Here in the
Washington DC Metropolitan area and across the country we have been hit by
waves of inclement weather that have closed schools and/or led to modified
schedules since the holiday break. The weather models I have consulted
say that more bad weather is to come.
Disrupted school schedules are wreaking havoc with our students. Consistent structure, predictability, and
routines are crucial to lots of our children with special needs. I know
that as much as love your sweeties, parents are looking forward to normal daily
school schedules. Students have often told me that too many days at home are
not so much fun for them either. They like being able to sleep in, but
other than that, it may be challenging to make it through too many days that
don't compare to the structure of a school day.
So, what are some suggestions for handling
multiple out-of-school days for children with special needs?
Since routines and
predictability help children feel more in control, it is important to build
that into the daily schedule. In the
morning, sit down with your child and make a schedule together. This will give your child choices and have
him/her feel some control over the day. Try
to be sure not to write down things that you cannot deliver—remember that the
key is predictability. In school
(special education instruction) we often alternate preferred and non-preferred
activities. So maybe something like
following dressing and breakfast with one chore, then a fun activity together,
then an academic lesson, and then another fun activity (either the child can do
it alone or you can join). Another
aspect that lends to structure is identifying a place for lessons/table work
that is free from distraction. Locate
materials ahead of time (gather them) and place them in the work area—you can
get the child to help. This is much
better than getting up from working to run around and gather materials as you
need them. That is disruptive and wrecks
the flow of lessons and activities. It
is also a good idea to have a timer so that you can keep to the schedule. This will be different for each situation,
but try to engage in lessons that are fairly generic and include mostly
practice and review of previously learned concepts. The presentations can be different, but the
concepts should be familiar. This is to
avoid trying to replace the teacher.
Believe me, and it isn’t my ego speaking, but the teacher is always
right. You want to support lessons that
do not include teaching new concepts that may not match how the teacher
introduced them. Note: On a day home
from school, you do not have to try to replicate school to provide
structure. Just move in and out of
activities in a purposeful manner as discussed above. The lessons can be daily activities like
preparing snacks and meals (measuring is great math), writing about some recent
event, and reading interesting material related to the day (maybe you need to
send a gift and your child can help read the catalog to make a choice, read the
TV listings and plan to watch shows on breaks from tasks, etc ).
What about the delayed
school openings? Again, the key is to have a plan and a routine that you
both (parent and child) already know and stick to it. It can help to actually
write a schedule with time points on it and post it in the child's bedroom or
bathroom. No matter if your child catches the school bus or gets a ride
by car, the morning activities should be the same as when school begins on
time---just one or two hours later depending on the delayed schedule. It
can look something like this:
|
DO WHAT
|
REGULAR TIME
|
ONE HOUR DELAY
|
TWO HOUR DELAY
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Wake
up
|
6 AM
|
[add one hour]
|
[add two hours]
|
|
Bathroom
stuff
|
6:10
|
|
|
|
Get
dressed
|
6:30
|
|
|
|
Breakfast
|
6:50
|
|
|
|
Get all gear to go
|
7:15
|
|
|
To
bus or car 7:30
8:30
9:30
Notice a couple of
things---it seems simplistic, but typically folks do not strategize this ahead
of time, so it gets a bit chaotic as you figure out the change in times on the
fly and then don't leave enough time to fit in the typical routine. If
the child does not wish to sleep in and tries to stick with the normal
schedule, you have to build in some morning activities to keep the child
occupied when the extra hour or two keeps him/her from heading out of the door.
Some of the worst tantrums can occur if you have not planned how to
structure that extra time. An acquaintance of mine had to let her child sit in
the car for an hour recently—not the best plan. Choose activities that fit the time slot.
For example, a two-hour video or a jigsaw puzzle for a one-hour delay
won't work for a child who can't stop something in the middle. It seems
obvious, and yet I know it happens all of the time. For those of you that
do not have the regular morning schedule written out and posted already, try
it. It can save lots of headaches.
Notice how much time I
gave each activity. Of course, you should tailor it to your own
situation, but I find that many parents do not allow enough time for children
to perform routines INDEPENDENTLY. Rushing children through routines by
assisting more than necessary does not build the independence that should
occur. Even the most challenged child might complete some of the steps in
the morning routine, for example, given the proper amount of wait-time and
transition time. You can teach the skills for the morning routine on week ends
or other times when there is not the "morning rush" occurring, then
eventually fade your assistance in the morning and encourage your child to
perform the task that has been practiced (brushing teeth without help,
etc).
Also, I did not do a
breakdown of each step in the chart, but based on your child's need, you can
add more steps by naming the actual tasks within each activity ("Get
dressed" can say "Put on underwear, put on top, put on pants,"
and so on.)
Hopefully some of these
tips will help make the unexpected changes in schedules or the breaks from
school more bearable.
Please comment and let
me know how it's going!
