We are wrapping up spring break for my son Matthew while my other son Nicholas has been on his spring break from California Virtual Academy since Friday. As I mentioned in recent articles Matthew has been in good moods lately and not having serious behavior issues.
I wanted to make note of some new skills he has shown this past week. Normally when Matthew comes home from school he will just leave his jacket somewhere in the living room on his way to the bedroom to remove his sneakers. He will place the sneakers in the crate where shoes are stored. Next he goes through his backpack for homework.
While we went on some errands this past week Matthew removed his coat and then proceeded to fix the arms so they were not inside out. He left the jacket on the bed instead of the floor.
The weather here has been mixed with one day wearing short sleeves and no jacket, but then the following day needing a jacket. I had asked Matthew to get his jacket. He brought me his heavier jacket so I told him that was not the right one. A few seconds later he was in front of me with the same jacket along with a hanger. I was impressed since it is hard for him to reach the bar with the hangers.
When I ask Matthew to remove his socks he will just take them off and leave them there on the floor inside out. This week he sat there and fixed them by inserting his hand in and pulling the sock out. This is much better than a rolled ball of socks on the floor.
I usually give him his meds around 5:15 so that he is asleep between 7:00 and 7:30 pm. On spring break I wanted to sleep in a little so I gave him his meds later, one day by even an hour. He still wanted to go to bed at the same time. He knows what show is on Noggin when he is in bed, so there was no escaping the usual bedtime.
He has two bottom corner teeth coming in, which appears to be bothering him as he is putting his hand in his mouth to touch them. He now is going to the mirror in the kitchen and regularly looking at himself. I have never seen him do this before and not even Nicholas who is 14 does this. It is funny to see Matt look in the mirror, open his mouth and look inside. Plus he is touching his hair and smiling or laughing at the mirror. He seems like a young teen checking himself out.
While at the grocery store he chose a box of unsalted saltines. I figured if he was not interested in eating them they were good for soup for me and Nicholas. Turns out Matthew likes the saltines and handed me the last package from the box this morning to put into a baggie so he can have some throughout the day.
Matthew will turn 13 on June 30th. He loves to look through photo albums.
Showing posts with label middle school. Show all posts
Showing posts with label middle school. Show all posts
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Friday, October 3, 2008
First Month of School Update
This first week of October 2008 marks the first month for my nonverbal son Matthew in Middle School as a sixth grader. He has had many adjustments this school year - wearing a uniform, taking the bus, longer school hours, PE uniform, new school, new teacher, new classmates, no recess, nutrition, shared bathroom, horticulture, gardening, new classroom and new therapists.
Previously he was in the same class for four years at the Elementary School. The same teacher, classroom and classmates. The first three years he had the same OT, Speech and Adaptive PE teacher.
Matthew has adjusted well to the early morning alarm and wearing the school uniform that consists of a white polo shirt and navy blue pants or shorts. The PE uniform is a white logo shirt from the school and royal blue shorts. I need to get royal blue pants soon since the weather here in Los Angeles changes daily. This past week we hit 100 one day with the last day of the week at 74 as the high, when it was the low the other morning.
We wait at the gate at the front walkway for his assistant to come. He has to park on another street and on Thursday and Friday it is hard to find spots due to street cleaning. The bus is here before 7 AM. Matthew is happy to see his aide and get on the bus.
The bus returns with Matthew and aide before 4PM. Matthew has his regular movements he makes before going inside the house. He likes to run through the yard, scaring all the cats that might have been resting there, then he peaks around the corner at the back porch, looks under a window in the living room and the other side before going into the house.
At first he would run in the house and change into the clothes I had laid out on the bed for him. Now he wants me inside too. So I am talking with the aide through the screen door as he stands in the yard.
On Fridays they place the PE clothes in backpacks for washing. I bought two PE shirts and place the second one in there and rinse the shorts and shirt. I made the mistake of doing them both at the same time. We do not have laundry facility at this rental house and I am not about to take two kids to laundromat on a weekend.
