Accommodations Aren’t Treatment: Why Students Still Struggle Even With “Support”
A realistic classroom scene showing a school-aged student sitting at a desk, looking toward two directional signs labeled “Accommodations” and “Instruction,” symbolizing the difference between educational supports and direct teaching.
If your child has an IEP or 504 plan, you’ve probably heard some version of this:
“We’ll give extra time.”
“We’ll reduce the workload.”
“We’ll read it aloud.”
“We’ll provide notes.”
“We’ll let them use speech-to-text.”
Those can be helpful. Sometimes they are necessary.
But here’s the uncomfortable truth I see over and over in psychoeducational evaluations:
Many schools are using accommodations as a substitute for instruction.
And when that happens, kids don’t get better. They just get “helped” forever.
This post is going to be blunt, because your child’s future is not the place for polite confusion.
What accommodations are (and what they are not)
Accommodations are changes to how a student accesses information or shows what they know, without changing the learning expectations. They can level the playing field when a disability creates a barrier.
Accommodations do not teach skills.
They do not rebuild weak reading decoding.
They do not fix a writing disability.
They do not improve math calculation fluency.
They do not correct weak executive functioning.
They do not replace explicit instruction and targeted intervention.
The IDA (International Dyslexia Association) puts it plainly: accommodations can support access, but they don’t teach a child to read and write.
Why this matters: the “forever dependent” trap
When a child gets years of accommodations without real remediation, something predictable happens:
Grades might look “okay” (at least for a while)
The skill gap quietly grows
Confidence shrinks
The child becomes dependent on adult scaffolding
Middle school and high school hit like a freight train
Then parents are told: “Your child needs more accommodations.”
Sometimes they do. But more accommodations on top of weak instruction is like turning up the radio to fix the engine noise. It might feel better for a moment, but you’re still broken down.
The most common “accommodations that became a substitute for instruction”
Let’s name the usual suspects. These are not “bad.” They become harmful when they are used to avoid teaching the missing skills.
Reduced workload
Done right: fewer problems, but carefully chosen, with continued instruction and practice on the targeted skill.
Done wrong: your child does 5 math problems instead of 20… and never builds the endurance or fluency they actually need.
Read-aloud for everything
Done right: read-aloud for content learning (history, science) while the student simultaneously receives structured reading intervention to build decoding and fluency.
Done wrong: read-aloud replaces reading instruction, year after year. The child never becomes an independent reader.
Extended time
Done right: helps a student demonstrate knowledge when processing speed, anxiety, or disability-related barriers impact timed performance.
Done wrong: becomes a quiet admission that the student is not fluent because they were never taught to fluency.
Notes provided
Done right: reduces the note-taking load while the student is explicitly taught organization, listening comprehension strategies, and independent study skills.
Done wrong: the student never learns how to take notes, plan, or study, so they fall apart the second supports fade.
Why schools drift into “accommodations-only” mode
This is where it gets controversial, but it’s also reality:
Accommodations are faster and cheaper than intensive intervention
Real instruction requires training, time, fidelity, and staffing. Accommodations can be typed into a plan in one meeting.Accommodations reduce complaints in the short term
Parents see something “being done,” and the school can say they provided support.Instruction is harder to prove than paperwork
A plan is easy to document. High-quality intervention with progress monitoring is harder to implement and sustain.Teams confuse access with growth
Access means the student can participate. Growth means the student is gaining skills. They are not the same thing.
Accommodations plus intervention is the actual goal
This is the part schools should be saying out loud:
Your child may need accommodations to access the general curriculum AND intervention to build the missing skills.
Not either/or.
Even guidance on intensive intervention for students with learning disabilities emphasizes it shouldn’t be accommodations/adaptations OR intensive interventions, but both.
And if you’re thinking, “Why didn’t anyone explain it this clearly?”—you’re not alone.
How to tell if your child is getting support or just getting “helped”
Use these quick tests.
Test 1: Can the school name the skill being taught?
Ask: “What specific skill is my child being directly taught in intervention?”
Good answers sound like:
“phonemic decoding and multisyllabic word reading”
“sentence combining and paragraph structure”
“math fact fluency and computation strategies”
“planning and self-monitoring with guided practice”Bad answers sound like:
“we’re supporting them”
“we’re giving accommodations”
“we’re meeting their needs”
“we’re providing small group help” (with no details)
Test 2: Is there progress monitoring that shows growth?
Ask: “What data do you collect every 2–4 weeks to show improvement in the targeted skill?”
