Accommodation for sensory issues in public schools.

[Anonymous]

The degree of DC's rigidity came out last week when we went on vacation. Our 7+ hour drive, including all stops to go to the bathroom, was fraught. Pretty much every bathroom stop was met with cries of "TOO LOUD" and on more than one occasion, I simply pulled her out of the bathroom, freaking out, because the toilets and hand driers set her off so badly. Mercifully, she didn't have an accident, but we also spent some time driving around looking for places that were likely to be more friendly. I also ended up buying her a set of head/ear muffs for heavy equipment (think lawn mowing) for the ride home so she could confidently use bathrooms.

It worked, a lot.

But it took another day in the vacation house before she could calm down over the noises. She is already freaked out over: the stove exhaust fan, the vacuum, the blow drier, the bathroom exhaust, getting her clothes wet or dirty, getting paint or marker on her hands, etc. etc. She has been in OT for about a year, and I've been told by the private therapist that, without an official diagnosis that will have an impact on her learning environment, it's unlikely she'll get accommodation in her public school this fall, when she starts K.

DD is engaging, verbal, loving (and extremely demonstrative), funny, and clever. She also has a number of medical and sensory challenges. I am hoping you can offer advice as to the best way for us to seek an official diagnosis (I assume ASD or ADHD are basically our options -- I don't care, I just want her to have tools to success) so that she can have what she needs to succeed at school, instead of worrying about the auto flush toilets in her kindergarten classroom.

[Anonymous]

Do you have noise canceling headphones? Those are great for being out and about in situations like these.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you have noise canceling headphones? Those are great for being out and about in situations like these.

+1

[Anonymous]

I've seen kids wearing them at school assemblies at our school. I assume they have a similar issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The degree of DC's rigidity came out last week when we went on vacation. Our 7+ hour drive, including all stops to go to the bathroom, was fraught. Pretty much every bathroom stop was met with cries of "TOO LOUD" and on more than one occasion, I simply pulled her out of the bathroom, freaking out, because the toilets and hand driers set her off so badly. Mercifully, she didn't have an accident, but we also spent some time driving around looking for places that were likely to be more friendly. I also ended up buying her a set of head/ear muffs for heavy equipment (think lawn mowing) for the ride home so she could confidently use bathrooms.

It worked, a lot.

But it took another day in the vacation house before she could calm down over the noises. She is already freaked out over: the stove exhaust fan, the vacuum, the blow drier, the bathroom exhaust, getting her clothes wet or dirty, getting paint or marker on her hands, etc. etc. She has been in OT for about a year, and I've been told by the private therapist that, without an official diagnosis that will have an impact on her learning environment, it's unlikely she'll get accommodation in her public school this fall, when she starts K.

DD is engaging, verbal, loving (and extremely demonstrative), funny, and clever. She also has a number of medical and sensory challenges. I am hoping you can offer advice as to the best way for us to seek an official diagnosis (I assume ASD or ADHD are basically our options -- I don't care, I just want her to have tools to success) so that she can have what she needs to succeed at school, instead of worrying about the auto flush toilets in her kindergarten classroom.

Please make sure that the teachers (all teachers - including specials teachers and administration) are aware of her needs as soon as possible. I say this because I was just in summer school setting with brand new teachers who had no experience teaching let alone teaching children with sensory issues. These same teachers are going to be in many of the public and charter schools this year and would hate to see your daughter suffer as a result of a teacher not recognizing her needs. That said, if she is not going to have a SPED teacher in her classroom supporting her please provide the teacher with helpful tips as to what you find works best at home to support your child. You are your child's best advocate. If you inform administration ahead of time they can probably make sure that your child winds up in a classroom with a teacher whose style will best suit your child. Some teachers are loud and others like a loud classroom. That is a recipe for disaster when we are talking about children with sensory issues.

Really push for it to be added to her IEP right away. Accommodations might include offering a quiet space for her either inside or outside the classroom and making her aware ahead of time of any expected fire drills to reduce anxiety. Also, be sure to work at home on calming techniques that can be transferred into the classroom. Breathing, counting backward from 10, etc.

[Anonymous]

When you say "medical challenges" is there a diagnoses related to those that you could use?

The kinds of accommodations you want just require a 504. If she has medical issues they may be enough to get one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When you say "medical challenges" is there a diagnoses related to those that you could use?

