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 Plan vs 

If you have been diagnosed with a mental health condition, you may have heard your parents talking with a school counselor about a '504 Plan' or an 'IEP.' Basically, 504 plans and IEPs are educational plans for people in schools who have mental or physical conditions. They help make sure that the kid is receiving what they need to be happy and successful in school.

What is a 504 Plan?

504 plans are also designed to help kids with conditions in public schools. They legally make sure that kids are treated fairly at school. 504 plans aim to have students be educated in a normal classroom, but still have additional resources they may need. Someone can consider having a 504 plan if they can’t have an IEP and still need more support in order to succeed at school.

What is an IEP?

IEP stands for Individualized Education Programs, and is offered for free for kids at public schools. It outlines goals a kid might need in order to succeed at school. Students who may need special education services need an IEP. Mental conditions that may need an IEP include ADHD, autism, emotional disorders, learning problems, or speech issues. 

IEPs help students be able to learn alongside their peers, but sometimes support them by teaching them in a specialized classroom for their specific needs. This allows more one-on-one learning for most of the day, but the student can join regular classes for some classes.

What is the difference?

504 plans help a student in a regular classroom, but changes their normal educational program. IEPs educate kids in a specialized classroom separate from others most of the time. 504 plans are monitored by teachers, while IEPs may have different educational systems depending on someone’s needs. IEPs also require parent approval, and parent participation is important for a kid to succeed at school with 504 plans.

References:

Bachrach, S. J. (Ed.). (2016, September). 504 education plans (for parents) - nemours kidshealth. KidsHealth. Retrieved June 15, 2022, from https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/504-plans.html

 

Belsky, G. (n.d.). What is an IEP? Understood. Retrieved June 5, 2022, from https://www.understood.org/en/articles/what-is-an-iep

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