid. If you do college visits this summer, pop into the disabilities office and ask them what they want in order to provide accommodations. I have an advocate friend who suggests a disabled child stay within a 2-3 hour radius of home in case parents need to stop by and help them during the course of their college career.

My child's school is suggesting that we do a review of records for her last evaluation before graduation (summer before 11th). Will this be okay when she self declares her disability in college or will they need an Evaluation done within 3 years? When I asked her case manager she said they would not do an evaluation for the purpose of college transition but if we asked for an eval they would do one this summer. Also, the last eval the school did 3 years ago for some reason they decided to no longer include reading (she's had since 2nd grade) even though her fluency scores were in the 1 to 8%tile. (We agreed to it so we wouldn't hold up her services and we were not willing/able to go to court to fight for it at the time) They listed Gifted and OHI for EF and Anxiety as her disability categories for the 1st time and without reading. I just want to make sure she has what she needs when she goes to college to be covered for any accommodations (extra time, notes etc.) under ADA. Anything else I should be thinking about along with this? Thanks in advance!!!

My child's school is suggesting that we do a review of records for her last evaluation before graduation. Will this be okay when she self declares her disability in college or will they need an Evaluation done within 3 years? Also, the last eval the school did 3 years ago for some reason decided to no longer include reading (she's had since 2nd grade) even though her fluency scores were 1 to 8%. (We agreed to it so we wouldn't hold up her services and we were not willing to go to court to fight for it at the time) She is currently listed as EF and anxiety as her disability catagory.

putting your daughter in a position to defend her own accommodations? Absolutely unacceptable. I totally get wanting to educate this teacher instead of just blasting them with anger (which, let’s be honest, at times they kinda deserve). Here are a few short but impactful resources you can send: 1. The Classic: “F.A.T. City” Workshop (Frustration, Anxiety, Tension) Video Richard Lavoie’s “How Hard Can This Be?” This is an eye-opening workshop where a specialist makes neurotypical teachers feel what it’s like to have a learning disability. Every teacher should be required to watch this. 2. Harvard Article: Why Neurodivergent Kids Work 2x as Hard Article The Twice-Exceptional Dilemma This explains how 2e students work harder than neurotypical peers and why accommodations are essential—not a “crutch.” 3. One-Liner Response for the Future For your daughter: "My IEP is set up so I can access learning, not just so I can get good grades." For the teacher: "Accommodations don’t make learning easier—they make it possible." Would love to hear how this goes. Hopefully, the teacher has enough self-awareness to take the hint.

The IEP should be set up to both remediate as well as accommodate a student's disability. The long term goal should be to be able to not need this at a point in the future. It should be up to the IEP team - not the gen ed teacher - if there should be a trial of not using the accommodations in the IEP. What data does the gen ed teacher have that the modifications and accommodations aren't needed anymore? Is this gen ed teacher in the camp of 2E doesn't exist? We ran into that. They felt my autistic child could learn social skills like other kids especially since she was gifted. This is a skill that typically develops around age 4 or 5. I think this was 4th or 5th grade we were told this but she didn't have the autism diagnosis at this point. That came at the end of 7th grade if I remember correctly. She needed direct instruction like most autistics. Direct instruction in structured literacy is what remediates dyslexia. Pretty sure this can't be self taught or we'd have a lot more than ~30% of students passing standarized testing in reading. (The issue with most students isn't dyslexia - it's a lack of explicit, structured instruction in phonics as well as other things like morphology.) My feeling is that it is inappropriate for the gen ed teacher to have this conversation without at least the special ed teacher present. IMO, the sp ed teacher is more likely to have data on what the student needs as far as modifications and accommodations go. I'd be documenting the interaction, how it affected your child and requesting that the teacher run these things by the IEP team at an IEP meeting in the future rather than asking the student to do without what's in the IEP. In other words write an email and cc the special ed teacher & the LEA/principal.

