August 19, 2024 • 19 mins
How can you effectively support students with autism in their educational journey? In this episode, we offer practical strategies and essential insights for educators and parents navigating the complexities of Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), classroom accommodations, and fostering social skills. We discuss the emotional challenges IEPs pose for both parents and teachers and emphasize the critical role that teachers play in balancing the needs of students, parents, and district requirements. You'll gain valuable tools for educating the class about a student's behaviors, planning for accommodations and modifications, and understanding the significance of visual aids and study guides. Real-life examples will illustrate the difference between accommodations and modifications, helping you create a more inclusive classroom environment.
Consistent communication and collaboration between teachers and parents are key to supporting children's education, and we explore effective strategies for sharing student progress and understanding family dynamics. By viewing each other as partners with a shared goal of bettering the child's development, both teachers and parents can create a supportive and nurturing environment. We also shed light on practical tips for parents to help their children establish routines at home, which can further aid in their development. To round out the episode, we delve into enhancing social skills for autistic children through activities like day camps, art, music, sports programs, and swimming classes. Whether you're a teacher, parent, or caregiver, this episode is packed with actionable insights to help foster a supportive learning environment for autistic children.
Drop me a line!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hi everyone, I hope you're having a great day today.
Today I'm going to talk aboutour kids that are on the
spectrum and going back toschool.
Either they've beenhomeschooled or they are just
starting back into school andhaven't been homeschooled either
way.
So I know you've had IEPs andthere's some coming up and I
(00:22):
want to talk a little bit aboutthat today also.
I know that when you come outof those IEPs you kind of feel
drained.
They take a long time trying tounderstand everything and it's
kind of difficult to process, togo through.
But I want to share with you asparents that please understand
(00:43):
that the teacher is kind of theperson that's in the middle.
She wants to get along with theparents, of course, and she
wants to provide for the student, of course, but she also has
district people that she'strying to please and so it just
is very difficult and drainingfor the teacher also.
So we're going to talk a littlebit about stuff for the teacher
that can kind of help with theprocess after the IEP, and for
(01:07):
the parents, and then to kind oftogether.
So let's talk first about theteacher.
So here are some tools to kindof help you a little bit with a
child that's on the spectrum.
Maybe you've had experience,maybe you're in a special day
class, or maybe you're a generaleducation teacher and that
student is going to be in yourclass.
(01:28):
So you kind of have to alsoeducate your class on what to
expect.
They may make sounds, they maybe stemming, there's different
things that may set them off alittle bit.
So you need to let yourchildren in the classroom, the
other ones kind of kind of helpand support that Include them in
(01:49):
.
Don't make them wonder what'shappening that they don't
understand.
So that is one important,important aspect that we should
all use in our classrooms.
When doing your lesson plans,plan for accommodations and
modifications.
Now some of those will bewritten in the IEP and so you
(02:10):
need to follow those that arewritten in the IEP.
The IEP is a legal documentthat we need to be able to
follow.
So what is the difference ofaccommodations and modifications
?
We all need to be reminded ofthat.
They can kind of blendsometimes, and I kind of do it
this way Accommodation is howthe student will learn the
(02:32):
material that I want him or herto learn, and modification is
what the student will learn.
For example, you're teachingmodifications To accommodate.
You may use rhymes orflashcards or any of them, and
those accommodations can be usedfor all our students.
It doesn't have to be writtenin an IEP to accommodate how we
(02:56):
want that child to learn.
But modifications are different.
They need to be just the onesthat are written Well, not just
the ones that are written Well,not just the ones that are
written.
Let me rephrase that a littlebit.
But you don't usually use themfor your kids that are not on an
IEP goal.
So to modify, you want thestudent to learn maybe only the
(03:18):
multiplications of threes orsomething like that.
So I do have a little bit of alist here.
You know me, I'm always makinglists.
So accommodations are.
Here's some examples.
You want to maybe decrease.
You can decrease the problems.
Maybe they're only going tohave 10 items to learn instead
(03:39):
of 12 or something like that.
Give the autistic student a wayto answer the questions.
They may be nonverbal so theymay be able to have to have some
other method of answering thequestion, and that's something
you can discuss in an IEP.
