Hopefully, sharing my son's Individualized Education Plan (IEP) will help other parents of children with ADHD and learning problems.

One the most frequent questions I get asked is "What do I put in my child's IEP"? Every child's IEP will be different based on the challenges the child faces. I would venture to say that no two IEP's are alike as no two children are alike. I thought that I would share James' IEP for this year so that readers could get an idea of what kind of things to ask for. I will also tell you why I asked for certain services in hopes that it might start you in the right direction for your own child's IEP.

James started 6th grade this year in a Junior High School. His day is much like a regular high school day, broken into 7 periods. James will be in special education 60% of the day and mainstreamed 40% of the day.

In addition to the above, after 6 years of self-contained special education classes, it seems as if James has reached a plateau in his learning for the last two years. In view of this, I have decided that it is now time to concentrate and getting James prepared to face the future with what education he has and focus on teaching him how to use various tools such as computers, tape recorders and calculators and to eventually move him into vocation training as soon as it is permitted.

• Math Class: Math is a particularly hard subject for James. He is in the 3rd percentile in the nation and has just barely, a 3rd grade education in Math. Combined with James' short and long-term memory problems and the way his mind processes math, he not only has trouble with the concept of math, but he also does not retain what he's learned. Each year we start off re-learning the same things we did the year before. Because of this, I asked for the following:

  A: James is at his prime first thing in the morning. His meds are working at their best so I asked that Math be his first period.

  B: After a long talk with the principal and his teacher last year, it is obvious that James is not ever going to catch onto math. In essence, we are beating a dead horse where math concepts are concerned. Our only hope now is that through repetition, we can get him to retain what he has learned thus far. Because of this, I have asked that the school start teaching James what I call "practical" math. Show him how to put a dozen donuts in a bag, how to measure and read a tape/ruler and other similar things.

  C: Since James does have the problems in math that he has, I also asked that he be taught how to use a calculator to help prepare him for the future.

• Writing: Writing and written language are James' next worst subject. His poor fine-motor skills make it difficult to write, thus making him despise the task. Again, I asked that this be given in the morning while he is fresh and still under the benefits of his medication. Due to his poor writing skills and written language scores, I asked for the following:

  A: James has spent the last 6 years in special education, self-contained classrooms. The only thing I've seen him do in the way of writing is describing a picture with a couple of sentences and writing his spelling words three times each. I'd like to see James exposed to more things like book reports and other writing assignments to broaden his education. So, I asked that he be supplied with a tape recorder so that he dictate his book reports and other assignments.

  B: Because writing is so difficult for James, I asked that he be given typing classes and access to a computer to learn on. Also, I asked for access to a computer to help him with his studies. They are suppose to provide him with a lap top for school.

• Homework and Miscellaneous: One of my BIG issues is homework. When James gets home from school, he is at the end of his last dose of medication. Doing homework with James is not a pretty site and in all actuality, I would rather wrestle a bear. No good comes from fighting with a child over homework. You become frustrated, the child is frustrated and it only creates world war three so...

  A: I asked that James be given one study period right after lunch to take care of all his homework needs. I did this after lunch because he takes his second dose of medication at school just before lunch. By the time he gets in from his lunch break, his meds will be in full force, and he will have blown off some steam during recess and should be in prime condition to sit down and focus on his homework. Plus, he will have a computer and tape recorder at his disposal, all of his books and necessary papers and the teacher will be there to direct him on the assignments.

  B: Also because meds throughout the day are an issue, wearing off about 10-10:30 am and again around 2 p.m., I asked that he be given either an elective, something fun like art or computer class or P.E. at these times. I can see no good coming from trying to sit him down during the time of the day when the chances of him being able to focus and concentrate are slim to none.

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