Welcome to the Accommodations Series, where we will explore some of the many forms that accommodations can take across a variety of settings. 

Accommodations are a crucial component of accessibility, an open-ended acknowledgement that different people have different needs when it comes to completing certain tasks or accessing certain resources and we can meet those needs so that those tasks and resources are equally accessible. When someone is denied a necessary accommodation, they may face an enormous barrier or even be effectively cut off from a given space. 

The word “accommodation” covers a huge umbrella of tools and supports and can entail minor adjustments or more extensive planning. Let’s take a look at what some accommodations might look like in a school setting!

One wrinkle of identifying and providing accommodations in a grade school setting is the formal legal process established around it. Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, students with a diagnosed disability are legally entitled to receive “special education and related services to address their individual needs.” 

One form that compliance with IDEA takes is the Individualized Education Plan, or IEP. In addition to an individual student’s goals and progress, an IEP should also include a list of “appropriate educational accommodations necessary for the child to be successful.” 

Examples of the types of accommodations one might find on an IEP can include and are not limited to:

• Individualized parameters around test-taking and completing assignments

• Permission to use sensory tools for self-regulation

• Individualized communication tools

• Special communication assistance or instruction

• Working memory aids

• Additional support from a teaching assistant

One crucial component of including accommodations in an IEP is that once they are on the plan, students can expect to receive those agreed-upon accommodations as they are required by law. IEP plans however are not the only way that we can ensure a student receives necessary accommodations under the law.

If you are familiar with both IEPs and 504 Plans, you may wonder exactly what the difference is . While both make reference to and are in part made for establishing student accommodation needs, an IEP has a particular focus on specialized instruction whereas a 504 plan focuses on accessibility and accommodations needed to manage workload.

Some examples of accommodations under a 504 Plan might include:

• A quiet study room during lunch

• Individualized communication tools

• Special communication assistance

• Working memory aids

• Accessibility devices to reach certain parts of the school

• Permission to use sensory tools for self-regulation

There can be a tremendous amount of overlap between 504-based goals and IEP-based goals, with perhaps the main difference being that 504 goals are more based on the idea of setting a student up for broad academic success, whereas accommodations in an IEP plan may at times be more specific to ensuring a student has the tools to reach certain goals. 

That being said, the crucial part of either plan is that a student’s accommodation needs are properly identified and they are able to access those resources at the time they need them!

Of the many things that our first two sections have in common, perhaps the most crucial is that providing reasonable accommodations is legally required for students who have an official Autism diagnosis, particularly if that accommodation is listed on one of those plans. 

It is great that those accommodations form a strong baseline for meeting a student’s needs, however, there is no guarantee that the accommodations listed on a plan will cover every possible scenario, or that every student who demonstrates a need for an accommodation will have an official diagnosis. 

There may be limitations to the types of accommodations we can offer as a teacher, but there is nothing stopping us from choosing to accommodate students who express a need even if it is not codified in a specific plan or required of you. 

While we should never stretch ourselves past our limits, sometimes being the one to take the step of allowing an accommodation can make a big difference in a student’s learning process, even if they haven’t been “officially” recognized as needing it.

We hope this post has offered a baseline idea of the most common forms that accommodations take in a grade school setting and what most often informs how those accommodations are created. If you would like to share your experience asking for or establishing accommodations in a school setting, then we would love to hear from you! Just drop us a line at hello@autismgrownup.com and we will be back next week to talk about accommodations at the postsecondary education level.