Here is what Alex’s desk looks like at school. Pretty standard right? Now take a closer look…
See all those arrows? Those are accommodations (standard IEP talk) in action. Granted, you’ll have to double click on the image to see everything, but it’s a good example of what his desk looks like.
He has no less than six things going on in there. That’s excluding his para, squeeze ball, writing prompts and writing paper which are all put away. It was a party after all. His para was there somewhere, in the background probably taking a quick bathroom break, downing a rum and coke, or whatever else you do after spending a day with my kid.
Just joking people, lighten up.
Headsets–he uses these to help block out extraneous noise.
Velcro–on the underside of his desk used as sensory input. This helps him when his hands feel fidgety.
Disco Seat–that yellow thing that looks like a disk. He uses it to sit on, as well as a way to receive pressure when it’s placed on his lap. It’s kinda hard to see on his lap up there, so here’s another picture of it. He uses it with his arms and, honestly, I have no idea what he’s doing but it provides sensory input so we go with it.
Break Card–as in, I need to get the hell out of this classroom right now, kind of break card. He’s supposed to put the card on his desk when he feels overwhelmed and run down to the OT room for a break. Right now, by the time it registers he needs a break, he’s mid-meltdown. Currently, he has three scheduled breaks and takes additional breaks that are prompted by his teacher, para or resource teacher.
Daily Planner–this tells him what is going to happen next as well as any changes specific to him. This is used to prime and prep him (more IEP lingo) for upcoming changes.
Giant Rubber-band–for his feet/legs when he feels wiggly. He uses it to bounce and quickly move his feet on it so he’s not banging his desk against another students.
So there you have it, some of the things my kiddo has at school to help him out. All of these accommodations are specified, in writing, in his IEP.
I hope this helps you if you are looking for sensory ideas in the school setting.
Comments
Heather Finnegan
Love it! I can incorporate this into my SPD presentation that I give to Early Childhood teachers in the summer!
Lizbeth
Yay!!! I’d love to see it when you are finished. That sounds great!
Joy
Thank you so much! Taking my son to get his IEP done tomorrow, actually. Wasn’t sure what kinds of things they could/would suggest. This really helped!
Lizbeth
Perfect timing, eh? Good luck tomorrow!
Jen @ TheUnProcessed Kitchen
Love these ideas! We have incorporated some but not all, my son is in second grade and on his report card it mentioned that he could never find anything in his desk. Like that was a discipline problem we needed to deal with. Whatever. That’s the kind of thing that makes ME want a Rum and Coke… I just explained that visual processing is different for him, and he is actually very organized when he has the right tools. These magical, difficult to come by solutions were little bins from the Dollar Store that I brought in the next day and he and I organized his desk so that the things he uses most are towards the front, and the things he uses least are towards the bottom. His sensory stuff is towards the front
Lizbeth
Those are some awesome ideas! And yeah, I want a Rum and Coke when the school problems become “my” problems….
laci
wow that is amazing! i cant even get my son’s school to commit to helping him with a sensory diet while at school. he has an IEP but they are definately not willing to make these kind of accomadations. if you dont mind my asking, what approach do you use when bringing accomadations like this up in an IEP? i have had a terrible time with his school. any advice would be appreciated greatly.
Lizbeth
Sorry for the late reply, I’ve been out of town! There is a book, Building Sensory Friendly Classrooms by Rebecca Moyes that is helpful. It has some suggestions in there and I found it helpful to bring the book so it was coming from someone other than me, if that makes any sense. I also am pretty upfront—I simply say I want a stress ball, velcro, whatever added to his desk. And then I stop by later in the week to see that its there. Our school system is good but I do have to stay on top of things….
Brenda
Hi. I had the same negative responses from schools when it came to accommodations that were not “academic”. Finally, at the end of last year, they were willing to add some of these things to his IEP. Mainly due to his literal inability to function. They saw the proof. Secondly, I informed them I was now working with an advocacy agency and I am now asking for a para. Now what! yea!
Anna
I want to say thank you for your picture! My son is going to start Kindergarten in the fall, and we go at the end of the month for the IEP results. I want to be his biggest advocate and images that I can take and ideas that I can use are awesome things that I can ask for.
Michelle Shambora
My daughter has just recently been accessed for ADHD and ADD and we are now waiting on the neuro/pysch evaluation which they can’t get her in for until late May! Excuse me but the school year will be over by then so I guess 2nd grade will be a due over. Frustrated mom who doesn’t know what to do. Sent her to school with a daily report journal for the teacher to fill out 3 times a day. ( I made it so she just had to put an “x” in a few boxes letting me know if things were, not a problem, kind of a problem or really a problem.) So far she has been kind of and really a problem with “squirmy” Attention span, staying on task. I would love any ideas for things to send to school with her. I have her chewing gum and rubber bands on her wrist and chair.
Thanks
Michelle
Tameika Meadows
I just stumbled across this blog while looking for images of positive behavior supports for an IEP Im helping a family write. These visuals were very helpful! Great post.