On Friday afternoons after I have unloaded the lunch bag and put in the snacks for nutrition I place it in another room along with the backpack. This is the visual for Matthew to know there is no school the following day. Sunday afternoons I get both bags out and keep in the kitchen for Matthew to get back in school mode. I also get out the juice boxes and lock and lock container for his lunch and keep on counter.
I received feedback from the aide that Matthew runs many laps around the track for PE. This is a class that has general education students and one of two classes that is mainstreamed or known as inclusion in some areas. Physical Education is after lunch and these shirts smell bad. There are a total of four kids in the Mental Retardation Severe (MRS) class that Matthew is in. The two girls go to the locker room with the female classroom aide. That leaves Matthew and another boy in the classroom to get dressed. The teacher has been in the same room for 17 years and this is normal procedure.
During back to school night I saw the section where the gym clothes were hung and saw the other boy already has his pants there. There are so many rules on what is allowed at school that I asked the aide about deodorant and he said the other boy does not use it (he is older than Matt) but that he would try it. I really wanted a solid, even though my other son Nicholas uses stick. The only product with no Aluminum was Tom's stick deodorant. That is now kept in the backpack with extra socks, school bus book, brush, lip balm and aveeno lotion.
The aide has relayed to me that Matthew picks up his arms and allows the back and forth motion of sliding on the stick deodorant. I could tell a difference in the smell of his shirt today as well.
I noticed today as they got off the bus Matthew was waving bye to others on the bus. This is progress. He waves to me at the computer, which is located in the kitchen, when he wants me to pour or open something.
The aide was hired specifically to follow Matthew to Middle School and High School. He started in February at the Elementary School. There they went to the Nurse's office to change diaper. Here they go to a building that has restrooms that is located next to their classroom building. The classroom opens onto the outside, but there is a fence there to keep inside the school premises. At the Elementary School the class opened up to the playground. Many times when I picked him up at the classroom there would be chairs stacked at the door to prevent opening the door and leaving.
Matthew's aide is very observant and attentive to Matthew's needs. Earlier this week he asked me how Matthew lets me know he needs a diaper change. I indicated that he gets one out with the plastic bag and wipes and keeps on dresser. When it needs changing he gets out the newspaper on the floor and that means now is the time.
I let the aide know that during the six weeks of summer camp Matthew would grab a diaper and let them know it was changing time. Each camper had a cubby hole and that was where his items were kept. I asked the aide if the diapers were visible and he said they were kept in a cabinet with gloves, bag and wipes. I suggested taking the bag and hanging it someplace in classroom and maybe they could take a photo of it for the communication device he has known as the Go Talk 9+ that I purchased in March.
We also decided that since Matthew was not really hip to drinking from the school water fountain, (and who could blame him), that I would fill one of the Rubber Maid plastic juice containers with bottle water and the other one with either soymilk or rice drink.
The last few days Matthew has taken many sips of the water from the container at both Nutrition and Lunch times. This is progress. I mentioned to the aide that I was thinking of expanding Matthew's drink options to include Almond Milk. He said he has tried it since his Mother drinks that and soy milk. Nice to know the aide is aware of these products.
The other day when the aide was asking me about toilet training and saying he wanted to learn more to be better, I told him that I have plenty of books. He is very eager to gain insights into autism and Matthew. He really wanted to observe a day at the summer camp but was busy doing the summer school in another part of Los Angeles and could not get it into his schedule.
I placed some extra pecs boards for scheduling in the backpack the other day suggesting maybe the Teacher wanted to utilize them. The aide told me that the Teacher was interested in them and was going through his supplies to see what he had. They also started a list for taking pics of various things for Matthew's school day. My other son Nicholas is the voice on the output device.
I was surprised to learn the the Elementary School Teacher threw out many of her pecs supplies and gave a bunch to the aide. He was going to go through them this weekend to see what he could bring to school. Why would a teacher toss out these supplies instead of saving them, sending them to speech department or giving to parents, that makes no sense.