And you can also ask theparents you know what have they
(04:00):
used?
Read aloud the questions.
You can't read the answers allthe time, but you can read the
questions, and that that is formore formal testing.
But even testing in in the roomfor something you can, you know
, accommodate them as needed,highlight the important facts of
something that they need tolearn, give assignments in print
(04:21):
form so that they can learn.
Like really is what I'm tryingto say is give them a study
guide that is in a printed formthat they can take home and
study so they have more of agoal that they can accomplish.
Maybe have a set of textbooksif you have textbooks for at
(04:42):
home and, like I said, a studyguide, and again give it in
printed form too, becausesometimes on the computer it's
harder or on a tablet it'sharder for some of our students.
It just depends.
You have to kind of figure thatone out.
Sometimes the computers arebetter than in a printed form,
so we have to kind of find outwhich works best for that
(05:05):
student.
Now to modify instead ofdecreasing the problems, you're
going to simplify the homeworkor the problems so that they're
a little bit easier.
I know that in some of thereadings that I've had, you know
it's maybe the same story, butit's like okay, this is we on
level one and this would belevel two of the story and level
(05:25):
three of the story.
So sometimes you can find adifferent version of a story or
different way of presenting mathproblems to the students and
then simplify the coursework,make it a little bit easier for
them to understand and get andlevel down the language also a
little bit for them.
(05:46):
And if you're looking at likelevel one, level two, level
three in the reading, that isgoing to be level the language
down.
And on grading, that has to dowith your district, you might
want to talk to the district orread your handbook or something
about grading because schoolsare different in different areas
(06:06):
but maybe grade on progress ofthat student.
When I was in a learningdisability classroom, all my
students made progress.
They might not be on gradelevel but at least they are
making progress and that to mewas my goal, that if they're on
A I want them on B or C and Ijust want to keep raising that
(06:30):
bar so they keep progressing andmaybe get their study guides in
color or in visuals, morevisuals for them.
So those are two differentmodifications that are
accommodations and modifications, a difference in those two, and
I think we just all needreminding.
(06:51):
Like I said, they can kind ofblend it a little bit when we're
trying to figure out okay, isthis a modification or is this
accommodation?
Adjust as needed.
You know, as you're going along, you'll be fine.
Okay, you know he's getting it,he's calming down, this is
working, so kind of adjust it.
Maybe I can up it a little bit.
Let's move on from this and seewhat he can do.
(07:11):
The next one no, any medicalissues, especially like it could
be.
Maybe they need time out or abreak, and not in a negative way
.
But okay, you worked for 20minutes.
You know why don't you go andcolor or something like that?
Or go draw something A lot ofour kids like to draw.
Maybe it's a bathroom issue too.
(07:34):
You need to know that and beaccommodating to them per if
they need to go to the bathroom.
My rule is I never say nobecause you know God, I'd rather
say yes and not have anaccident.
Also, their fine motor.
If there's a problem with finemotor control, don't you know,
beat yourself up trying tocorrect everything.
(07:54):
Not saying they can't practice,you know, but give them another
way to do it.
Maybe it's typing on theirassignments or something like
that.
Do they do better with auditoryor visual?
Are they visual learning?
And we need to know that withall our students.
Which way?
If you know they're going to bean interruption in your
classroom that day maybe you'rehaving a guest speaker or the
(08:16):
principal's coming in to observeyou, or something like that Let
the student know.
Okay, you should let all yourstudents know, but definitely
the kids that are on thespectrum, because they like
routine.
And if there's going to be adisruption in the room for that
day, then you need to let themknow, hey.
Or if you're going to knowyou're going to have a fire
(08:36):
drill, hey, we're going to gooutside or something.
But let them know and kind ofmaybe give them a clock or put
it on the board or something sothey can expect it and not have
that.
They may repeat and say we'regoing to have somebody, we're
going to have somebody.
Until it drives you kind ofcrazy, but at least you're
working with them to say, yes,yes, we're going to.
Now how are you going to planfor unexpected interruptions?
(09:01):
And they do happen a lot.
So what is the plan?
