Shawn:
Has been having difficulty off and on. One day he was just off all morning. I even emailed the parents early in the day. Turns out it was the first time they have forgotten to give him his medicine. They quickly came and the day went better.
He missed his second assembly. Him and 6 other students. After numerous warnings the kids just wouldn't stop their inappropriate behavior. Needless to say, Shawn had a major meltdown over the incident. Michelle and Toby were also part of the seven. Michelle put soap, along with another girl, all over the bathroom walls. Shawn seems to enjoy getting in trouble and he often smiles when I am talking to him about his behavior. He is always trying to push the boundaries. I need to think about how to help him.
Michelle:
She had about a 2 week window of constant misbehavior. She was always behind in her work and constantly off-task. Her parents asked for a meeting and we discussed lots of options. The parents are working on her diet. I put a basket under her feet because they don't reach the ground. This has helped her be more stable. I also set up picture cards for her to following when she gets to school in the morning. This has helped. I also moved her desk to its own location at the front of the room. She gets a lot more done now and it usually doesn't take her as long to get read for the day in the morning.
She also has been using a weighted lap cushion.
Toby:
He has really been struggling lately. It is so much better than before, but it still seems to be constant moving from him. He also hasn't been getting his work done. Toby has a classmate that he can't stay away from. They are constantly being mischievous and together. It is driving me crazy.
I wish I could figure out how to help these kids. I just get frustrated. Making a plan with Michelle's parents sure helped. We use recess as a carrot so often, but these kids need their recess more than anyone. I have used it a couple of times, but I don't want to do it all the time.
I have been playing music more in class and that has helped.
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Yes, I have started a countdown!
Only 70 days left in the school year. This has been a hard year and honestly, after 15 years of teaching, I am questioning my choice of profession. It is not just the extremely hard class I have this year. It is the new teacher evaluation system coming, 3 new components of literacy curriculums in 2 years after just 4 years with new math curriculum. Then there are those few parents who like to make your life miserable, new common core standards, new principal of 2 years, & an intern. That doesn't include all the technology responsibilities I have as the Technology Resource Teacher. We also lost our computer lab teacher so we hired a new one at the beginning of the year. Then he quit right before deployment. We finally hired a new person, but that was 3 days this year away from my class to conduct interviews. It's a contract year, so the bargaining surveys have already begun. This all knowing that because of the reduced number of students in the area, a school has to be closed when they reconfigure the district from a jr. high system to a middle school system. My school is one with low numbers. I suppose that doesn't include the fact that I am suppose to teach.
Thankfully I love my staff, the parent support is amazing, my principal is a great person, and I have some lovely kids in my class.
On to SPD:
I met with Michelle's parents this week to get some new ideas. She has been talking ALL the time. They are actually quite thankful because before she couldn't process information in a way that could get anything out. Now that she has learned to put her thoughts into communication, she won't stop. She also hasn't been sleeping because she has a terrible cough and with the sensory issues, that cough is too much stimulation. Mom was also out of town for about a week. I found that a weighted lap pad helps, even though sometimes she likes to wear it on her head. I put 2 thick therapy rubber bands I got from "SchoolMoves" on her chair and she liked kicking those, but sometimes she would do it and make too much noise. Her parents suggested a block of wood under her feet. Brilliant, I was trying to figure out how to get a shorter chair for her. Seriously? We also said I counted for transition with her because she is TERRIBLE at transitions. I pulled her color card the first time she didn't make it because she just stared at me. The next time she was laying under her chair and wouldn't get up. I counted very quickly and she was in her seat immediately.
Thankfully I love my staff, the parent support is amazing, my principal is a great person, and I have some lovely kids in my class.
On to SPD:
I met with Michelle's parents this week to get some new ideas. She has been talking ALL the time. They are actually quite thankful because before she couldn't process information in a way that could get anything out. Now that she has learned to put her thoughts into communication, she won't stop. She also hasn't been sleeping because she has a terrible cough and with the sensory issues, that cough is too much stimulation. Mom was also out of town for about a week. I found that a weighted lap pad helps, even though sometimes she likes to wear it on her head. I put 2 thick therapy rubber bands I got from "SchoolMoves" on her chair and she liked kicking those, but sometimes she would do it and make too much noise. Her parents suggested a block of wood under her feet. Brilliant, I was trying to figure out how to get a shorter chair for her. Seriously? We also said I counted for transition with her because she is TERRIBLE at transitions. I pulled her color card the first time she didn't make it because she just stared at me. The next time she was laying under her chair and wouldn't get up. I counted very quickly and she was in her seat immediately.