The aide is also working on getting Matthew lunch through the school. There does not seem to be a menu for parents, but the school personnel has access in the morning to this. He wants to know ahead of time as well what they are serving. I did not want to fill out the lunch program form that requires income and SSI number to be sent to the school. We do not qualify for lunch program. I just wanted to know the price and system for my son to get lunch the days they have burgers and pizza. The lunch program participants get tickets. The aide needs to pay $1.50 for Matthew to get lunch. I let him know that he can let other kids eat what Matthew does not or to put in the classroom refrigerator. Since they have juice I asked about getting that for Matthew as an alternate drink option.
Back to school night we were able to sit in the classroom and speak with the teacher. At one point Matthew lunged at me, but the teacher told him to fold or hold his hands and that is what he did. We went through the hallways to find the Horticulture class and met the teacher. She showed us the area they do gardening in. She said the kids are good with Matthew and his classmates and are used to special ed students. We saw one kid with a walker and a few with canes walking with their families. Even my son Nicholas said he liked the school. This kid was very verbal about how much he hated Matthew's last school as kids were running all over and it seemed chaotic and uncontrolled if we were still there when bell rang. We always went fifteen minutes earlier and signed Matthew out to avoid that nightmare.
I did get some feedback from the teacher that the Speech Therapist has a full load and as she is removing students she will start with Matthew. I will wait awhile before filing a State Complaint. We already have one year of compensation for speech services.
One day the aide and I spoke about the OT and what type of questions she was asking him and the teacher. He was able to tell her what Matthew did last year in Elementary School. I also asked him to compare the school settings and tell me what he thought. I also indicated I wanted him at the IEP meeting next year.
It is really good to have a positive vibe from the aide. This helps everyone tremendously. The atmosphere is calm, my son is getting more attention since prior there were 8 or 9 students and several aides. Matthew will not get on the bus without knowing his aide is behind him on the steps. They have formed a good, strong bond.
The first month is a positive one. The teacher is receptive to my Daily Report form filling it out almost everyday and only missing two times, one of them being today.
My other son Nicholas is in his second year of California Virtual Academy (CAVA), now as a seventh grader. The first week of school his teacher came for us to fill out the Master Agreement only to get notice that Saturday morning that she quit Friday for a position in another school district. We just met new teacher a week ago for home visit and testing.
Previously art and music were elective subjects you did not have to partake in. This year CAVA changed that, but you could choose either Music or Foreign Language, so Nicholas is now taking Spanish and enjoying art. He is also doing good in study island.
The community day is on Tuesdays, which is also the early release day in LAUSD for teacher meetings so the time frame is not in our favor to make it home in time to meet the bus. I promised Nicholas we would visit the Zoo more often and perhaps bowling. I am looking into going to the Zoo next week. He is enjoying shows on History Channel and likes visiting their website and Animal Planet. He has taken an interest in Star Wars and moving beyond just animals as his interest.
September was good for both kids. I am hoping October will be just as good and maybe even better.
Previously he was in the same class for four years at the Elementary School. The same teacher, classroom and classmates. The first three years he had the same OT, Speech and Adaptive PE teacher.
Matthew has adjusted well to the early morning alarm and wearing the school uniform that consists of a white polo shirt and navy blue pants or shorts. The PE uniform is a white logo shirt from the school and royal blue shorts. I need to get royal blue pants soon since the weather here in Los Angeles changes daily. This past week we hit 100 one day with the last day of the week at 74 as the high, when it was the low the other morning.
We wait at the gate at the front walkway for his assistant to come. He has to park on another street and on Thursday and Friday it is hard to find spots due to street cleaning. The bus is here before 7 AM. Matthew is happy to see his aide and get on the bus.
The bus returns with Matthew and aide before 4PM. Matthew has his regular movements he makes before going inside the house. He likes to run through the yard, scaring all the cats that might have been resting there, then he peaks around the corner at the back porch, looks under a window in the living room and the other side before going into the house.
