Can A 504 Plan Be Used In College?

Can A 504 Plan Be Used In College?

This is a question I often hear, and it’s one that I also hear and see answered incorrectly. The short answer is: yes. Colleges must provide accommodations through section 504.

In case you don’t know what a 504 Plan is or what it does, here’s the full definition, per the U.S. Department of Education.

In a nutshell, it is this: a written plan that ensures that a student who has a disability identified under the law receives accommodations to ensure the student receives the same access to academic success as everyone else. 

It levels the playing field for students who have a disability - no matter how large or small, and no matter if it’s permanent or temporary.

6 Books You Need To Read Right Now To Help With Your Kid’s Anxiety

6 Books You Need To Read Right Now To Help With Your Kid’s Anxiety

Do you feel like you hear about anxiety in kids and teenagers more than ever before? I just don’t remember hearing about my friends or classmates dealing with anxiety when I was growing up. 

Granted, I know there was considerable stigma surrounding mental health back in the day, so surely there was plenty of it happening, considering all the brown plaid that parents were dressing their kids in, and I guess we didn’t hear about these struggles because people just didn’t talk about it. 

Community in Crisis Over Child Walking Home From Bus Stop Carrying Elf With Bare Hands

Community in Crisis Over Child Walking Home From Bus Stop Carrying Elf With Bare Hands

Trouble continues in a local neighborhood, where a mother is accused of allowing her daughter to walk down the street carrying her elf with bare hands in front of all the other children.

It all began last week when the incoming-text-notifications of eight moms’ phones and that of one stay-at-home-dad rang out simultaneously from an angry group text, initiated by Kayla’s mom, Patricia, stating that “FYI, the kids just got off the bus and there’s a little girl walking in the middle of the pack, carrying her elf. IN HER HAND, right out in the open where all the kids can see.”

A flurry of texts ensued, with everyone trying to figure out “who the hell is it?” and causing a data bottleneck that ultimately knocked out the nearby cell tower.

“We all suspected that it was that one lady’s bratty daughter,” one mother said, “because that woman always gives in to her child, and sure enough, my neighbor texted to confirm it after pulling out her binoculars.”

PANDAS: The Illness Behind My Son's Thoughts of Suicide

The original version of this post was shared first on Austin Moms, where I am a regular contributor, in March 2020. By then, my son was fully recovered from PANDAS - Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Streptococcal infections (good ol’ strep throat). But it was a scary road getting there.

PANDAS

My son is the clown of our family. He was born with the gift of a cheery, optimistic outlook and a funny sense of humor that’s wittier than most kids his age. He’s the youngest, eight and a half years younger than his brother, and because of his hilarious showmanship, he’s always had a bit of an audience with us.

It’s why it was so startling when he pulled me into his room at bedtime one night to tell me he had been having scary thoughts. Thoughts of suicide.

He had just turned 11.

PANDAS-KristanBraziel.jpg

About a month prior, he had started a new school, but had missed nearly the first two weeks because he woke up on the first day with what turned out to be a strep infection that his little body just could not shake.

He was beginning to get into a rhythm with his school routine and started finally getting back to himself when he told me about the thoughts that were scaring him.

Thankfully, I was able to get my son in for an emergency appointment with a psychiatrist. He requested blood work, specifically to check for strep antibodies as well as for mononucleosis.

The doctor suspected PANDAS, a pediatric autoimmune disorder caused by strep infection that causes your body’s immune system to attack its healthy cells in the brain, stemming from inflammation in the basal ganglia, one of the most central, primitive centers of the brain.

The result is an almost overnight change in the child’s behavior, ranging from obsessive-compulsive behaviors to tics to moodiness and depression, the sudden onset of eating disorders, and even a decline in fine motor skills. 

Our son’s blood tests showed that he had highly elevated strep antibodies, as well as those for mono, so the truth is that we aren’t sure if he had PANDAS or its ugly big sister, PANS, which is essentially the same condition, but instead of strep, it’s triggered by another infection or other metabolic disturbance.

Regardless of the trigger, there was an overnight personality change in our son, and the antibodies in his blood proved that his body was still fighting two infections from a month prior.

After the psychiatrist notified me, he reached out to my son’s pediatrician so they could collaborate on a diagnosis – which they both agreed was PANS/PANDAS – and an appropriate treatment plan, which was a round of strong antibiotics and close monitoring. 

Once armed with the diagnosis, we met with the school administrators to have accommodations added to our child’s 504 Plan. We wanted to make sure he had access to the counselor and school nurse at any time he felt he needed to talk.

