Classroom

This was posted today on http://www.spdbloggernetwork.com/

Thought it was good info. Maybe Gregory will need some of these things. He uses the disco seat now at preschool. 

Anatomy of a classroom desk.

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.