Tag: special education

Hold a Better IEP Tomorrow!

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meeting

Imagine this:

You are sitting in a room at a table. At the table are 5 experts in their fields. You are a stay at home mom, or dad. Or you work full time and had to take a day off just for this meeting.  They start by introducing themselves. They all have fancy titles and letters after their names.  Then they ask your concerns.  You tell them. You’re concerned about behaviors, or grades, or academics, or your child simply making friends.  Then they start talking.  You’re handed page after page of reports, no time to read them all now. They tell you he can’t do this.  He can’t read his letters, can’t count to 50, can’t use the bathroom on his own.  He hits other kids, he pinches or pushes.  But that’s your baby- he’s never hit anyone at home? The ‘experts’ roll their eyes.  “Of course he doesn’t” they say, but you can hear the sarcasm dripping in their voices, like they know more than you. They are the experts after all.   You see the test scores from tests with more fancy labels. ABLLS, DOTS, AABR, etc etc. He scores in the 10th percentile, then the 2nd, then <.01%, <.01%, <.01%, <.01%……

  This is the reality for many parents with children with special needs.  Even if their child has a relatively ‘minor’ learning disability, the panel of experts grilling them and telling them what their child can not do can be devastating.  I have heard many parents come into the meeting with a sense that they have to ‘fight’ for their childs’ needs. And I hear teachers who dread IEP’s because they know that they will get push-back or questioned at every turn by parents or the dreaded “Advocate” telling them how to do their job. But the truth is, it DOESN’T HAVE TO BE THAT WAY!

I could go on and on about the importance of a good teacher-parent-team relationship.  And mostly because I learned all of this first hand.

I became a teacher because I LOVE WORKING WITH KIDS!  I did not join the special education world because I just love telling parents what their kids can and can’t do! In my first year teaching, I absolutely dreaded IEP’s.  I was SO scared the parents wouldn’t take me seriously as a young teacher.  I thought they would question my every goal, report, or present level.  And honestly, it has taken more than 5 years for me to really get comfortable with the parents in my program.  I definitely credit my placement I am at now for helping with that one.

Why? Because the County and Principal I work for focus on STRENGTHS! And it has made a world of difference in our IEP’s, and I will share with you how.

Before the meeting- I call the parents and ask about their concerns.  I also try to get my report and any providers reports at least a few days early and send them home with “Draft” on the top. Not only is this Best Practices, the parent is able to read it through and can feel as prepared as you do for the meeting.  They wont feel rushed or like they are missing something.  And it helps with time if you don’t have to read your report word for word during the meeting.

Then, during the IEP, the team always begins with things that are strengths for the student, funny stories, anecdotes about how well they are demonstrating their goals.
They ask parents what their concerns are, and instead of trying to instantly fix them (“Oh have you tried X Y Z??”), they actually Listen. They commiserate with the parents. They feel them.  And is not a pitying conversation, not in the slightest.  We genuinely feel for them, feel their struggles and heartache.  We know the child, but we can’t possibly know what you the parent are going through. We have these children for 6 hours a day. You have them in your day and in your heart 24/7/365.

Next we all try to write Strength Based IEP’s. I am working on a new blog post for how to write your own because it is something I feel so passionate about, but for now I will summarize.  During the writing and testing process before an IEP, I will simply write everything that needs to be said.  Then I go back and CTRL+F for any CAN’T or NOT ABLE. I try to change those into positive things the student CAN or IS ABLE to do. For example.  If I am writing that John is not able to use the bathroom independently, I can go back and change it to “John is able to currently complete 4/8 of the toiletting process independently”.  Still basically saying the same thing, but it is SO much easier for the parent to hear. Plus the data will still support me, and we know what to focus on next year specifically, instead of just a list of can’ts.

With Triennials and Assessments, depending on your district, you may HAVE to report with numbers and statistics.  I am in a program with significant physical and mental needs where standardized assessment is not always appropriate or applicable.  But if you do and the child is consistently scoring in the lower ranges (like .01%, what the heck does that even tell you?) I believe it would benefit not only the parent, but the team in general to put this disclaimer, stated by you or even in the report:

This report contains a lot of numbers that may seem low or depressing.  But numbers can not tell you how sweet, or caring, or bright your child truly is.  And while this test may measure X Y & Z, it is NOT a complete picture of who your child is and their true strengths and needs. 

Believe me, I LOVE data. And I love the important information that data can tell us about some kiddos, discovering learning gaps or knowledge we didn’t know the student has.  If the scores are impressive, by all means, share it! Share your joy for discovering all of these hidden talents this child has. But if it doesn’t, I really don’t see the point in focusing on all of those low numbers.

Behavior Data can also be equally depressing to parents, but as a teacher, super necessary to report! Especially if you are trying to justify needing a behavior plan, extra aides or classroom support, or just for your administrators to understand how difficult this student can be to accommodate! We need to be heard too!  But while it is important to have your needs met as an educator, it is also important to not solely focus on the detrimental behaviors and how “rough” the child can be.  Trust that the parents usually already knows.  When reporting behavior data, try to also tell about the days that the student didn’t show any behaviors.  For example “Yesterday Mike was able to choose a DVD to watch on Friday and worked so well for it, he only had two small instances of work refusal but redirected nicely.” While you are still reporting some behaviors, you are also reporting on successes. Bring your data with you. Make a nice chart if you can.  There is a reason for the data, and it’s not just because your Behaviorist wants you to do more work!  It is hard to argue against concrete data and facts.  It is also helpful to report on which interventions are working, and even offering to assist the family in creating their own interventions in the home environment.