And work with that student andsay, okay, if somebody comes in,
we don't, you know, are notexpecting this is what you need
to do, and so maybe it's justput on a set of headphones or
something like that, somethingthat they can do that will calm
them down and not let them gettoo excited.
(09:25):
Okay, and then for parents giveparents your findings.
I know we do for our formal,but you know sometimes if
they're just doing a simplespelling test or reading or
whatever, or they did reallygood, keep that information
given to the parents.
Let them see that they're doinggood.
(09:46):
Maybe they got five right outof 10, you know which was.
It's a big goal.
So share that with the parents.
I know he missed five, but look, he got five correct this time.
So those little things areimportant to the parents and so
we need to share that with themand know the family.
(10:08):
Who's in the home.
Is it a single parent?
Is it two moms, two dads?
Is it just grandma and grandpa,aunt, uncle All kinds of
different families anymore.
So find out who's in the house.
I know that our younger kidssometimes teachers will have
them draw pictures and sometimesthat can kind of backfire on
you.
So maybe find out in adifferent way, like during the
(10:32):
meeting or something, to findout who's in the home, or look
at a previous IEP, also knowadditional family members, like
who else is coming in to helpcare for that child, who's
coming in after school, andthings like that, just so you
can be aware of what's going on.
Okay, so now this part is forthe parents.
First thing I want to say tothe parents is you are not the
(10:55):
enemy.
And to the teachers you're notthe enemy, you're a partner with
your teacher.
So that's the way it should be,that you two are partners,
because you both have a commongoal and that's better for this
child.
So you're not the enemy and theteacher's not the enemy either.
So she's trying to do her verybest and the teacher's not the
(11:17):
enemy either.
So she's trying to do her verybest.
Remember, she maybe only hasone para in maybe a room of too
many kids with too many issues,and she can only do so much.
So you need to support her inevery way that you possibly can.
And teachers, don't be afraidto have an advocate parent that
will speak up and it will fightfor what's right for your, for
(11:38):
their child in the room.
They can be an asset to you andget you things that you're not
able to do.
So embrace those advocateparents.
I always did and it was verybeneficial to me.
I learned a lot.
I got things that I normallycouldn't have got on my own, and
so you guys got to bepartnerships.
(11:59):
Be consistent in yourcommunication with the team.
This is to parents.
So and I want to express myselfhere I said be consistent.
I didn't mean be constant, sodon't be constantly asking, but
be consistent.
Like at the first of the monthyou're going to say, hey, how's
he doing?
(12:19):
You know I haven't seen anyprogress or reports or whatever
the situation may be, but justbe consistent in your
communication.
Now, younger kids we have theyhave at least here in Florida.
They have journal books that gohome and there's always notes
right alone in there.
Do a check, make sure you signit or something to keep that
(12:41):
communication open with thatteacher.
Or if there's a dentistappointment coming up, say he
will be out tomorrow because ofa dentist appointment.
Let that teacher know ahead oftime so it can help her with her
planning and put work away forthat student and ask questions.
If you don't understandsomething, just ask a question
and say that you know I'm notunderstanding this.
(13:01):
What's going on.
Can you help me a little bitwith them and then ask to learn
or observe school services soyou can kind of know what's
happening, like maybe sit in ona speech session and talk to
that speech teacher beforehandand say, you know, I just need
to learn a little bit.
I want to know what I can maybehelp at home.
(13:23):
I'd like to sit back and watchif it's not too disruptive.
Also, ot and PT all those findout what they're doing.
Then you can do it at home.
Maybe it's tossing a ball orthrowing a ball or, you know,
catching a ball.
All right, know your rights, ofcourse, that's very important
(13:44):
and advocate parents, do theyknow inside and outside, and
please understand your teacher'sposition.
They are the middleman and Iknow that there's been bad
teachers out there and there areburnout teachers out there.
I get that and it's kind ofhard for them.
But maybe if there's a burnoutteacher or she's having a bad
(14:05):
day or whatever, you can helpbring her up and and give her a
new lease on life kind of thing,cause we need that too, you
know, and you know when I talkedabout communication, you know,
don't be afraid to say hey too,you know, and you know when I
talked about communication, youknow, don't be afraid to say hey
, you know, thanks for the goodjob you've been doing.