The kinds of accommodations you want just require a 504. If she has medical issues they may be enough to get one.

She has had a number of surgeries for her eyesight. She is currently being corrected with glasses after two strabismus surgeries which haven't done the complete trick. She also has low tone, challenges with motor planning, and general GI issues related to the low tone. She is entering with an IEP for the motor planning concerns (and was evaluated by childfind and received services for fine motor delays as well as the gross motor) so I've been assured she will be in their sights in the eventuality that something else comes up.

So, yes, I may be able to get some traction (esp for the bathroom issue) around the GI issues and her eyesight. Mainly I want the learning environment to not be offputting to her. I loved school. I want her to as well.

[Anonymous]

OP, just as an aside, my son had a very difficult time with noise. I discovered those ear plugs you get to keep water out of ears (you can buy them at any drug store), come in small packs and are very handy to keep in your purse. My son couldn't handle bathrooms, church, and many other things. He would go wild if anyone was using power tools, even if it was several houses away from ours. Another thing that works is my iPod earphones. As others have suggested, you might want to invest in better earphones, but these two things are small and easy to carry in your purse all the time and they worked wonders for me.

[Anonymous]

My son had similar issues: low tone, two strabismus surgeries, GI issues, and extreme reactions to certain noises. (Tooting and whistling sounds).
We consulted a psychologist who did therapy with him where he slowly rewarded him for each incremental step closer to tolerating the offending noise. After about 6 weeks, he could tolerate tooting. And whistling sounds. and it wasn't an issue any more.
(His extreme reactions included refusing to go into any place that "might" contain an object that tooted. (Birthday parties, friends houses, etc).

[Anonymous]

OP - Could you get the IEP expanded under Other Health Impaired as DD does seem to have vision, extreme sensory issues, and the GI you mentioned. You may have to see which might be impacting her learning as she enters K. While the headphones are good at dealing with noise - how do you balance out the need "to hear" the teacher in instruction? Do you see an OT who deals with sensory issues?

[Anonymous]

I agree with going for an IEP for Other Health Inpairments, and doing it early. And email the teacher the week before school starts to ask for a quick meeting to explain your child's challenges.

We've had a 504 that includes some accommodations for sensory issues, but they always get ignored. And, at least in DCPS, you can't get OT for sensory issues. The school have been worthless overall, though a few teachers more understanding.

[Anonymous]

17:04, did your son have a specific diagnosis or just a bunch of seemingly unrelated symptoms? We have had inconclusive genetic testing but there is really nothing -- just a kid with a handful of things going on.

Our private PT and OT have suggested the brushing protocol and DD does a lot of sensory integration stuff at OT. A lot of is supposedly related to her eyesight.

[Anonymous]

17:04 here. No specific diagnosis. The closest thing they would say was "connective tissue variation". (But not Marfans or Ehlers Danlos). When he was very young we thought he was on the autism spectrum (lined things up, obsessed with trains, freaked out about tooting noises). And he was pretty low tone: didn't walk or even crawl until 18 months. Delayed speech. Poor eye contact. He went all the way through school with a disability code of Other Health Impairment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:17:04 here. No specific diagnosis. The closest thing they would say was "connective tissue variation". (But not Marfans or Ehlers Danlos). When he was very young we thought he was on the autism spectrum (lined things up, obsessed with trains, freaked out about tooting noises). And he was pretty low tone: didn't walk or even crawl until 18 months. Delayed speech. Poor eye contact. He went all the way through school with a disability code of Other Health Impairment.

We got the same suspected Ehlers Danlos... which it wasn't. I actually think it's fetal anticonvulsant syndrome, particularly since she also had the umbilical hernia, but I also know that no practitioner will ever, ever tell me that because of the potential psychological fallout. And ultimately it's just a constellation of syndromes. DD didn't walk until almost 21 months, wasn't ready to try solids until 9 mos, etc. etc. etc.

Anyhow, I really appreciate everyone's input. I will definitely be in touch with her teacher (who will be assigned -- no joke -- the last week before school starts) and talk to the special ed folks about an "other health impairments" 'rider' to her IEP.

[Anonymous]

OP, do you have an IEP at her school? Our IEP allows DS to wear noise-blocking headphones during tests and assemblies. He's not freaked out by sirens or hand dryers but if he's trying to concentrate, any noise will disturb him.