Hi Lara. I am going to assume the learning difference is dyslexia. I think you should preface anything you send to the teacher with your words in the third paragraph above, which are a very good explanation on their own. A gifted student SHOULD be getting all 100's IF she has the barrier to her education removed/accommodated for. Does she tell a child in a wheelchair to "just try harder" to walk? It is essentially the same thing. The physically disabled child can't help that they can't walk, and a child with dyslexia can't help that they struggle to read - no matter how hard they try. In addition to being educated on dyslexia, this teacher also needs to be educated on IEPs. It is completely inappropriate (and possibly discriminatory) for the teacher to tell (bully) the child to try without her modifications and accommodations. That is an IEP team decision. If the modifications and accommodations are in the IEP, by law she HAS to follow them regardless of her personal feelings on the matter. Also, you need to request (demand) that she have no more such conversations with your daughter or ask the special education coordinator/director to reach out to the teacher. She is putting the school district at risk by not following the IEP. You would have a valid state complaint or could go to due process with this. Below are a couple of quick reads. The CNN article includes a link to a simulation, which hopefully she would click on. One last suggestion. I would try to get the teacher to confirm in writing what she said to your daughter. So you might first send an email something along the lines of "my daughter mentioned a meeting you had with her. I just wanted to get some clarification on what you were asking of her. Are you wanting her to attempt her school work without using the accommodations in her IEP?" No judgement or shaming or education yet - something neutral that she would hopefully respond to with the truth so you would have some proof if that were ever needed. Good luck! https://dyslexia.yale.edu/dyslexia/what-is-dyslexia/ https://www.cnn.com/2016/03/05/health/dyslexia-simulation/index.html

My 2e daughter's general Ed teacher had a meeting with her about accommodations and modifications. She said to her student, "Your IEP is set up so you get good grades" and "You need to push yourself more you should try without your modification and accomodations." "You should not be getting all 100s." Needless to say my student, being put in a position to defend her needs, came out of the meeting feeling terrible about herself. I would love to send a video or a professional paper to this teacher to help her understand students who Learn differently are not lazy or need to pish themselves harder when they are already working 2x as hard as their neurotypical peers. They need the accommodations to fully access their education and show their knowledge. The IEP exists to remove the barrier of her disability to level the playing field and set her up for success. Can you recommend something not too long that I could send this teacher to help her understand my daughter and her other students in the future?

If your child stops qualifying for an IEP & specialized instruction, the disability diagnosis doesn't go away so he'd still qualify for accommodations under Section 504. I took an online dyslexia training that was given by Sally Shaywitz (she wrote the book on dyslexia) and she said that extra time for tests is something that a dyslexic may always need. She cited people in college and medical school who continued to need - and more importantly receive - accommodations long after their eligibility for an IEP ended. (This was a free class on Coursera. You might want to look into taking it.) So to address your upcoming concern, we need to see what the school does with the triennial eval coming due. They have 2 choices. (1) They can do a reeval that shows your child continues to need an IEP & the specialized instruction they have. Also possible that a reeval shows that the IEP isn't needed and you request an IEE that shows it is needed. (2) They can do an RR - records review. With a records review, the student would continue to qualify for an IEP. To exit a student from an IEP, evaluations are needed so a RR is a sign that the IEP will stay in place. The best thing for you to do is collect data. Keep a log of the issues you see. It might consist of how long homework takes and how much support you provide to him at home. Does he need help understanding instructions? Can he independently do a math word problem or does he need help with reading the problem? If he has to read a book for a book report, does he decode it independently or does he need an audiobook? Also, talk to him. Ask him what he feels would happen if something in his IEP was to go away. Does he rely on talk to text to write the book report? Does he need the pull-out for reading instruction or are they covering things he already knows (he might still need special instruction if he says 'no' but it could be the instruction needs to be different)? There doesn't seem to be a rubric where at XX percentile, the student no longer needs an IEP. Access is key. He should be able to access grade level material that needs to be read w/o extra help. This should be when the IEP goes away but the accommodations should stay. Lastly, audiobooks are an accommodation. This could be something he'll grow to not need or it could be something he'll need long term. (Which way this goes depends on the severity of the dyslexia.) There are phone apps that translate a photo of text into speech. If he needs this sort of help long term, he should be taught how to independently access this sort of accommodation. My thought is that prescription labels and instructions on food packaging or ingredient lists will be things he needs to read and understand. Driving directions, bus & plane schedules and signs are things that adults need to be able to comprehend. If he can access these independently, he might not need the IEP.