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Yikes, major meltdown
It has been a bit crazy since I have finally returned. I had to separate all the students into rows instead of table groups. They just talk all the time. I have to say that Toby has been doing amazingly well. He still wiggles, makes noises, and is out of his seat, but nothing like it used to be. Sadly the ADHD medicine has made him lose his appetite, so I really have to press him to eat at lunch. His mom is worried about how much weight he is losing. He is doing really well at his academics and he has moved up in his reading levels. What a difference.
Michelle is constantly talking and out of her seat. She is always the last one to transition and I usually have to be very firm with her to make that happen.
Our biggest meltdown came with Shawn, just shortly before our Martin Luther King Jr. assembly. Here is part of the email I sent Mom because it is easier than retyping it with a couple of comments I added.
Well, we had our biggest meltdown. Shawn kept burping and I had asked him numerous times to stop or do it silently. Then he and another little guy were laughing. I told him to stop about 3 times and get his math done. Everyone else was working on their math and he was just sitting there eating his snack. So basically, after giving him so many reminders, I pulled 2 of his cards because he didn't seem to care after the numerous reminders that he was causing problems. There was my big mistake. I should have pulled one earlier and then pulled the second if he didn't stop. So... Bradley completely melted down. He was sobbing and then screaming. I just walked off and ignored it because he usually calms himself down when I ignore the behavior. He then got up and went in the corner. I told him it was time to come back and do his math. He started yelling about how he hates math. I told him he still had to come do it. He said he would just rip it up and I told him that he wouldn't and he needed to get it done. He continued to yell and be upset. He sat down back by his desk on the floor and cried. (He continued yelling and saying how he hated his parents because if he got a yellow card they would smash his DS. (I know they wouldn't do that, but you know how kids see things.)) We were getting ready to go to an assembly, so I called our discipline person from the learning center and he came and got him. I didn't feel like a serious assembly about Martin Luther King Jr. was a good place for him at the time. He went with him and finished his math. They then played some games and he was fine when he returned. (He also had snacks and got a computer reward, not quite the discipline I was hoping for, but he was in control when he returned.)
That is the first time he has had a meltdown like that all year, so I am not concerned, but just thought you should know. Mr ____, from the learning center, did say that Shawn immediately complained about the loud noise in Mr. ___ room (the furnace). He has never mentioned it in my room, so I thought he may just be on sensory overload and so that was just one more thing he couldn't handle.
I know he was really angry about getting the yellow card and was very upset because he is afraid he will lose his new DS.
Let me know if you have any questions or concerns. I don't expect, based on our past experiences, that this will happen often, but I certainly learned about how I could handle it better next time. He really is doing a great job and I am sorry that I have had to send so many emails lately. I just want to keep you updated and get your insight.
Thank you.
Mom's response was really insightful. His parents are so supportive and that makes a HUGE difference. They understand that I am trying and they give great advice.
I'm sorry that happened last Friday. It drives me up a wall when he gets that emotional and reactive at home, and I couldn't imagine what it's like dealing with that behavior while taking care of 25 wiggly first-graders.
When I saw this email Friday evening, ____ and I talked with Shawn about the situation and thankfully found Shawn able to articulate clearly and (mostly) honestly describe what happened. He was still upset and anxious, so we walked him through letting go of his stress.
At Shawns's OT today I asked the therapist for more ideas of what to do if and when this starts happening again.
When he is losing control like this, try giving him the option to either do the homework/activity with the class or take a movement break. If it's a behavioral issue then he'll hopefully pick the first option, and if it's sensory then he'll benefit most from the second. For a movement break he could do heavy work like carrying books or helping straighten up the room. Wall push-ups or chair push-ups are other good heavy work activities. (Shawn proudly called out that you let the class do wall push-ups sometimes already, so cool!) Another suggestion was to set up a quiet, cozy corner with sensory toys, where he could retreat for a short time while calming down. And I'm sure you do this already, but it's a good reminder for me: it is very important to follow up with Shawn after he calms down to talk about making different choices next time. Shawn’s dad and I should not carry over punishments from school behavior to home, because this causes Shawn too much anxiety, which outweighs the benefit of that kind of punishment-reward system. Next time he gets worried about punishments at home, you may reassure Shawn that we won’t take away anything like his DS. We'll just talk. And finally, the therapist was wondering if the time of day Shawn reacted last Friday is usually a hard time of day for him, or maybe the whole class. If so, then this would be a good time to work in a “brain-gym” movement break for the class around this time, preemptively.