Of course, despite your best efforts, some meetings will be difficult.  Sometimes it isn’t the best placement for the child despite what the parent thinks. Sometimes the goals or services they are asking for are unrealistic. Sometimes they are already so pitted against you, coming in ready for a fight that you really don’t stand a chance at peaceful mediation.

In those instances, it is important to make sure:

  • You are prepared and have prepared your team AND the parents!
  • Bring all of your data to back up your claims! Goal and Behavior Data!
  • That you report the facts- opinions are useless when trying to get everyone on the same page. You don’t KNOW that Johnny hits his aide because he hates math, but data can show the team for sure that Johnny usually has 5-6 instances of aggression during math time.
  • That you and your administrator are on the same wavelength.

But despite all that, you should still do everything in your power to focus on the child’s strengths and creating a sense of unity in the team.  It may help to bring a few pictures of the child to help re-center the discussion on positives and keeping everything in their best interests.  After all, you are all there for the same reason, to help that child succeed!

Quick and Easy Sensory Supports for ASD and SPD

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                  Your child is crying. Hitting their head. You know something is bothering them, but they can’t tell you what it is.  As a parent or provider, it can be SO frustrating not to know what to do when a child needs our help. And imagine how they must feel! 

             Sometimes our students just need a little extra support. When you are seeing excessive behaviors in the class or at home, we need to remember that it’s rarely personal. These behaviors are communicating unmet needs to us.  The first step is always to try to teach communication strategies.  It opens worlds when children are able to communicate their needs.  However, if the communication piece is not quite there yet, we can help mitigate some of the uncomfortable situations that our students may be feeling.

         Children and Adults with Autism, Sensory Processing Disorder, and even ADHD/ADD have consistently reported under or over-sensitivities in many of the basic senses (sight/smell/touch/taste/proprioception).  For example, a student with an UNDER-sensitivity to touch may SEEK out texture by touching objects, hitting his hands on things, or rubbing clothes, while a student with an OVER-sensitivity to touch may refuse to wear certain clothes or clothes with tags, refuse touch from others including hugs, or refuse some textured foods. 

The behavior the child is expressing may clue you in on what sensory support they need.  Need some tips for integrating quick and inexpensive sensory items into your home? Here is a quick look into some of my most frequently used.

“Chewlery”

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Got a child who is constantly chewing on their clothes, vocal stimming, or biting themselves or others? Try Chewlery or “Chewy’s”. They keep their mouths busy, give soothing pressure for their teeth and jaw, and can help keep mouths quiet during work time with minimal disruptions.

Sensory Vests

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These vests come in a variety of styles and sizes.  They even can come weighted and you can adjust the pressure for students who need some sensory pressure.  I recommend using these for only 30 or so minutes at a time as I have seen their effectiveness decrease if the student gets used to it.  The vest gives calming pressure to the student (like a big body hug) and can calm proprioceptive sensory-seeking students. We use ours during large group times like Circle and Art.

Another option for a student who is tactile driven but doesn’t like the deep pressure like with vests is Body Sox! See Below!

Sensory Bands for Chairs

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When we first started using these we had to tie Physical Therapy bands around the front legs of student chairs.  Now they make ones especially to fit school chairs! Students can bounce their feet or stretch with the bands for pressure on their feet.  Works well for kiddos that can’t sit still for long or have feet that are constantly tapping or bouncing. Caution, they can be a little noisy!
Another sensory fave for chairs and sitting time are these fidget discs!

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They allow for a wobble when sat on or the kiddo can use the bumpy side on their feet when sitting!

In our classroom, we scheduled 2-3 special sensory ‘activities’ for our afternoon centers per week.  One of our favorites was these sensory beads (similar to Orbeez)   I found these a few years ago at the CA State Fair for 3$ a bag and was hooked!  I’m sure you have seen them around, but you can buy the off-brand for super cheap on Amazon.

We place them in a big tub and take some out in bowls as needed for students who can’t quite reach the tub or need their own sensory space.  These can leave a little film on your hands but are non-toxic and easy to clean up.  They even can be “re-hydrated” When they dry out! Just add a little more water and let soak! We store ours in a plastic ziplock bag.

Some other simple activities for our sensory exploration time include:

  • Sensory Snow (Conditioner + Baking Soda = Messy but awesome fake snow!)
  • Rice or Bean Bins
  • Sand Bins
  • Kinetic Sand
  • Play-Doh
  • Sensory Boards
  • Gak/Slime (Make it yourself with glue/contact solution or store-bought)

There are so many more options for fun sensory diets in the classroom and at home. I am a huge proponent of turning sensory items into daily activities, but setting aside some time for strict sensory exploration or including it in a center can be helpful and give the sensory-driven student something to look forward to.

