School Checklist -- no supplies needed!

One of the things we have done over the years is work up a "Getting Acquainted" letter for new teachers.  We were in three different elementary schools by the time our daughter was in 3rd grade and the new teachers didn't have the luxury of walking down the hall to touch base with former teachers of our daughter.

Be sure to include things about your child NOT related to their diagnosis....favorite books, colors, food, friends, TV shows, siblings and fun facts.

When you visit the school ahead of the first official day....flush the toilets in the bathrooms...they can be really loud!

Take pictures of  the different places in the school...cafeteria, classroom, gym, library, etc.  Put together a little photo book for your child to look at .... you could even add pictures of the teachers, nurse, aides, etc.  You know if this is something your child might enjoy.

The following is from the website www.wrightslaw.com .  They have wonderful articles for teachers and parents as well.  This one is directed to parents and starting a positive relationship with teachers.

10 Tips for a Successful School Year
by Pat Howey, Advocate

Here are ten tips to help you get off to a good start at the beginning of the new school year.

1. Help Your Child Deal with Transitions.
Is your child making the transition from preschool to kindergarten, from elementary to middle school, or from middle school to high school? Plan to take your child to visit the new school or classroom before the first day of school.

2. Reread your child's IEP.
Do you understand what the school agreed to provide? Do your child's teachers understand what they are to provide? Is your child's IEP SMART? (specific, measurable, action words, realistic, and time-specific)?

3. Meet with your child's teacher(s) to discuss your child's special needs.
Take a picture of your child to the meeting. Teachers are more likely to take a personal interest in your child and remember your child's special needs if s/he has seen a picture of your child.

4. Take extra copies of your child's IEP to the meeting with the teacher(s).
Never assume that teachers have had time to read your child's IEP before school begins. Teachers have many things to do as they prepare for the first day of school. The teacher may not understand how important the IEP is to your child's success. Leave a copy of your child's IEP with each teacher.

5. Make a List of Important Things About Your Child .
Make a list of the five most important things that the teacher(s) need to know about your child. Explain why these things are vital to your child's success. Leave a copy of the list with each teacher.

6. Prepare to Deal with Potential Problems Early.
If your child is in general education classes, prepare for the teacher(s) who wants to see how your child "gets along" before making any changes in the way they run their classrooms.

Teachers often take this position because they want to give their students a fresh start. You may need to explain why your child may fail unless the teacher understands his/her unique needs and provides the necessary services, accommodations and supports.

7. Resolve Old Concerns and Issues.
If you have concerns or issues that were not resolved during the last IEP meeting, request another IEP meeting immediately. Try to resolve these issues and concerns before your child begins to have problems this year.

8. Get a New Assessment. Consider getting your child's skills tested very early in the school year. Where are your child's skills on standardized educational achievement tests? Use these scores as baseline data. You can compare these scores with scores obtained at the end of the year to measure your child's progress.

9. Go to your school's Open House. In addition to giving you another chance to meet with your child's teachers (and make a good impression), teachers often explain their classroom rules during Open House. When you attend, you have a chance to see if your child may have trouble understanding the teachers' rules. You will also be in a better position to explain these rules to your child.

10. Get a bound notebook. Use the notebook as a "contact log" to send messages to the teachers. Write a sentence of two to the teacher(s) every day. Do not make your child the bearer of messages about problems at school. Make an extra copy of your log often in case the notebook is lost.

Have a great school year!
==============================================

Please know these are not the answers to every situation and just provided in the spirit of sharing.  Now it's your turn....what has worked well for you and your family to help start school on a positive note?

Poke with a sharp stick :)

Do you think this picture is how our kiddos imagine getting shots?  I have a typical daughter that is discovering a severe vasovagal reaction when she is getting any kind of shot.

Some of the symptoms are lightheadedness, nausea, the feeling of being extremely hot (accompanied by sweating), ringing in the ears, uncomfortable feeling in the heart, fuzzy thoughts, a slight inability to speak/form words (sometimes combined with mild stuttering), weakness and visual disturbances such as lights seeming too bright, fuzzy or tunnel vision, and sometimes a feeling of nervousness can occur as well. These last for at least a few seconds before consciousness is lost (if it is lost).

