Alicia: My daughter is constantly behind her peers in school. She struggles to take all the notes and from brain fog when remembering things she did at school to what she needs to do for homework. Can I get a 504 plan for her Hashimoto Thyroiditis? She already has a 504 plan for her Type 1 Diabetes and Celiac Disease.
Alicia –
A student may be eligible for a 504 plan if they have a disability that impacts one or more major life activities. Hashimoto’s certainly has the potential to meet this definition – the school would have to determine if it actually does for your daughter.
If they do – you can have one 504 plan that addresses all of your daughter’s needs, regardless of what diagnosis they stem from.
You can ask the school to amend the current 504 plan to address areas it is not currently addressing satisfactorily (like executive functioning). This is a good step if her needs stemming from Hashimoto’s are straight forward or already well-documented by her medical doctor. If the exact supports she may need are less clear, you may instead want to ask them to reevaluate her.
If the school declines to evaluate her or amend her 504 plan, you do have the option to dispute it by requesting a due process hearing. Your local parent center should be able to help you understand this right (http://www.parentcenterhub.org/find-your-center/).
I found this decision by the Adminatrative Law Judge that addresses Hashimoto. I found it to be an interesting read.
https://www.documents.dgs.ca.gov/oah/seho_decisions/2015030589.pdf