What other sensory options have you explored for your child? What was their favorite? 

Time-Filler Educational and Movement Games

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Have you ever been at the end of your lesson and realized that you still had 10 minutes left in your period?

Have you ever been teaching and realized that your kids are basically sleeping, and you really can’t blame them….

Then it’s time for a game!

I call them “time-fillers” but in reality *most* are educational and can relate to what you are currently teaching. Here are a few that I have used this year. Some of them I made up, some a took from Drama class and some were modified from random items found online!

ABC Yoga Stretch
Use whenever your kids are nodding off- have them all stand with space between them. Have a child chose a letter and then have all of the kids attempt to create the letter with their bodies.  Another option is to create a team of 2 students and then have them race to create each letter using both of them before the other teams!

Animal Imagery
A basic game we did this week while practicing imagery for our Poetry Unit. We sat in a circle and one student thought of an animal. They had to describe the animal using only description and the 5 senses (what does it say, smell like, look like etc). Can be made more difficult using different animals or different types of descriptors, but we just did a basic one.

I Spy Imagery
Basically the same as the above game but using the game “I Spy” and the five senses. So instead of saying “I spy something green”, you can say “I spy something that feels rough” Or I spy something that would taste like wood”. Practice Imagery and observational skills.

Vocab Pic-tionary
We did this game to help us practice our vocabulary words with visuals. I gathered the kids into teams of 2 and gave them each a mini-whiteboard and a pen. They each were assigned 1 vocabulary word and had to come up with a drawing to represent it. Other teams would try to guess the word based on the picture. Points and Prizes optional!

Math Relay Race
I am fortunate enough to have a little ‘backyard break area’ behind my classroom. I set up a few obstacles like ‘stand on one foot for 10 seconds’ then balance a cone on your head for 10 seconds, etc. Once they got to the end, they had to solve a review math problem then run back to their line and then their teammate would go. The first team to solve all of their math problems wins!

Zip Zap Zop
This is a game I learned in my ‘teaching drama to elementary students’ class at CSUS. You can use a ball or just pointing (its easier to use a tangible thing for lower functioning students). You can begin by just saying Zip-Zap-Zop in order as you go around so students get the hang of it. Once they get used to the words you can create new rules such as ‘if you say Zip, you go to the right, if you say Zop go back to the left’. Be creative, the more rules the more difficult to follow, and the more fun to mess up! Practice processing and attention skills.

Fact/Opinion
Used to practice the difference between Facts and Opinions- Give each child a card that says fact or opinion on it. Have a list of mixed factual and opinion statements. Read them off to the students and when the students think they know whether or not it is fact or opinion, the put their card up on their forehead (facing forward so no other students can use their answers). You can use points, prizes, etc. The speedier it gets, the more fun!

Question Ball
A social skills game to practice asking interesting questions of others, as well as being interested in their responses and remaining in eye contact. The person who starts says a name, makes eye contact, asks a question, then throws the ball. The other student catches the ball, answers the question, and then asks a new question of another student. Going around until time is up!

1 Sentence Story
We did this during our fictional story writing/descriptive word unit and the kids loooved it.  We sat in a circle and I began a simple story (eg: Once upon a time, there was a princess named Rebecca). The next person in the circle had to say the next sentence in the story. We added rules as we practiced the game such as you must follow the story line, set up a plot action/solution, and conclusion, etc. I would give a time limit and they were ‘responsible’ for finishing their story by then. I could take notes on a white board to keep track of characters/plot and then read it back to them at the end to see if they had made any sense. Working together/group skills as well as story elements/plot building and description skills!

Debate/Rotate
We had this game out of the blue one day and they actually really liked it. It fit perfectly into our persuasive writing unit.  We began with a spin off of a ‘unity building activity’ our school gave us about setting boundaries. Rules were stated to the children such as “You have to turn off your phone by 10pm each night” and the students would align themselves next to signs that read “Fair” “Extreme” or “unsure”.  We took this one step further and I would pick one student from the “fair” and “extreme” group and have them explain in one sentence why their position was right. They like this so much that we came up with new ‘rules’ and even had the students come up with their own scenarios to debate.

Rock/Paper/Scissors Full Body
Basically the same as rock paper scissors. You do this as a full body game ‘versus’ the teacher. Have everyone turn their back to you (Or you turn your back). On the count of three have the turned away group jump back around and into a position of rock (holding knees on ground), paper (standing stick straight like a board), or scissors (arms and legs out like an X). You will be in a position too. Whoever you ‘beat’ has to sit down. The rest of the class continues to play until you have one winner or everyone is out. A fun movement time-filler.

Don’t Match Me- Animals
Similar to the rock/paper/scissors- pick three animals that are easy to act out. We chose tiger, elephant, and shark. Similar to the above game, face opposite directions, turn on count of 3 and make an animal! The goal is NOT to match the teacher. If they match the teacher, there is ‘turf war’ and the teacher always wins, so they are out. Good for imagination and as a movement game.

There are so many more out there, even books on this subject! But these are just a few that have been ‘tried and tested and loved’ by my fabulous students.