And THIS is the TYPICAL kiddo!

We have discovered that preparing the shot site with some numbing agent like lidocaine (need a prescription) helps lower the anxiety as it "doesn't hurt at all!" (from my daughter on the spectrum)

If you can't get a prescription for lidocaine, we have also resorted to using products for mouth canker sores which provides some numbing relief.

Also having a cold cloth/paper towels on the back of the neck (or even a cold pack) can help too. I would recommend having a container to throw up in available "just in case". :)

And for those who are interested in getting their ears pierced....the above suggestions can work for that adventure as well!  Just numb the ear lobes!

Do you own a pet?

We DO own a small 7 pound poodle that is all vocal cords when she hears something outside.  Lordy that dog can bark, such is the nature of some poodles when they are guarding their family.

At first our daughter with autism wasn't sure how to interact with the puppy.  We had to demonstrate EVERY way you interacted with the dog.  How to hold her, how to pick her up, how to pet her.....her interaction was not instinctive at all.

It took a lot of time and she also watched us model how we interacted with our dog.  Now would you believe she is the dog's favorite playmate?  Our dog has discovered that if she brings a toy to my daughter...the toy ALWAYS gets thrown for her :)  She is also responsible for keeping the dog's water clean and fresh and for taking her out of the dog crate in the morning for the first "potty break".

When our girls were very small we did have some fish (I hate fish :) the things we do for our kids!).  They did enjoy watching them and it did seem to have a calming effect on both our girls.

Some folks have good luck with guinea pigs too as well as hamsters or small hermit crabs.  Pets give your child a topic to talk about with others and opens up their world a little bit to how other living things feel and interact.

What pets do you own?  Have you any recommendations for others?

End of School Rush!

Sorry I have fallen off the face of the earth.....AND while I was gone blogger.com has had an overhaul and I am not the fastest of learners....so I will apologize for any "oops" right now! :)

Did you survive the end of school rush of projects, reviews, tests, awards programs and plans for next school year?  Whew....we did, just barely.

Have you seen these books?  They run the range from kindergarten to 8th grade.  We have used them in the past...you don't have to re-invent the wheel to find activities to help your child maintain their skill level.  I think they even have some that are totally reading focused as well.  You can pick them up from Barnes and Noble or Amazon for around $11.00-$8.00.

We are also gearing up to do some reading from our local library as well as reading those books to be assigned for next school year.  Can you guess the book?

Yep, To Kill a Mockingbird :)  AND we will also be watching the movie with Gregory Peck to help with understanding as well.    Good luck with YOUR summer projects and let me know what ideas you can share for summer activities!

School's Gonna Be Out Soon...Are You Ready?

It's coming!  Look out!  Summer vacation....aarrrggghhh!!!

Actually, I am ready to be done with homework, school projects, school deadlines and early bus pickups.

In reality, our summer does resemble a little bit of school activity.  We get the English reading list for the upcoming year and also (if possible) the videos that go along with them.

Hence the cartoon at the left.....To Kill a Mockingbird is on our 9th grade reading list and we will be getting the video to watch as well.  I am actually looking forward to watching the video as it is one of my favorites.

We also will be re-watching the "Model Me Kids" videos on making friendships, starting conversations, bullying and high school.  If you haven't seen these videos before, please check them out...they are absolutely fabulous and also have videos for younger kiddos as well.  It is lovingly called "Mommy's Social Skills Bootcamp"...yep, I live with comedians.

We also plan to teach our girls how to play euchre.  Considering how poorly I play, we will teach them how NOT to play like mom :)  However there is a Euchre Club at our high school and it might be a social club for our girl to join....you play and chat with your friends.

We also go for walks, sleep late, sometimes stay in our jammies all day, eat lots of icecream, listen to rock and roll while we do house chores and stay up late....life is good!

What things do you have planned for summer? 

Survival :)

When you are in deep trouble, say nothing, and try to look like you know what you're doing. :)

Keep in mind that at times our kids need reminders to "not be the weird kid" sitting in the cafeteria, standing in line for class, sitting at their desks waiting on class to begin, riding the bus, or hanging out on the playground.

There is something to be said for being a little "self aware" and realizing that if no one else is skipping or flapping or twirling, that maybe you shouldn't be either.