In addition to giving me this advice, the therapist also talked with Shawn and brainstormed ways he could calm down. At home we can squish him in pillows, but we know that's not suitable for a classroom, so we talked about giving ourselves a hug, or squeezing our own hands, or doing wall-pushups.
Here was my response:
Thank you for all the information. Shawn does really well when I have a quick chat with him. I decided to ignore it this time because he was in such a rage. I learned that it was not the best choice on my part. I will make sure I talk with him next time and try to get him to a place of calm. Usually he does a REALLY good job of getting himself back in control. We do a lot of heavy work activities in here and shake breaks. Almost all transitions have one. Shawn knows that he can do wall push-ups or crab walks anytime he needs, but I will remind him. He also likes it when I press straight down on his shoulders. We do something called adventures to fitness most afternoons, which often has heavy lifting exercises in it. I do have a brain gym routine and another book of movements I need to use more. I also have a basket of squeeze items he can use. I think I just need to remind him that it is there when he needs it.
Michelle is constantly talking and out of her seat. She is always the last one to transition and I usually have to be very firm with her to make that happen.
Our biggest meltdown came with Shawn, just shortly before our Martin Luther King Jr. assembly. Here is part of the email I sent Mom because it is easier than retyping it with a couple of comments I added.
Well, we had our biggest meltdown. Shawn kept burping and I had asked him numerous times to stop or do it silently. Then he and another little guy were laughing. I told him to stop about 3 times and get his math done. Everyone else was working on their math and he was just sitting there eating his snack. So basically, after giving him so many reminders, I pulled 2 of his cards because he didn't seem to care after the numerous reminders that he was causing problems. There was my big mistake. I should have pulled one earlier and then pulled the second if he didn't stop. So... Bradley completely melted down. He was sobbing and then screaming. I just walked off and ignored it because he usually calms himself down when I ignore the behavior. He then got up and went in the corner. I told him it was time to come back and do his math. He started yelling about how he hates math. I told him he still had to come do it. He said he would just rip it up and I told him that he wouldn't and he needed to get it done. He continued to yell and be upset. He sat down back by his desk on the floor and cried. (He continued yelling and saying how he hated his parents because if he got a yellow card they would smash his DS. (I know they wouldn't do that, but you know how kids see things.)) We were getting ready to go to an assembly, so I called our discipline person from the learning center and he came and got him. I didn't feel like a serious assembly about Martin Luther King Jr. was a good place for him at the time. He went with him and finished his math. They then played some games and he was fine when he returned. (He also had snacks and got a computer reward, not quite the discipline I was hoping for, but he was in control when he returned.)
That is the first time he has had a meltdown like that all year, so I am not concerned, but just thought you should know. Mr ____, from the learning center, did say that Shawn immediately complained about the loud noise in Mr. ___ room (the furnace). He has never mentioned it in my room, so I thought he may just be on sensory overload and so that was just one more thing he couldn't handle.
I know he was really angry about getting the yellow card and was very upset because he is afraid he will lose his new DS.
Let me know if you have any questions or concerns. I don't expect, based on our past experiences, that this will happen often, but I certainly learned about how I could handle it better next time. He really is doing a great job and I am sorry that I have had to send so many emails lately. I just want to keep you updated and get your insight.
Thank you.
Mom's response was really insightful. His parents are so supportive and that makes a HUGE difference. They understand that I am trying and they give great advice.
I'm sorry that happened last Friday. It drives me up a wall when he gets that emotional and reactive at home, and I couldn't imagine what it's like dealing with that behavior while taking care of 25 wiggly first-graders.
When I saw this email Friday evening, ____ and I talked with Shawn about the situation and thankfully found Shawn able to articulate clearly and (mostly) honestly describe what happened. He was still upset and anxious, so we walked him through letting go of his stress.
