The I.E.P., believe it or not, is your friend.
It may feel like you and your child are under the microscope, but the truth of the matter is that the I.E.P. exists to protect the educational interests of your child.
The I.E.P. is written to lay out the needs of your child, and to determine the best method to meet those needs. Understand, the I.E.P., mandated by the Individuals With Disabilities Act, is a LEGALLY BINDING DOCUMENT that determines how the schools must accommodate your child, what services must be offered depending on the diagnosis, and how those services must be administered.
This is, under ideal conditions, a cooperative effort including you as the parent, your child's teacher(s), and members of the school district's special education department. It is your opportunity to express your concerns, to brainstorm with educators, to put together a program that gives your child the best opportunity to learn.
It is also your means of holding the school accountable if they fall short of their legal obligations as outlined in the I.E.P. As I said, this is a legally-binding document, a contract between you and the district. While I can say that most of the I.E.P. meetings in which we participated over the years were productive and amiable, there were others that went the other direction. One teacher's refusal to honor the I.E.P. resulted in her "early retirement". No one likes those kinds of meetings, but they are occasionally necessary to protect your child's educational interests.
What is important to bear in mind is that, while the goal is to form a partnership with the school, in the end YOU have to take charge.
YOU know your child's needs.
YOU know how to best communicate with YOUR child.
YOU are THE advocate for your child.
Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
Saturday, November 14, 2015
Dealing With Sensory Issues….
It IS going to happen.
Bank on it.
The fidgeting, the problems with fabric next to their skin, getting them to calm down. We dealt with all of these issues with R.J. To some degree, we still do.
In many instances, the older children get, the more likely they are to outgrow these issues to some degree or develop their own coping mechanisms. But in the meantime, how do you steady down this child?
The answer for most is sensory diet.
Sensory diet is a series of activities that provide an ASD child/young person with the sensory input they need to deal with the stresses of the day.
We utilized several activities that helped R.J. calm down and focus. Light brushing with dry surgical scrub brushes (NOT the brushes pre-loaded with beta dyne or iodine), back scratching or rubs, bouncing on a large exercise ball, even bear hugs - "big squeezes" - were all successfully employed; even at age 17, big squeezes from dad are still a favorite source of input.
When the problem became sitting still for an extended period of time, we found that exercise ball chairs worked beautifully.
Bank on it.
The fidgeting, the problems with fabric next to their skin, getting them to calm down. We dealt with all of these issues with R.J. To some degree, we still do.
In many instances, the older children get, the more likely they are to outgrow these issues to some degree or develop their own coping mechanisms. But in the meantime, how do you steady down this child?
The answer for most is sensory diet.
Sensory diet is a series of activities that provide an ASD child/young person with the sensory input they need to deal with the stresses of the day.
We utilized several activities that helped R.J. calm down and focus. Light brushing with dry surgical scrub brushes (NOT the brushes pre-loaded with beta dyne or iodine), back scratching or rubs, bouncing on a large exercise ball, even bear hugs - "big squeezes" - were all successfully employed; even at age 17, big squeezes from dad are still a favorite source of input.
When the problem became sitting still for an extended period of time, we found that exercise ball chairs worked beautifully.
These are kids who need input. They have no sense of where they are in time and space (proprioception), as difficult a concept as that may be to grasp, so they need input that helps them to make that connection and promotes appropriate self-awareness.
Finding the right combination involves a LOT of experimentation, but thankfully, resources are available on the internet to provide YOU with necessary input as well. Here is one such source:
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