Accommodations: Things to consider

Ally Bremer
Oct 15, 2024
4 min read

The 2024-2025 school year is in full swing and for many families this means either seeking out or evaluating accommodations for their kids in school. This is a topic that has come up in a lot of sessions recently as teachers, students, and parents see struggles and changes in academic performance. For those families with 504 plans or IEP’s, or those seeking those services, accommodations are an important part of the discussion. One of the most common discussion topics is what accommodations are appropriate and which might enable unhelpful behaviors or strategies? The answers to those questions are different for every student, classroom, and school. With every school’s resources varying and every student’s level of need differing, it’s impossible to create a guide for everyone. But, let’s talk about the types of questions and reflections I encourage parents and families to consider and discuss as they navigate these processes.

Before we dive in, I should say that accommodations are designed for students who have diagnosed emotional, neurodivergent, or learning difficulties and are meant to assist those students in overcoming the deficits that accompany those issues. Students with diagnosed difficulties, whatever they may be, often require strategies and approaches that differ from what standard curriculums prescribe. With that being said, school should be challenging for kids. It should push them to learn and grow and should make them uncomfortable at times. That’s how growth happens. If students feel stressed before a test or get frustrated sometimes when they have trouble with a difficult concept but they generally get their work done on time, stay mostly organized, and manage their stress appropriately- they’re doing what they should be! The goal with accommodations is not to completely remove stress, difficulty, or discomfort from the learning experience. It’s to assist those who have additional struggles that make the discomfort, difficulty, and stress of learning insurmountable without added support.

I’d also like to add that I am not a special education teacher or school social worker and I cannot speak for all schools and what they can and cannot do in terms of accommodations. I have participated in many IEP meetings and written my fair share of IEP goals and the topics discussed here are based off of my experiences and lessons learned.

Okay, now that we’ve clarified those things, let’s talk about things to consider and discuss with your school team if accommodations are being considered or re-evaluated. First, everyone on the team should have a clear understanding of your student’s strengths and deficits. We need to understand where things become difficult for students in order to build accommodations that assist them when they’re needed. Understanding their strengths can also help us build on progress and keep moving forward. Using a student’s interests can be helpful here as well!

Second, we want a clear understanding of how accommodations will be used to help our students achieve what’s expected of them. Do the accommodations give them an opportunity to complete those difficult assignments and find success or do they lower the expectation to meet a student where they’re at? If we have to lower expectations to meet a student where they’re at, how are we also working to help them build the skills to get back to meeting grade-level expectations? **As a note, the idea of meeting grade-level accommodations may not apply to everyone, especially those with developmental delays where reaching age-level milestones may not be a realistic goal.

Third, are the accommodations setting up our students for realistic coping and growth in the long-run? If the accommodation teaches kids skills that they won’t be able to use or can’t build off of in the future as they grow and learn, we should probably reconsider those options. This is especially important when we are talking about accommodations to assist with emotional regulation. We want to make sure that we are supporting students in learning skills that can be built upon or carried forward. So, if the accommodation for emotional outbursts in the classroom starts with being able to take a break outside of the classroom, we will want to make sure that we are slowly building in skills to help students regulate within the classroom. Or maybe a teacher or parent is helping a student write their assignments and check them off when they’re done each day. Over time, we want to see the goals shift to the student managing this with less and less support. For those with IEP’s, this tiered growth is built into the IEP with benchmark goals over the course of the year.

Lastly, are the accommodations being used appropriately? It can be easy for kids to learn and internalize that if they feel stressed or overwhelmed they can take a break instead of facing the issue. This often isn’t done on purpose! Think about it- if we could choose to avoid discomfort or face it, many of us would want to avoid it but we know that some things simply have to be faced head on. Kids don’t have the ability to reason and logic through that and will often take the less painful path. As adults, we have to help assess this and make sure that we are still putting our kids in situations that challenge them and bring discomfort- within reason. This is a tough one and mistakes will be made sometimes- and that’s okay. It’s a good learning opportunity for everyone!

Thinking through accommodations using a critical and honest lens is the most important part. It can feel tempting and easy to throw any and all accommodations at our students in an effort to be as supportive as possible for their success. Recognizing and understanding what students are capable of and where they need assistance the most is crucial. Once goals and accommodations are implemented, frequently revisiting progress and adjusting as needed so students can continue to be challenged is necessary. As with many other things, your advocacy for your child and your knowledge of them will take you far!

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