What kinds of acccomodations made by Public Schools for SPD or ADDHD?
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Anonymous
| My son has sensory-seeking SPD, and will be starting K next year. We're on the list for a Child Find assessment, but I wanted to know -- what sort of accommodations do the schools make for kids this young? |
Anonymous
| All kinds of accommodations but it depends on what kind of problems your child manifests in accessing the curriculum. Does he have deficits in academic areas or in speech, gross motor, fine motor, etc.? Can he toilet independently, feed himself? What are his actual issues? Do they affect ability to learn? |
Anonymous
| Can he even get accomodations without a full neuro psych by either the school or private practitioner? |
Anonymous
| OP: I thought that was the purpose of Child Find. That's what we were told my the preschool. No academic issues, but some motor issues that affect his ability or willingness to participate in some classroom activities. My main question is -- if you have a kid that just needs to move a lot -- what does/can the public school do about it, other than just keep telling him to sit down? |
Anonymous
A good teacher/experienced teacher will be able to cope with this. Sometimes he will be told to sit down, yes. But some kids learn better in motion. In my DD's kindergarten, learning is often accompanied by music and dancing to songs that incorporate the lesson. The standard for Child Find to provide services is different than the standard for an IEP. Child Find will provide services for any child who has impairments of a certain degree. An IEP, however, must be based on the fact that his ability to learn is affected. Different standard. The reason you may need an outside neuropsych or other assessment is you are going to have to show that this more than a behavioral issue, that his deficits impact his ability to learn and access the curriculum. Because "sensory-seeking" is not yet a recognized diagnosis (this is not a value judgment on my part, I'm just stating this), this may be difficult. |
Anonymous
|
Here are some accommodations that can be made in the classroom for a young kid who needs to move around (or at any age, really...) -- wiggle seat, standing desks, a seat in the back or side and permission to get up and pace in a certain area when necessary, fidget balls/devices, being able to sit on a fringed mini-carpet during story time (the child can fiddle with the fringes while listening thus maintaining some movement even though seated), and "lounge chairs" or big balls as alternate seating for work. Also, kids can use a section of a pool noodle to roll back and forth with their feet under their desk (also good if the child's feet don't touch the floor yet) and chew sticks or necklaces (to use instead of pens/pencils). Teachers should also be cognizant of redirection -- instead of chiding a fidget-y child, give them a chance to get up and get the teacher some water while she is reading or adjust the blinds or get her "turn-picking stick cup" during circle time. This allows the child who needs to move to do so in a way that fits in better in the classroom.
All of these can be used for all of the students if the teacher thinks carefully. For example, the lounge chairs can be those padded circle/bucket chairs that allow kids to sit at different angles w/ feet anywhere. They can be pitched to the class as a whole as a special privilege to be earned thru tickets given for good behavior. The teacher can "catch" the ADHD kid more often for good behavior and then the child can have enough tickets to use when he is feeling fidget-y. If the teacher monitors the child's ticket holder, the teacher can always make sure the child has at least a couple tickets to use. |
Anonymous
Are these "accommodations" or "Accommodations"? Meaning, are these things a thoughtful and experienced and wise teacher does for a child with problems sitting still, or mandated IEP-written Accommodations? |
Anonymous
| 5:08 and 8:53: Wow. That sounds great. Are those things you've seen done in public schools? Our public school has 28 kids for one teacher -- I'm just really worried she (they are all "she") won't be able to provide that kid of attention. Did you have to buy the lounge chairs yourself, or did the school buy them? Has anyone seen accommodations where they take the kid out of the class? At his last preschool, the aide would take him into the hallway and have him run sprints up and down the hallway, but I can't imagine the public school allowing that. |
Anonymous
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OP, it's like you are describing my kid. We also started with an SPD diagnosis when he was 2.5 and got an ADHD diagnosis this past spring. He's not on meds yet. We have excellent communication with his teacher and OT, and so far their recommendation is to wait until 1st grade. He does good with his accommodations and extra OT support. He gets daily OT pull outs. As far as accommodations, they are as follows:
Preferential seating - he sits close to his teacher(s) and far, far away from any distractions Inflatable cushion - whenever they have long seating assignments Compression vest - whenever he requests a lot sensory input. For example, he gets really excited during any "science"-related activities, he's absolutely crazy about them. In order to wind down his energy, they put on a compression vest. Really helps him self-regulate and focus. Visual schedule - we were really blessed that his teacher had it prepared for him on the very first day of school. Here's a good place to look for ideas, as well as a great book on sensory children: http://sensorysmarts.com/working_with_schools.html |
Anonymous
New PP chiming in - Special Education is really just good teaching practices. A great teacher would do whatever a child needs to have a positive learning environment. The concept of Universal Design is that a child's needs are met in a way that the child is provided support in a way that the support is available to all the students in the class. Under that umbrella, all children can receive certain "accommodations" if the school perceives them to just be "best teaching practices". The paper documents (IEP's and 504's) just legally spell out those needs as indicated by formal testing and educational data. Sometimes the legal paper documents are necessary to insure your child get's the support and services he/she needs. In an ideal classroom, however, the teacher just naturally provides because he/she understands what your child needs. In my own personal experience, some teachers were great providing supports prior to the IEP for my daughter. Some teachers had problems providing accommodations even after a great IEP was written. You do the testing (I recommend private - more accurate and unbiased) just to confirm what the underlying issues are and how to address them. The school can help your child without an IEP/504 if they chose or you may have to go those routes to ensure your child's needs are met. It depends on the teacher and the school system. |
Anonymous
In Kindergarten, our child's classroom had two special chairs. They were the type the child had a soft seat with back support but they were on the ground with the rest of the children at circle time. The child that needed it just went to the corner to retrieve it and the other kids didn't question why he had a special seat. For my child, I have provided special pencil grips, squeezy balls, etc. that our private OT specialist recommended. I communicated with the teacher so she would know why my child had the items and explained how some of the tools were to be used (so she could watch to see if my child was using them correctly). These things were done without an IEP or 504 plan. My recommendation would be to first have an informal meeting now with the Principal to see what they typically can just provide, what you will need to provide, and what would need to be formalized in an IEP or 504 so your child can have access. That way resources can be planned for and be available next fall. Finally, even if your child does not qualify for Child Find at this point in time, educational issues may become more pronounced as your child gets older and expectations increased. You can revisit the screening process in Kindergarten, in 1st grade, or any other grade where the impact becomes more problematic. |