If there’s no regular progress monitoring, you may be looking at good intentions, not a treatment plan.
Test 3: Is the intervention evidence-based and delivered with enough intensity?
Intensity matters: frequency, group size, instructional approach, and who’s delivering it.
Evidence-based reading instruction emphasizes explicit teaching of foundational skills and thoughtful tiering (especially for students who are behind).
Test 4: Are accommodations expanding while skills stay flat?
If the plan keeps adding accommodations but reading/writing/math skills aren’t improving, you’re watching the accommodations-only drift in real time.
What parents should say in the IEP/504 meeting (use this script)
Here are direct, respectful questions that change meetings:
“Which accommodations help my child access grade-level content, and which needs are you actively remediating?”
“What intervention are you providing, how often, and in what group size?”
“What program or instructional approach are you using, and what evidence supports it for my child’s area of need?”
“How will you measure growth every few weeks, and what is the goal line?”
“If progress data shows limited growth after 6–8 weeks, what changes will you make?”
If the team can’t answer these clearly, that’s the signal.
A hard truth: evaluations can unintentionally contribute to this problem
I’m going to say something that will make some professionals uncomfortable:
Some psychoeducational reports become “accommodation menus” instead of skill roadmaps.
A good evaluation should do more than list supports. It should clarify:
the underlying skill deficits
how those deficits show up in the classroom
what type of instruction/intervention is likely to help
what data should improve if intervention is working
Accommodations are sometimes necessary. But if a report reads like a shopping list and never clearly identifies what needs to be taught, it’s incomplete.
What a strong support plan usually includes
Here’s what I love to see:
A small set of high-impact accommodations
Targeted and clearly connected to the disability.A specific, evidence-based intervention plan
Frequency, duration, group size, provider, and method.Progress monitoring
Simple, regular, and transparent.A plan to fade some supports as skills improve
Not because we want to take help away, but because independence is the point.
The legal and policy reality parents should know
Schools have obligations under IDEA and Section 504 to provide supports and services designed to meet a student’s needs so they can access education appropriately.
That does not mean “give extra time and call it a day.”
It means the plan should be designed to address disability-related needs in a meaningful way, not just manage them.
If you want a simpler way to remember it:
Accommodations help your child access learning.
Instruction and intervention change your child’s skills.
Both can be true at the same time.
Bottom line
If your child has been “supported” for years but isn’t gaining the underlying skills, you are not being difficult for asking harder questions. You’re being a parent.
The goal is not lifelong accommodations.
The goal is progress, confidence, and independence.
And yes, sometimes the honest answer is: your child needs better instruction, not more paperwork.
Resources for Parents (books and trusted websites)
Books (with ISBN)
Overcoming Dyslexia (2020 Edition), Sally Shaywitz, M.D.
ISBN-13: 978-0679781592Wrightslaw: From Emotions to Advocacy: The Special Education Survival Guide, Pam Wright and Pete Wright
ISBN-13: 978-1892320094How to Talk So Kids Can Learn, Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish
ISBN-13: 978-0684824727Essentials of Dyslexia Assessment and Intervention (2nd Edition), Nancy Mather and Barbara J. Wendling
ISBN-13: 978-1394229239
Online resources (with www. addresses)
International Dyslexia Association accommodations overview
www.dyslexiaida.org/accommodations-for-students-with-dyslexia/U.S. Department of Education: Section 504 FAPE FAQ (updated June 30, 2025)
www.ed.gov/laws-and-policy/civil-rights-laws/disability-discrimination/frequently-asked-questions-section-504-free-appropriate-public-education-fapeU.S. Department of Education: IDEA overview
www.ed.gov/laws-and-policy/individuals-disabilities/ideaWhat Works Clearinghouse practice guide (Foundational Reading Skills; PDF)
ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/docs/practiceguide/wwc_foundationalreading_070516.pdfNational Center on Intensive Intervention (resources for intensive intervention / MTSS)
www.intensiveintervention.org/resource/what-should-educators-consider-when-thinking-about-access-general-education-curriculumWrightslaw accommodations and modifications explanations
www.wrightslaw.com/blog/modifications-accommodations-vs-modifications-in-a-g-courses/
Note: This article was thoughtfully crafted with the help of AI tools and fine-tuned by me, Dr. Burger, at the Student Evaluation Center, to ensure high quality and accurate information that is essential to for anyone wishing to learn more about becoming a special education advocate. Feel free to reach out to me with any questions you have.
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