Welcome to this week’s Try This Tuesday. For details on how to participate, please check out the welcome post.
I know it’s almost summer, but if you’re in the middle of preparing an IEP like I am, you are already thinking about back to school time and how your child will adjust to a new grade, new teachers, new classmates, new routines, etc.
Amazing Grace from Moms of Special Needs Children is here today to share a way to make sure your child’s entire team is ready to support your child the first day of school.
STUDENT ORIENTATION
by Amazing Grace
As soon as possible, and BEFORE school starts, the following needs to be done so your child can transition to the new school year smoothly and without any problems. I do this EVERY year with my son and it really helps him adjust to the school surroundings, personnel, and new class schedule.
I add this list to my son’s IEP each year so the IEP Team knows what I will be doing with my son and what they must do.*
1. Provide daily visual/written class schedule(s) for Student.
2. Provide a walk-through of the Student’s daily schedule. In schools where the schedule changes from day to day, the student should have the opportunity to practice all possible schedules several times.
3. Practice route(s) from various classes to the bathroom, counselor’s office, home base, locker, etc.
4. Meet all teachers and relevant personnel.
5. Obtain books for home use.
6. Place to store books in classroom.
7. Provide Student with names of all teachers and relevant personnel in binder (you can take pictures and post them in the binder).
8. Show Student where his assigned seat in each classroom will be.
9. Obtain agenda book to put in Student’s binder.
10. Obtain school rules and explain to Student.
11. Obtain school supplies list.
12. Obtain locker by home base and put dial barrel type lock on it. Practice with lock.
13. Bus procedures written up and explained to Student.
14. Cafeteria procedures written up and explained to Student.
15. Student will meet school personnel whom he can approach during the lunch period when encountering problems.
16. Show Student where he will sit in the lunchroom.
17. Practice routines such as finding homeroom from the bus stop, opening locker, going through the cafeteria line, etc.
18. Procedure for leaving class and going to the bathroom written up and explained to Student.
19. Obtain gym locker near adult supervision and put dial barrel type lock on it. Practice with lock.
20. Practice dressing out for P.E. (obtain gym clothes).
21. Student will meet safe person and visit home base.
22. The procedure for seeking out the safe person and home base written up and explained to Student.
23. The Travel Pass and the procedure of its use explained, written up, and given to Student before school starts. (Have time limit on use).
24. Obtain bus driver’s name, bus number, where bus stop is, and what time pick up and drop off is. Be sure bus driver knows that student is to sit directly behind him. Provide the bus driver information on the specific behavioral and emotional concerns of Student.
25. Show Student where he will eat lunch that is in a quiet place away from the lunch room (if Student eats at an alternative place).
*If the IEP team says you cannot add this document to the IEP, they are not correct. IDEA considers the parent input to the meeting as important. Therefore you can request that the Parent Attachment (what is below) be included as part of your official input to the official IEP document.
Image courtesy of Clipart For Free
Amazing Grace says, “I am just a mom who has a son diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome. Here is some info I would like to share with others about special needs children. Sharing information is the key to finding answers.” You can visit her at Moms of Special Needs Children.
On that note, please join in and share the creative solutions YOU have found to your own challenges, or feel free to post your own challenge for input from others.
As the host of Try This Tuesday, Trish shares some of the solutions she has found to make life easier and invites you to do the same. You can also find her blogging at Another Piece of the Puzzle and Autism Interrupted.