The treatment of antibiotics worked and within a few weeks, our son started to return to his normal, happy self, although it would be a few months before we would feel like he was completely back to himself.

We were lucky to have medical professionals willing not only to work collaboratively on behalf of our son, but who were willing to listen to me as a mother. Doctors who believed me and – despite never having diagnosed a case themselves before, were willing to investigate further and start treatment on my son.

If you have noticed sudden distressing behaviors that started over the course of just one to three days, make an appointment with your child’s doctor right away and request blood tests to check for Antistreptolysin O (ASO) titer and the Anti-DNase B antibody.

Both are antibodies that your body produces in response to a strep infection. 

It’s important to note that while searching for elevated levels of strep antibodies is an important piece of criteria to help diagnose your child, it’s only one piece of a bigger puzzle, because a different illness could be the reason for an onset of PANS, and because the illness manifests differently in each person.

The most important step in getting treatment for your child is to trust your gut as a mother and if your doctor pushes back on what you believe to be PANS or PANDAS, find another provider. One who is willing to take the time necessary in investigating whether your child has this rare and complex illness.

My son hasn’t had any symptoms since his recovery, which took a good six months, but our doctors warned us that he could have a relapse with any future strep diagnoses. In fact, he’s at risk of returning PANDAS symptoms if he’s even exposed to strep in the future, although the risk declines as he ages.

Because he’s susceptible to this type of inflammation, he’s also at higher risk for a similar illness, MIS-C, if he’s exposed to COVID-19. MIS-C stands for Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children, and - although children are at a lower risk for the typical symptoms of COVID, it’s this syndrome in particular that I’m afraid of my son developing with any COVID exposure.

It’s very rare, but it is a very real illness.

In 2020, Texas Governor, Greg Abbott, created an advisory council on PANS, which is an important step in the right direction toward better understanding this illness and effective treatments.

It’s also validation for all the families who have experienced symptoms, only to be told by a doctor that they’re imagining things, or that their child has some other psychiatric disorder.



6 Books You Need To Read Right Now To Help With Your Kid’s Anxiety

6 Books You Need To Read Right Now To Help With Your Kid’s Anxiety

Do you feel like you hear about anxiety in kids and teenagers more than ever before? I just don’t remember hearing about my friends or classmates dealing with anxiety when I was growing up. 

Granted, I know there was considerable stigma surrounding mental health back in the day, so surely there was plenty of it happening, considering all the brown plaid that parents were dressing their kids in, and I guess we didn’t hear about these struggles because people just didn’t talk about it. 

Interview With Writer And Comedian Toni Nagy

Interview With Writer And Comedian Toni Nagy

Several weeks ago, I had the opportunity to interview the smart and hilarious Toni Nagy, writer and comedian responsible for creating sketch comedy videos based on current events, which were - at the time of our interview - all very COVID-19-centric.

Weren’t we so cute when we thought all we had to deal with was a global pandemic?? When our heads could stay firmly planted in the ground and remain blind to systemic racism?? Hahahahaha, adorable!

Book Review: All That Lingers, by Irene Wittig

Book Review: All That Lingers, by Irene Wittig

Books based in the WWII era are like catnip for me, because I can’t believe there isn’t more time separating us from the treacherous events that occurred. Complex stories of unexpected relationships and the painful decisions people were forced to make seems like they couldn’t possibly have happened only 75 years ago.

They should have happened centuries ago, before our world had become civilized.

What To Do When You're Worried About COVID-19

What To Do When You're Worried About COVID-19

A few weeks ago, my friend told me about a children’s book contest hosted by the Emory Global Health Institute. The submissions they were looking for were to be targeted toward kids ages six to nine years old, and the purpose was to explain the virus using science-based facts.

You know I’m all about the mental health side of things, and helping calm anxieties when I’m able to, so I chose to frame my submission from that standpoint.

Austin's Newest Murals (And Phrases I Never Want To Hear Again)

Austin's Newest Murals (And Phrases I Never Want To Hear Again)

If I hear the phrases, “uncertain times,” “trying times,” or my most dreaded, “unchartared territory,” because FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT’S HOLY, it’s un-effing-CHARTED, I AM GOING TO SET MYSELF ON FIRE.

orry for all the yelling, but sweet fancy Moses, can we come up with new terms?

And is it too much to ask to GET RIGHT the ones we’re over-using??

The Corona Chronicles Project

The Corona Chronicles Project

When I was growing up, my parents would take me to the library and set me to work going through reels of microfiche films to help them work on our family genealogy project. They taught me how to look up census records, and birth and death records, but I became fascinated with all the stuff in the middle.