At first he would run in the house and change into the clothes I had laid out on the bed for him. Now he wants me inside too. So I am talking with the aide through the screen door as he stands in the yard.
On Fridays they place the PE clothes in backpacks for washing. I bought two PE shirts and place the second one in there and rinse the shorts and shirt. I made the mistake of doing them both at the same time. We do not have laundry facility at this rental house and I am not about to take two kids to laundromat on a weekend.
On Friday afternoons after I have unloaded the lunch bag and put in the snacks for nutrition I place it in another room along with the backpack. This is the visual for Matthew to know there is no school the following day. Sunday afternoons I get both bags out and keep in the kitchen for Matthew to get back in school mode. I also get out the juice boxes and lock and lock container for his lunch and keep on counter.
I received feedback from the aide that Matthew runs many laps around the track for PE. This is a class that has general education students and one of two classes that is mainstreamed or known as inclusion in some areas. Physical Education is after lunch and these shirts smell bad. There are a total of four kids in the Mental Retardation Severe (MRS) class that Matthew is in. The two girls go to the locker room with the female classroom aide. That leaves Matthew and another boy in the classroom to get dressed. The teacher has been in the same room for 17 years and this is normal procedure.
During back to school night I saw the section where the gym clothes were hung and saw the other boy already has his pants there. There are so many rules on what is allowed at school that I asked the aide about deodorant and he said the other boy does not use it (he is older than Matt) but that he would try it. I really wanted a solid, even though my other son Nicholas uses stick. The only product with no Aluminum was Tom's stick deodorant. That is now kept in the backpack with extra socks, school bus book, brush, lip balm and aveeno lotion.
The aide has relayed to me that Matthew picks up his arms and allows the back and forth motion of sliding on the stick deodorant. I could tell a difference in the smell of his shirt today as well.
I noticed today as they got off the bus Matthew was waving bye to others on the bus. This is progress. He waves to me at the computer, which is located in the kitchen, when he wants me to pour or open something.
The aide was hired specifically to follow Matthew to Middle School and High School. He started in February at the Elementary School. There they went to the Nurse's office to change diaper. Here they go to a building that has restrooms that is located next to their classroom building. The classroom opens onto the outside, but there is a fence there to keep inside the school premises. At the Elementary School the class opened up to the playground. Many times when I picked him up at the classroom there would be chairs stacked at the door to prevent opening the door and leaving.
Matthew's aide is very observant and attentive to Matthew's needs. Earlier this week he asked me how Matthew lets me know he needs a diaper change. I indicated that he gets one out with the plastic bag and wipes and keeps on dresser. When it needs changing he gets out the newspaper on the floor and that means now is the time.
I let the aide know that during the six weeks of summer camp Matthew would grab a diaper and let them know it was changing time. Each camper had a cubby hole and that was where his items were kept. I asked the aide if the diapers were visible and he said they were kept in a cabinet with gloves, bag and wipes. I suggested taking the bag and hanging it someplace in classroom and maybe they could take a photo of it for the communication device he has known as the Go Talk 9+ that I purchased in March.
We also decided that since Matthew was not really hip to drinking from the school water fountain, (and who could blame him), that I would fill one of the Rubber Maid plastic juice containers with bottle water and the other one with either soymilk or rice drink.
The last few days Matthew has taken many sips of the water from the container at both Nutrition and Lunch times. This is progress. I mentioned to the aide that I was thinking of expanding Matthew's drink options to include Almond Milk. He said he has tried it since his Mother drinks that and soy milk. Nice to know the aide is aware of these products.
The other day when the aide was asking me about toilet training and saying he wanted to learn more to be better, I told him that I have plenty of books. He is very eager to gain insights into autism and Matthew. He really wanted to observe a day at the summer camp but was busy doing the summer school in another part of Los Angeles and could not get it into his schedule.
I placed some extra pecs boards for scheduling in the backpack the other day suggesting maybe the Teacher wanted to utilize them. The aide told me that the Teacher was interested in them and was going through his supplies to see what he had. They also started a list for taking pics of various things for Matthew's school day. My other son Nicholas is the voice on the output device.