I really appreciate it.
Uh, or maybe just hey, can wemeet and chat about this
(14:25):
situation or that and uh, keepthose lines of communication.
Maybe we uh give them a giftcard to uh buy a coffee or
something once in a while, notsomething, something you have to
do every week or anything likethat, but just once in a while
to just kind of bring up theirspirits.
I know I've gotten notes fromparents before and it's just
really like, okay, you know, Ican do this and it makes a
(14:49):
difference, it really does.
Okay now, parents, to kind ofhelp your child.
That will help the child and itwill help the teacher too, and
things that we should be doingon our own.
We used to, a long time ago,have to do these things, but not
anymore.
So have your child make choicesat home.
Do you want spaghetti orhamburgers tonight?
(15:10):
Do you want the blue pin or thered pin?
Just little things to help themlearn to make a choice.
Establish weekly chores Now.
I used to do this as a homeworkassignment.
I had a homework page that Igot off Teachers Pay Teachers
and it would have what they read, so Monday through Sunday what
they read.
(15:31):
That the parent would have tofill that out and then it would
have the weekly chore that theywould do Maybe it was dust the
table or set the table orsomething like that and then it
would say, did you like thatchore?
And they would write yes, I did, or no, I didn't, or the parent
would help them and that's fine.
Those are okay as long as theyread and as long as they did the
(15:53):
chore.
That's all I cared about.
And then it would be some otheractivities that were going on
through the week that wereacademic and some that were just
at home.
So those are some.
Also, teach your childrenhygiene.
Wash their hands after they goto the bathroom.
Wash their hands before theyeat.
Go to the bathroom Able toclean themselves.
(16:17):
Those are extremely importantbecause they take up a big part
of the day.
If you're constantly trying topotty train but you know
sometimes there's issues that wedo have to potty train if
they're younger kids but try toteach them as much as you can
and do community outings like goto the park or shopping,
(16:40):
library or eating out.
Do those things weekly if youcan, at least Shopping.
I do want to talk a little bitabout Don't have your child
think that they can havesomething every time they go
shopping.
And let them know we're buyinggroceries, make a list, take
pictures or whatever.
Get the newspapers and you know, say these are the things we're
buying groceries, make a list,take pictures or whatever.
Get the newspapers and you know, say these are the things we're
(17:03):
buying and we're not buyingcandy and you're not getting a
gift.
And let them know ahead of timethey throw a tantrum.
They throw a tantrum, oh well,move on, you know.
But you need to teach them andtell them.
If you can't behave, then youcan't go grocery shopping with
me.
So those are some things thatcan kind of help.
Also, social skills, like maybego to day camp or art or music,
(17:28):
uh, sports, uh things.
And they have like swimmingclasses.
They have stuff where thatparents can get somebody to
teach a kid to swim that knowshow to deal with autistic kids.
Do family events, and I knowpart of you are saying, yeah,
but you know, and then he getsoverstimulated.
But try to work, you don't haveto stay forever, but just go
(17:51):
for a little while and do littlethings at a time so they can
get used to the sounds and thepeople and the talking and the
chatter.
I know that they can becomeoverstimulated, but try to do
small things at first.
Okay, so anyway, that is aboutall I have for today.
I hope you guys are doing well.
(18:12):
If there's something you'd likeme to discuss, you can drop me
a line.
If you'd like, I, through the,I have an email somewhere, fan
email, so that you can drop me aline.
It's supposed to be on there,so you have to kind of check it
out.
So, anyway, have a good day andI will talk to you real soon.
(18:32):
Bye-bye.
Hi everyone, I hope you're having a great day today.
Today I'm going to talk aboutour kids that are on the
spectrum and going back toschool.
Either they've beenhomeschooled or they are just
starting back into school andhaven't been homeschooled either
way.
So I know you've had IEPs andthere's some coming up and I
(00:22):
want to talk a little bit aboutthat today also.
I know that when you come outof those IEPs you kind of feel
drained.