I wanted to find out about what my ancestors did between those two events. The dates on their vital statistics records announced that they were born and then died.

Their stories showed us that they lived.

How To Manage Boredom During Quarantine

As we enter our 49th week of quarantine, I thought I would--- Hm?. What’s that? We’re only on **checks notes** week one?

Is this a joke?

Our new quarantine meal plan consists of mostly Ruffles and Cadbury mini eggs, so even though we’re only ten days in, I’m up 32 pounds and drunk, thanks to starting a drinking game based on hearing the words, “I’m bored.”

Grab This Homeschool Daily Schedule

Grab This Homeschool Daily Schedule

We got our e-learning email from my son's teachers this morning and I am SO HAPPY to see that - in our school district, anyway - they’re making the focus about REVIEWING what the kids have learned this year, as opposed to learning new material.

This is fantastic news for all of us, but especially for those parents who still have to work outside the home and worry about how to help their kids with schoolwork, and for those of us who are just overwhelmed in general by the responsibilities of teaching our kids.


I wanted to share with you what we're doing in our home.

Author Spotlight: An Interview With American Sherlock's Kate Winkler Dawson

Author Spotlight: An Interview With American Sherlock's Kate Winkler Dawson

A few weeks ago, I read the February book selection for Jenny Lawson’s - you may know her as “The Bloggess” - book club, The Fantastic Strangelings.

The book, titled American Sherlock, written by Kate Winkler Dawson, was recently launched and it’s right up my alley: **I’m counting these off on my fingers for drama** it has your history, it has your true crime, and it has - and this truly is catnip to me - pictures!

My 5 Best Posts For Texas Travel In Spring

My 5 Best Posts For Texas Travel In Spring

Spring break is one of our family’s favorite times to travel, mainly because the weather is just right. You know how I hate to be hot, but I also hate to be cold.

There’s a tiny baby window of comfort for me and it usually falls right around spring break.

I’ve pulled together some of the posts I’ve written in the past about spring travel, and I’ve even included one to help get your moody-ass teenager on board with one I wrote listing out books to inspire your teen to want to travel.

From The Bowels Of The Literary Loudmouth

From The Bowels Of The Literary Loudmouth

Years ago, a small group of friends and I created a highly coveted book club.

It was highly coveted because we kept it small and made a big to-do out of our “meetings,” which were more social event than straight literary business.

We also incorporated just the right amount of neighborhood gossip.

My Honest Review Of The Queen Mary Hotel

My Honest Review Of The Queen Mary Hotel

A few weeks ago, Mark treated me to a trip to California as part of my birthday celebration. 

The first half of the trip was in Santa Barbara, where we took part in the My Favorite Murder’s My Favorite Weekend event. I’ll share more about that part of the trip later, because it definitely deserves a post all its own.

For now, I want to tell you about the second half of the trip, where we drove down the coastal highway of California in our rented Jeep, with the top off, looking effortlessly cool, like a couple of West Coast locals. 

8 Favorite Holiday Cocktails To Liven Up The Most Awkward Parties

8 Favorite Holiday Cocktails To Liven Up The Most Awkward Parties

With the cold snap that just blew in, and seeing all the skeletons hanging from the eaves of homes around town and pumpkins plunked in front yards signals my brain that it’s not only time to start shopping for a new fall outfit for my Bitmoji, but that it’s almost that time of year for entertaining, which - as you know - I have a love-hate relationship with. 

Groups of people make me panicky, and the thought of being in a group of people makes me panicky. And thinking of panicking while in a group of people makes me panicky.

So, yah. Parties. 

My Honest Review of the Texas Conference for Women

My Honest Review of the Texas Conference for Women

In case you’re new here, I’m a raving, rabid fan of the Texas Conference for Women, and I blather on about it here and there throughout the year, especially right around now, because it’s when the event happens each year.

The Conference’s 20th anniversary was last Thursday in Austin, as usual, and it was my fifth consecutive year attending and my first serving on the Social Media Team (with capital letters, to indicate its importance). 

I mean. I was bananas. 

Party Planning Without Sweating The Small Stuff

Party Planning Without Sweating The Small Stuff

My Big Birthday is just one month from now and there’s a fancy party in the works, courtesy of Mark and my girlfriends, to help me celebrate.

When I say “fancy,” I mean that it’s going to look to the outsider like we had a party planner involved, and that we spent half the year having “our people” call “their people.”

But - in case you are new here: that’s not how this works. (I’m doing my hands up and down the length of my body when I say, “this.”)