At Shawns's OT today I asked the therapist for more ideas of what to do if and when this starts happening again.
When he is losing control like this, try giving him the option to either do the homework/activity with the class or take a movement break. If it's a behavioral issue then he'll hopefully pick the first option, and if it's sensory then he'll benefit most from the second. For a movement break he could do heavy work like carrying books or helping straighten up the room. Wall push-ups or chair push-ups are other good heavy work activities. (Shawn proudly called out that you let the class do wall push-ups sometimes already, so cool!) Another suggestion was to set up a quiet, cozy corner with sensory toys, where he could retreat for a short time while calming down. And I'm sure you do this already, but it's a good reminder for me: it is very important to follow up with Shawn after he calms down to talk about making different choices next time. Shawn’s dad and I should not carry over punishments from school behavior to home, because this causes Shawn too much anxiety, which outweighs the benefit of that kind of punishment-reward system. Next time he gets worried about punishments at home, you may reassure Shawn that we won’t take away anything like his DS. We'll just talk. And finally, the therapist was wondering if the time of day Shawn reacted last Friday is usually a hard time of day for him, or maybe the whole class. If so, then this would be a good time to work in a “brain-gym” movement break for the class around this time, preemptively.
In addition to giving me this advice, the therapist also talked with Shawn and brainstormed ways he could calm down. At home we can squish him in pillows, but we know that's not suitable for a classroom, so we talked about giving ourselves a hug, or squeezing our own hands, or doing wall-pushups.
Here was my response:
Thank you for all the information. Shawn does really well when I have a quick chat with him. I decided to ignore it this time because he was in such a rage. I learned that it was not the best choice on my part. I will make sure I talk with him next time and try to get him to a place of calm. Usually he does a REALLY good job of getting himself back in control. We do a lot of heavy work activities in here and shake breaks. Almost all transitions have one. Shawn knows that he can do wall push-ups or crab walks anytime he needs, but I will remind him. He also likes it when I press straight down on his shoulders. We do something called adventures to fitness most afternoons, which often has heavy lifting exercises in it. I do have a brain gym routine and another book of movements I need to use more. I also have a basket of squeeze items he can use. I think I just need to remind him that it is there when he needs it.
I think part of the problem was how I handled it by trying to ignore the behavior and work with other students. Live and learn, right. ; )
He has been having a great day today. I hope you all had a nice weekend.
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
I'm Back
I am full-time in my classroom again. My intern has moved on and after some medical issues I finally had a full week of school last week.
Toby is on ADHD medicine and is doing soooooo much better. He has moved up 2 levels in his reading, improved his sight word score and is more focused in class. He still is extremely silly and off-task a lot, but nothing like it was in the beginning of the year. He has a more controlled chaos now. He is currently being evaluated by our special ed team, but I doubt he will qualify because the assessments are all one-on-one. It is the distraction of the classroom environment that is so difficult for him. Thankfully our special ed teacher allows him to come to his study group after school to have a more quiet environment to work.
Shawn had a really hard week last week. He had meltdowns over EVERYTHING.especially having to do things he doesn't want to do. He tells me he doesn't like writing and I explained that we have to do things we don't like sometimes and that he will need this skill the rest of his life. I am extremely impressed how quickly he pulls himself out of his tantrums. He does seem to want to do things his way more than he used to. He started sitting at his desk when we are sitting on the carpet and I have been letting him do that because he sits right up front and he seems to focus better that way. When he is not upset he seems very happy, but he did tell me when he was mad that he hates school. I asked him why and he that is when he said he does not like writing. Which, is completely understandable given his handwriting concerns.
He told another kid today that he had to sit at his desk because he has sensory issues and that his sensory issues are worse than another kid in the class. I went over and talked to him about still having to learn to work in the world and that he can't use that as an excuse. He gave me a huge smile. He knew exactly what he was doing. : ) I do allow him to sit at his desk when we are all crowded on the carpet, I just don't want him to use that as an excuse for other things. When we are suppose to be writing, he wants to read. When we are suppose to read in our book boxes, he wants to read from the shelf. I was letting him read during the morning writing journal, but he seems to be pushing more and more to not have to do what the rest of the class is doing. I of course will let him do things differently when I think it is important for him to function in the class, but not just because he doesn't want to do it.