I was surprised to learn the the Elementary School Teacher threw out many of her pecs supplies and gave a bunch to the aide. He was going to go through them this weekend to see what he could bring to school. Why would a teacher toss out these supplies instead of saving them, sending them to speech department or giving to parents, that makes no sense.
The aide is also working on getting Matthew lunch through the school. There does not seem to be a menu for parents, but the school personnel has access in the morning to this. He wants to know ahead of time as well what they are serving. I did not want to fill out the lunch program form that requires income and SSI number to be sent to the school. We do not qualify for lunch program. I just wanted to know the price and system for my son to get lunch the days they have burgers and pizza. The lunch program participants get tickets. The aide needs to pay $1.50 for Matthew to get lunch. I let him know that he can let other kids eat what Matthew does not or to put in the classroom refrigerator. Since they have juice I asked about getting that for Matthew as an alternate drink option.
Back to school night we were able to sit in the classroom and speak with the teacher. At one point Matthew lunged at me, but the teacher told him to fold or hold his hands and that is what he did. We went through the hallways to find the Horticulture class and met the teacher. She showed us the area they do gardening in. She said the kids are good with Matthew and his classmates and are used to special ed students. We saw one kid with a walker and a few with canes walking with their families. Even my son Nicholas said he liked the school. This kid was very verbal about how much he hated Matthew's last school as kids were running all over and it seemed chaotic and uncontrolled if we were still there when bell rang. We always went fifteen minutes earlier and signed Matthew out to avoid that nightmare.
I did get some feedback from the teacher that the Speech Therapist has a full load and as she is removing students she will start with Matthew. I will wait awhile before filing a State Complaint. We already have one year of compensation for speech services.
One day the aide and I spoke about the OT and what type of questions she was asking him and the teacher. He was able to tell her what Matthew did last year in Elementary School. I also asked him to compare the school settings and tell me what he thought. I also indicated I wanted him at the IEP meeting next year.
It is really good to have a positive vibe from the aide. This helps everyone tremendously. The atmosphere is calm, my son is getting more attention since prior there were 8 or 9 students and several aides. Matthew will not get on the bus without knowing his aide is behind him on the steps. They have formed a good, strong bond.
The first month is a positive one. The teacher is receptive to my Daily Report form filling it out almost everyday and only missing two times, one of them being today.
My other son Nicholas is in his second year of California Virtual Academy (CAVA), now as a seventh grader. The first week of school his teacher came for us to fill out the Master Agreement only to get notice that Saturday morning that she quit Friday for a position in another school district. We just met new teacher a week ago for home visit and testing.
Previously art and music were elective subjects you did not have to partake in. This year CAVA changed that, but you could choose either Music or Foreign Language, so Nicholas is now taking Spanish and enjoying art. He is also doing good in study island.
The community day is on Tuesdays, which is also the early release day in LAUSD for teacher meetings so the time frame is not in our favor to make it home in time to meet the bus. I promised Nicholas we would visit the Zoo more often and perhaps bowling. I am looking into going to the Zoo next week. He is enjoying shows on History Channel and likes visiting their website and Animal Planet. He has taken an interest in Star Wars and moving beyond just animals as his interest.
September was good for both kids. I am hoping October will be just as good and maybe even better.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
The To Do List Begins
My nonverbal son Matthew starts school tomorrow. Once he graduated Elementary School in June there was six weeks of summer day camp. After that commenced we had almost four weeks of down time at home.
While autism camp was in session I was able to do laundry and grocery shopping, but during this break Matthew had to accompany me everywhere I went. Several times this meant enduring an attack from behind if I took too long making a choice in an aisle. Waiting too long at the Pharmacy Counter produced similar results. Errands worked best if we went directly to the coloring book section so he could pick one out. But then he wanted to get home so he could color.
I have now compiled my To Do list of errands and things I can do that will go smoother and faster.
