A 504 behavior plan was established by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, part of federal law in the US. The 504 behavior plan helps to provide accommodations for students who are considered physically disabled. Disability does not necessarily mean impairment of walking or movement, but may refer to chronic conditions like severe asthma, or to recognized learning problems like autism and ADHD.
Many wonder how a 504 behavior plan differs from an Individualized Education Plan (IEP). The main difference is that the IEP attempts to provide accommodations for students who have significant discrepancies in learning abilities. Such individuals may test well, but consistently perform poorly in class; they may have speech/language difficulties, or coding difficulties like dyslexia. Some have large discrepancies between written and spoken language.
In general, neither the 504 behavior plan, nor the IEP has anything to do with a child’s intelligence, though there are naturally some students who may need accommodations due to mental retardation. Usually, these plans focus on accommodation of learning styles that differ from the mode of instruction afforded in a particular school. A dyslexic student or a child with speech/language delays may be just as intelligent as a typical straight A student. So neither IEPs nor 504 behavior plans should be considered as stigmatic.
In fact, normally the 504 behavior plan deals more specifically with medical disabilities that may make it difficult for a child to fully participate in all activities for which a student must be deemed competent. The child with chronic asthma might for example have exemptions or special modifications regarding physical education (PE) classes. He or she might have adaptive PE, or have a PE program designed that will allow him or her to reach reasonable goals without exceeding his or her limits.
The 504 behavior plan can be very helpful when there is no academic discrepancy. Some children may need additional support after long hospitalizations and yet not test into IEP parameters. In these cases, evaluation of support services like counseling at school, friendship groups, or plans for when a child must be absent due to frequent illness can all help the child feel successful. As well, these plans are tailored for the student to complete school and get full credit for completion.
A 504 behavior plan can be instituted prior to a student even entering grammar school. Most children with 504 classification can be enrolled in free preschools, called SELPA schools, which help them learn early socialization skills, thus increasing their success in early elementary education. SELPA schools also tailor education to meet the needs of children with disabilities and each school will have a particular focus toward types of disabilities, so children are reasonably grouped with others of similar ability.
The 504 behavior plan can than be of great assistance in the elementary, and secondary school setting. A medically fragile child might require greater surveillance than a child in perfect health. When this is determined, the school must hire someone to shadow that child during recess times, or in some cases to assist the student during all aspects of the day. In this way, the child is fully included in a regular class.
Where significant disability like autism or retardation exists, the 504 behavior plan may also adjust standards for evaluation of the student. This is particularly effective in elementary settings, but begins to lose steam in secondary education. When grading standards are changed in secondary education, students may not be eligible for graduation, but may instead only receive a certification of completion of high school.
However, secondary schools cannot ban students from gaining their diploma when serious physical challenges make some required courses impossible. For example, the child with significant movement impairment cannot be held from graduation because he or she cannot participate in physical education classes. Conversely, a child with learning disabilities on an IEP may not graduate without passing high school exit examinations. New rules have tightened restrictions on graduation and offer fewer and fewer modifications for students with learning challenges, particularly during standardized testing.
Nevertheless, the 504 behavior plan can be a tremendous tool for helping the child to be a full participant in a classroom. As well, early inclusion in classes for differently abled children is thought to breed empathy in younger children who do not require learning plans. This may ultimately result in reduction of hazing or teasing at later ages, since children have had the advantage of being classmates of students of different abilities or with significant medical issues, since early elementary school.