Michelle is off-task ALL the time. She has been working really hard on a writing piece for weeks, but then she keeps losing parts of it and has to do it over. She finally finished it today. It takes her forever to get from one place to the next and she takes many detours to friends desks. Then when she does get to her desk, she spends a lot of time talking. It seems worse than it used to be.
Toby is on ADHD medicine and is doing soooooo much better. He has moved up 2 levels in his reading, improved his sight word score and is more focused in class. He still is extremely silly and off-task a lot, but nothing like it was in the beginning of the year. He has a more controlled chaos now. He is currently being evaluated by our special ed team, but I doubt he will qualify because the assessments are all one-on-one. It is the distraction of the classroom environment that is so difficult for him. Thankfully our special ed teacher allows him to come to his study group after school to have a more quiet environment to work.
Shawn had a really hard week last week. He had meltdowns over EVERYTHING.especially having to do things he doesn't want to do. He tells me he doesn't like writing and I explained that we have to do things we don't like sometimes and that he will need this skill the rest of his life. I am extremely impressed how quickly he pulls himself out of his tantrums. He does seem to want to do things his way more than he used to. He started sitting at his desk when we are sitting on the carpet and I have been letting him do that because he sits right up front and he seems to focus better that way. When he is not upset he seems very happy, but he did tell me when he was mad that he hates school. I asked him why and he that is when he said he does not like writing. Which, is completely understandable given his handwriting concerns.
He told another kid today that he had to sit at his desk because he has sensory issues and that his sensory issues are worse than another kid in the class. I went over and talked to him about still having to learn to work in the world and that he can't use that as an excuse. He gave me a huge smile. He knew exactly what he was doing. : ) I do allow him to sit at his desk when we are all crowded on the carpet, I just don't want him to use that as an excuse for other things. When we are suppose to be writing, he wants to read. When we are suppose to read in our book boxes, he wants to read from the shelf. I was letting him read during the morning writing journal, but he seems to be pushing more and more to not have to do what the rest of the class is doing. I of course will let him do things differently when I think it is important for him to function in the class, but not just because he doesn't want to do it.
Michelle is off-task ALL the time. She has been working really hard on a writing piece for weeks, but then she keeps losing parts of it and has to do it over. She finally finished it today. It takes her forever to get from one place to the next and she takes many detours to friends desks. Then when she does get to her desk, she spends a lot of time talking. It seems worse than it used to be.
Failing & Senstaional Kids
I feel like I am failing these kids. I get caught up in the daily schedule and my plans for the SPD kids go right out the window. Chaos has a way of doing that. It's the normal organized classroom chaos, but it makes life busy. I have been forgetting to put in the shake breaks and heavy work. I have it very specifically entered into my daily plans, but I haven't been organized enough to get those out and printed. Too much going on. Now, my intern will be taking over, so it will be a couple of weeks before I post again.
I did read Sensational Kids by Lucy Jane Miller. It is a fabulous book. Normally I have a really difficult time reading a book, even when it is a novel, but I can't put this book down. I keep hoping there is going to be something in there that will help me get it right. It's hard when you have 3 different kids with different needs. Next, I will need to read The Out-Of-Sync Child.
Here's one thing I learned from the Sensational Kids book so far. I'll start with my favorite example of explaining what some kids might be going through. She talked about why heavy work is important. It sends a calming feeling to the same area in the brain that may be overstimulated. She likened it to when we eat something really cold and it makes our teeth hurt. If we press on our gums and teeth, it takes that pain away. Boy did that make sense to me. I know I can't explain it well, so read the book.
I did read Sensational Kids by Lucy Jane Miller. It is a fabulous book. Normally I have a really difficult time reading a book, even when it is a novel, but I can't put this book down. I keep hoping there is going to be something in there that will help me get it right. It's hard when you have 3 different kids with different needs. Next, I will need to read The Out-Of-Sync Child.
Here's one thing I learned from the Sensational Kids book so far. I'll start with my favorite example of explaining what some kids might be going through. She talked about why heavy work is important. It sends a calming feeling to the same area in the brain that may be overstimulated. She likened it to when we eat something really cold and it makes our teeth hurt. If we press on our gums and teeth, it takes that pain away. Boy did that make sense to me. I know I can't explain it well, so read the book.
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