Get the car washed
Go to laundromat
Grocery Shopping
Take Nicholas for a haircut
Clothes Shopping
Go to the library
Take Nicholas Bowling
See a Movie with Nicholas
Visit the Zoo with Nicholas
Take Nicholas to Community Day
Paint over the fingerprints on the walls
Take Nick to Dentist for fillings/root canal
Find an Ortho for consult for Nick - needs braces
Find an Eye Dr for me - need exam, new glasses, no vision Ins
Follow up with Dentist for me - need new Dentures, no dental Ins
Take the cat to Vet - flea bath, trim nails
Get back to 24 hour fitness for daily workouts
Start swim lessons for Nicholas
Practice riding a bike - in neighbor's driveway with their bike
Take Nicholas to get hearing and vision test
At home we will no longer have to walk around the kitchen holding our food and plates away from his fingers. Glasses of milk will no longer get dipped by his fingers. The ice cream container will not get squeezed. I will not have to trip over the vacuum cord because he is playing with it while I try to maneuver it away from his grip.
I might not have to lock the bathroom door or see his feet under the door way banging on the door. My face will not be mashed against his while I sit at the computer. Constant running through the hallway and banging the walls will not occur constantly. I am sure there is more that I will be aware of tomorrow and as the quiet days arrive.
I hope to get a lot accomplished during the day so that I can attend to his needs once he gets off the bus. Transitions for the whole family - earlier dinner time and sooner to bed for everyone.
Cheers to a new day.
While autism camp was in session I was able to do laundry and grocery shopping, but during this break Matthew had to accompany me everywhere I went. Several times this meant enduring an attack from behind if I took too long making a choice in an aisle. Waiting too long at the Pharmacy Counter produced similar results. Errands worked best if we went directly to the coloring book section so he could pick one out. But then he wanted to get home so he could color.
I have now compiled my To Do list of errands and things I can do that will go smoother and faster.
Get the car washed
Go to laundromat
Grocery Shopping
Take Nicholas for a haircut
Clothes Shopping
Go to the library
Take Nicholas Bowling
See a Movie with Nicholas
Visit the Zoo with Nicholas
Take Nicholas to Community Day
Paint over the fingerprints on the walls
Take Nick to Dentist for fillings/root canal
Find an Ortho for consult for Nick - needs braces
Find an Eye Dr for me - need exam, new glasses, no vision Ins
Follow up with Dentist for me - need new Dentures, no dental Ins
Take the cat to Vet - flea bath, trim nails
Get back to 24 hour fitness for daily workouts
Start swim lessons for Nicholas
Practice riding a bike - in neighbor's driveway with their bike
Take Nicholas to get hearing and vision test
At home we will no longer have to walk around the kitchen holding our food and plates away from his fingers. Glasses of milk will no longer get dipped by his fingers. The ice cream container will not get squeezed. I will not have to trip over the vacuum cord because he is playing with it while I try to maneuver it away from his grip.
I might not have to lock the bathroom door or see his feet under the door way banging on the door. My face will not be mashed against his while I sit at the computer. Constant running through the hallway and banging the walls will not occur constantly. I am sure there is more that I will be aware of tomorrow and as the quiet days arrive.
I hope to get a lot accomplished during the day so that I can attend to his needs once he gets off the bus. Transitions for the whole family - earlier dinner time and sooner to bed for everyone.
Cheers to a new day.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Questions for Middle School
I visited the Middle School the other day with my nonverbal son on the autism spectrum along with his male aide. I had the enrollment papers mailed to me to expedite this procedure and be prepared for the visit with my list of questions.
The person at the Attendance Office noticed my two page typed out document entitled Questions for Mioddle School, mentioning how organized I was. After we left that office we were directed to the Counselor's office. Once they realized my son has an IEP we were sent to the Bridge Coordinator. This is the person I will be in contact regarding IEP issues.
I had both IEPs for their office. The triennial in May with the due process IEP naming their school in June. The aide learned of a meeting taking place the day prior to school starting next week. We had a tour of the school, seeing the lunch area, gym building, classroom from outside and restroom facility close by. We finished at the Main office giving them the aides information.