We are approaching our first reevaluation 3 years after my son's initial evaluation at school, which was followed by an outside IEE paid for by the district. The district initially found minimal issues and said my son didn't qualify. What do I need to ask for in reassessment to assure that we're able to compare current tests to the IEE? How do you document in the PLOP The successes of the student with *accommodations and specialized instruction* in place, and still justify the need for services? Do students have to remain below the 18th percentile in some areas in order to qualify for an IEP? Without the accommodations and support, he'd fall apart. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

I'll add to what Carolyn posted. If audio recording isn't allowed (it's hard to get this accommodation in a 2-party state), allow the student to take photos of the board so they do not need to copy what the teacher has written. Teacher provided notes might be cloze notes. Writing by hand has been shown to help students remember things better than typing the same notes. Allow for homework (any/every assignment) to be typed rather than handwritten. Software & a device that works with the math being taught so math assignments are more easily able to be completed. Access to this for tests would be needed too. Use of a scribe - this might be a personal preference. I'm aware of a student with shoulder issues that resulted in arm & hand weakness. This person preferred extra time to the use of a scribe which is what was offered for taking the Bar Exam. This person had brachial plexus injury from shoulder dystocia at birth. I feel extra time is going to be key with this disability. As your grandson moves through high school, someone will need to makes sure that the school applies in advance so the accommodations provide by the school extends to SAT, PSAT, ACT, AP, state mandated testing, etc. Colleges will often look for a recent evaluation in order to provide accommodations. The high school he goes to can provide this so the family doesn't need to pay for this. (It tends to be very expensive if you need to pay out of pocket for this.)

1. Teacher provided notes and ability to record lectures so that he does not have to copy from the board or take notes. 2. If he does have to take notes, allow extra time. 3. Allow extra time for any handwritten assignment or test. 4. Allow the use of speech-to-text to help with getting his thoughts down on paper. It is usually easier for students with dysgraphia to verbalize their thoughts rather than physically writing or typing. 5. Do not count off on assignments or tests for poor handwriting or spelling. 6. Modify tests to reduce amount of handwriting or typing. Allow speech-to-text, provide oral exams, or use multiple choice to test mastery of subject. 7. Allow oral reports over written reports.

I have a 13 year old grandson with dysgraphia. What accommodations would be most helpful for him? Writing is physically painful for him, and he has great difficulty getting his thoughts on paper.

Hi. This website may be helpful as well as this Tech Wheel https://www.callscotland.org.uk/information/dyslexia/reading/ and this is the Ipad Apps for Learners with Dyslexia Reading/Writing difficulties (free download) https://www.callscotland.org.uk/downloads/posters-and-leaflets/ipad-apps-for-learners-with-dyslexia/

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply and congratulations to your recent graduate. I do agree that he may not want to see his classmates view him differently. My son has worked so hard (and continuing) to get into all Gen Ed classes. Perhaps as my son approaches the end of high school he may be more inclined to embrace these tools. You do give me a thought to ask my IEP team if they ever model these tools to his co-teaching ELA class as a whole because dyslexic or dysgraphic kids aren't the only ones that use spell & grammar checks. I would love to send him to the Landmark summer camp program where he is around other kids with the same learning differences. Thanks so much!

I really don't have an answer for you. Just wanted to say my son had similar issues. His diagnosis is ADHD/dysgraphia. He never wanted to use the accommodations in his IEP. He saw himself as typical and saw the accommodations as cheating. He also didn't want his classmates to view him as different/disabled. I think he was afraid this could end up with him being teased/bullied/shunned. When he got closer to graduation and could see himself living a life after graduation, this is when he started to realize he needed to do better so he could graduate with his class. He graduated in 2022. I can see your child using their accommodations if they had peer models that had similar accommodations. He'd have this is he was attending a school where everyone had dyslexia...or a summer camp where they bring dyslexics together. At 15, he's not seeing the importance of being able to write well.

