What can I write in my child's IEP or 504 plan to support their mental health?

Students can receive school-based mental health services in connection with their special education needs. These can include emotional supports, accommodations, and services, as well as goals and objectives related to mental health.

Lisa Carey tells us, “A lot of times, some of the accommodations for anxiety might include getting a preview from the teacher at home of what's going to be covered. For example, the teacher might send their agenda for the week, so the kid’s aware that in history, we're going to talk about WWI. That helps them know what's going to happen. I've seen a combination where the school lets the child know of any significant changes or events that might be happening. For example, maybe there's going to be an earthquake drill this week. They can let the child know in advance, so there can be things like those big headphones or little earplugs for noise.”

Special education advocate and owner of KnowIEPs, Dr. Sarah Pelangka (BCBA-D), adds that while every child is different, some mental health accommodations are more common than others, such as, “Silent agreed upon cues to request help/breaks; access to calming area within classroom; access to movement breaks; allowance to wear hoodie/hat in class; access to comfort items from home; access to listen to music; allowance to pull phone out (to contact parents); access to safe person on campus whenever needed; access to Wellness Center whenever needed; Coping menu; allowance to have snacks throughout the day.” And for performance anxiety, “Not being called on to read aloud in class; not being required to present in front of class.” For test anxiety, “Not priming too far in advance; ensuring study guides are provided in advance; and not extending time for assignments too far out as the piling up of assignments can induce even more anxiety.”

She adds that some students can have a modified day where they show up later due to not being able to wake up on time for school — due to medications, poor sleep patterns, etc. — and this can all be written into the IEP. In an IEP, any kind of emotional or mental health would be listed under the “social/emotional” section, and would have their own goals.

For more information, see our full article How IEPs and 504 Plans Help Support Mental Health in School.