This is the list of questions I asked the Bridge Coordinator:
Teacher name –
# of kids in class –
# of adults in class
Name and ext # for SLP, Adapt PE and OT
Name of Bridge Coordinator
Do they go to library and computer room – how often, where is it
Time for PE, how often, how long
Do you need extra sneakers for PE
Do you need socks for PE or keep same ones on?
Do socks have to be all white?
What is lockdown policy
What is discipline of special ed students policy
When and where is assembly
Phone in classroom
Bathroom in classroom
Lockers in classroom
Daily communication notebook
Where is the bus location
Where does toileting for those with diapers on take place
What is policy when aide on break and lunch
What is policy when aide is out sick for bus
How often is art, music and science – in separate rooms
Which subjects are with general ed classes
Class schedule
Field trips – how often and where in the past
I have previously written two articles at my site that are checklists for visiting classrooms.
Classroom Visitation Checklist - this is for the younger years, including preschool
Visiting Middle School Autism Classes - this is the list I had when I visited some other schools during Spring Break.
The person at the Attendance Office noticed my two page typed out document entitled Questions for Mioddle School, mentioning how organized I was. After we left that office we were directed to the Counselor's office. Once they realized my son has an IEP we were sent to the Bridge Coordinator. This is the person I will be in contact regarding IEP issues.
I had both IEPs for their office. The triennial in May with the due process IEP naming their school in June. The aide learned of a meeting taking place the day prior to school starting next week. We had a tour of the school, seeing the lunch area, gym building, classroom from outside and restroom facility close by. We finished at the Main office giving them the aides information.
This is the list of questions I asked the Bridge Coordinator:
Teacher name –
# of kids in class –
# of adults in class
Name and ext # for SLP, Adapt PE and OT
Name of Bridge Coordinator
Do they go to library and computer room – how often, where is it
Time for PE, how often, how long
Do you need extra sneakers for PE
Do you need socks for PE or keep same ones on?
Do socks have to be all white?
What is lockdown policy
What is discipline of special ed students policy
When and where is assembly
Phone in classroom
Bathroom in classroom
Lockers in classroom
Daily communication notebook
Where is the bus location
Where does toileting for those with diapers on take place
What is policy when aide on break and lunch
What is policy when aide is out sick for bus
How often is art, music and science – in separate rooms
Which subjects are with general ed classes
Class schedule
Field trips – how often and where in the past
I have previously written two articles at my site that are checklists for visiting classrooms.
Classroom Visitation Checklist - this is for the younger years, including preschool
Visiting Middle School Autism Classes - this is the list I had when I visited some other schools during Spring Break.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Preparing for Enrollment in Middle School
My 12 year old nonverbal son Matthew starts sixth grade at a Middle School in September. The homeschool for these grades was not acceptable to me so we had to go to Due Process. This took place at the end of the 2007-2008 school year. My main concern was to get into a school that follows the traditional school calendar of September through June. Los Angeles has year round schools with the offer starting a few days after school let out.
By that time I was already in summer camp mode so I did not get all the pertinent details on the class and school options. Once the six weeks of camp was over we took a week off before I delved into the school information. The school was getting new pavement so for two weeks it was closed and then trying to get anyone to answer in Special Education was not possible.
After several attempts I was able to talk someone in the office into mailing me the enrollment papers instead of having to fill these out with my son and his aide there. This preparation process is very necessary when taking a child on the autism spectrum to their new school for the open enrollment first come first serve four day bonanza. It is one of those times I wished there was special treatment for the special education students. I believe hearing my son screaming in the background with my pleading to make life easier for everyone at the office upon our arrival clinched obtaining these forms in the mail.
The forms were overwhelming, asking the years he attended other schools, what age when he first spoke, sat, crawled, fed himself. They wanted to know the dates of hospitalization and last visit to the Dentist. Other pertinent data like a court order about either parent, which I am bringing since I have sole physical and legal custody with the noncustodial parent on
supervised vistation per a custody evaluation years ago.