Hi! I have a 15yr boy/freshman with a complex learning profile including dyslexia, ADHD and written expression issues. One of the goals we’ve been working on for years is his written expression and the different components of writing. This year we’re focused on organization, style, & conventions (based on PA writing rubric). He has been resistant for years to embrace his AT (Google read/write, Grammarly) to utilize the spell and grammar check. And I’ve tried to explain that these things can be easily corrected with tools and help paint the picture to the reader what he’s writing about etc… I think due to his ADHD he can’t be bothered to fix the misspelling and just wants to get the assignment turned in as quickly as possible. I’m looking for any ideas, suggestions, different tools he would be more inclined to use. PA Writing Rubric https://pa01000176.schoolwires.net/cms/lib/PA01000176/Centricity/Domain/1009/PA writing assessment rubric.doc

His civil rights are being violated given he is not being accommodated. In addition, IDEA is being violated given the IEP isn't being followed. You might want to file a state complaint if going up the chain of command hasn't helped. In college, they take these things seriously. Schools lose funding when they don't accommodate at the college level so there is no need to 'prepare for a world w/o accommodations'. There is scan to text software. Once it's text, there is text to talk software. If he is going to be using this at school, it should be written into the IEP so it's not viewed as cheating. Do verify that the IEP doesn't say 'when student requests'. It shouldn't. He needs this for every lecture & assignment. In college, they pay a classmate for their notes so this is an accommodation for the future too. (My daughter's friend got paid for making a copy of his notes and providing them to the disability office to forward to a classmate.)

First, you need to insist that the IEP be followed in terms of your student getting the teacher notes. I don't know how it reads, but unless it states "upon request of the student," they should be provided automatically. It doesn't matter that he's in high school now - not an excuse for not following the IEP. Reach out to the case manager about this. If it does state "upon request of the student," try to get the language changed, which may require data that he is not able to self-advocate yet. But I understand that from a practical standpoint, it may not happen. In that case, in most high school now, teacher notes are provided on Canvas or some other platform shared with students. (I do realize there would still be the problem of reading those notes, which I will get into in the next paragraph.) As far as tools for note-taking, if notes are on the whiteboard, ask for the accommodation of taking a picture of the notes. If they are lectures, as for the accommodation of recording the lecture. I don't know of any tool that will determine the important information from notes. Does your student have access to text-to-speech? That accommodation reads text to students and is very widely used by not only special education students, but all students. You definitely need to ask for that accommodation, as well as training for your student on how to use it and how to use it without embarrassment (earbuds?). You didn't mention this, but another common accommodation for dyslexic students is speech-to-text to help them with their writing. There are tools (such as a C-pen) that will read a paper document back to a student. Ask for such a tool to be included in his IEP accommodations. But those would not have the ability to take notes and determine important information. Maybe there is an AI program out there that could do this? You may need to ask for an IEP meeting to discuss your concerns. A dyslexic student should not be expected to take notes if the note-taking process is so difficult that it keeps him from accessing all the information that is being presented. The IEP needs to be followed. Tell the team what he is struggling with and ask what can be done.

Hello! I am wondering if there are tools that you have used that can help my dyslexic student. The IEP specifies that the student gets teacher notes and audio for reading assignments but, that doesn't happen unless the student asks every time. The student is a HS freshman so we are at a point where we can't depend on the school to do the right thing anymore. We need to prepare for a world without accommodations. So my question is, are there tools that will scan and read a paper document, take notes (not every word but can determine the important info) and be able to read the notes back? If you have experience with tools that have worked for you or someone you've worked with, I'd love to hear more. Thanks!

IMO, a verbal assessment when it comes to lists of things would make a great accommodation. The ability to use talk to text AAC would be another way to show mastery of information w/o testing her spelling ability which tends to be poor with this disability. Measurable IEP goals could measure accuracy, fluency and comprehension. You might need to advocate for different, measurable goals so you can figure out what sort of progress is going on.