I put together a folder for the aide that will be taking the bus with my son. I have copies of both IEPs, a print out of the school calendar, a document I typed up with school name, address, phone number, bus route info, meal times and school hours. I also included the original copy of the document I had provided the Elementary School in using for a communication notebook.
I also taped the school picture of my son on the top of the folder and placed an English and a Spanish autism behavior card inside, as well as one of my business cards. I purchased two books about school buses and want one to be kept at school to help my son learn about the bus and as a reminder. I still need to look through my pecs resources to find a few bus picture cards for the schedule at school and his communication device.
I am hoping to have better communication with the school than with the two previous Elementary Schools. There is still the issue of toilet training at school and finding out if that takes place in the Nurse's office or regular restroom.
I was pleased with the information received from the Bus Supervisor when we talked last week. Hopefully it will be a Safe Bus, as well as a safe campus.
I do not want to overload the aide at the start of the school year, but I really feel two books he needs to peruse and share with the teacher/therapist is the one on the oral-motor program and the strategies at hand laminated bookcards that is portable and has tips on assemblies and fire drills.
I am also planning on going over the Basic Skills Checklist book with the aide to see which ones would be useful to new teacher and therapists.
I have typed out a list of questions for the enrollment tomorrow and what does not get answered will hopefully be addressed at the orientation the following night. I tried several times to schedule a tour and was told to just do it after we enroll. I hope they realize this will not be a quick walk through.
By that time I was already in summer camp mode so I did not get all the pertinent details on the class and school options. Once the six weeks of camp was over we took a week off before I delved into the school information. The school was getting new pavement so for two weeks it was closed and then trying to get anyone to answer in Special Education was not possible.
After several attempts I was able to talk someone in the office into mailing me the enrollment papers instead of having to fill these out with my son and his aide there. This preparation process is very necessary when taking a child on the autism spectrum to their new school for the open enrollment first come first serve four day bonanza. It is one of those times I wished there was special treatment for the special education students. I believe hearing my son screaming in the background with my pleading to make life easier for everyone at the office upon our arrival clinched obtaining these forms in the mail.
The forms were overwhelming, asking the years he attended other schools, what age when he first spoke, sat, crawled, fed himself. They wanted to know the dates of hospitalization and last visit to the Dentist. Other pertinent data like a court order about either parent, which I am bringing since I have sole physical and legal custody with the noncustodial parent on
supervised vistation per a custody evaluation years ago.
I put together a folder for the aide that will be taking the bus with my son. I have copies of both IEPs, a print out of the school calendar, a document I typed up with school name, address, phone number, bus route info, meal times and school hours. I also included the original copy of the document I had provided the Elementary School in using for a communication notebook.
I also taped the school picture of my son on the top of the folder and placed an English and a Spanish autism behavior card inside, as well as one of my business cards. I purchased two books about school buses and want one to be kept at school to help my son learn about the bus and as a reminder. I still need to look through my pecs resources to find a few bus picture cards for the schedule at school and his communication device.
I am hoping to have better communication with the school than with the two previous Elementary Schools. There is still the issue of toilet training at school and finding out if that takes place in the Nurse's office or regular restroom.
I was pleased with the information received from the Bus Supervisor when we talked last week. Hopefully it will be a Safe Bus, as well as a safe campus.
I do not want to overload the aide at the start of the school year, but I really feel two books he needs to peruse and share with the teacher/therapist is the one on the oral-motor program and the strategies at hand laminated bookcards that is portable and has tips on assemblies and fire drills.
I am also planning on going over the Basic Skills Checklist book with the aide to see which ones would be useful to new teacher and therapists.
I have typed out a list of questions for the enrollment tomorrow and what does not get answered will hopefully be addressed at the orientation the following night. I tried several times to schedule a tour and was told to just do it after we enroll. I hope they realize this will not be a quick walk through.
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