They take a long time trying tounderstand everything and it's
kind of difficult to process, togo through.
But I want to share with you asparents that please understand
(00:43):
that the teacher is kind of theperson that's in the middle.
She wants to get along with theparents, of course, and she
wants to provide for the student, of course, but she also has
district people that she'strying to please and so it just
is very difficult and drainingfor the teacher also.
So we're going to talk a littlebit about stuff for the teacher
that can kind of help with theprocess after the IEP, and for
(01:07):
the parents, and then to kind oftogether.
So let's talk first about theteacher.
So here are some tools to kindof help you a little bit with a
child that's on the spectrum.
Maybe you've had experience,maybe you're in a special day
class, or maybe you're a generaleducation teacher and that
student is going to be in yourclass.
(01:28):
So you kind of have to alsoeducate your class on what to
expect.
They may make sounds, they maybe stemming, there's different
things that may set them off alittle bit.
So you need to let yourchildren in the classroom, the
other ones kind of kind of helpand support that Include them in
(01:49):
.
Don't make them wonder what'shappening that they don't
understand.
So that is one important,important aspect that we should
all use in our classrooms.
When doing your lesson plans,plan for accommodations and
modifications.
Now some of those will bewritten in the IEP and so you
(02:10):
need to follow those that arewritten in the IEP.
The IEP is a legal documentthat we need to be able to
follow.
So what is the difference ofaccommodations and modifications
?
We all need to be reminded ofthat.
They can kind of blendsometimes, and I kind of do it
this way Accommodation is howthe student will learn the
(02:32):
material that I want him or herto learn, and modification is
what the student will learn.
For example, you're teachingmodifications To accommodate.
You may use rhymes orflashcards or any of them, and
those accommodations can be usedfor all our students.
It doesn't have to be writtenin an IEP to accommodate how we
(02:56):
want that child to learn.
But modifications are different.
They need to be just the onesthat are written Well, not just
the ones that are written Well,not just the ones that are
written.
Let me rephrase that a littlebit.
But you don't usually use themfor your kids that are not on an
IEP goal.
So to modify, you want thestudent to learn maybe only the
(03:18):
multiplications of threes orsomething like that.
So I do have a little bit of alist here.
You know me, I'm always makinglists.
So accommodations are.
Here's some examples.
You want to maybe decrease.
You can decrease the problems.
Maybe they're only going tohave 10 items to learn instead
(03:39):
of 12 or something like that.
Give the autistic student a wayto answer the questions.
They may be nonverbal so theymay be able to have to have some
other method of answering thequestion, and that's something
you can discuss in an IEP.
And you can also ask theparents you know what have they
(04:00):
used?
Read aloud the questions.
You can't read the answers allthe time, but you can read the
questions, and that that is formore formal testing.
But even testing in in the roomfor something you can, you know
, accommodate them as needed,highlight the important facts of
something that they need tolearn, give assignments in print
(04:21):
form so that they can learn.
Like really is what I'm tryingto say is give them a study
guide that is in a printed formthat they can take home and
study so they have more of agoal that they can accomplish.
Maybe have a set of textbooksif you have textbooks for at
(04:42):
home and, like I said, a studyguide, and again give it in
printed form too, becausesometimes on the computer it's
harder or on a tablet it'sharder for some of our students.
It just depends.
You have to kind of figure thatone out.
Sometimes the computers arebetter than in a printed form,
so we have to kind of find outwhich works best for that
(05:05):
student.
Now to modify instead ofdecreasing the problems, you're
going to simplify the homeworkor the problems so that they're
a little bit easier.
I know that in some of thereadings that I've had, you know
it's maybe the same story, butit's like okay, this is we on
level one and this would belevel two of the story and level
(05:25):
three of the story.
So sometimes you can find adifferent version of a story or
different way of presenting mathproblems to the students and
then simplify the coursework,make it a little bit easier for
them to understand and get andlevel down the language also a
little bit for them.
(05:46):
And if you're looking at likelevel one, level two, level
three in the reading, that isgoing to be level the language
down.
And on grading, that has to dowith your district, you might
want to talk to the district orread your handbook or something
about grading because schoolsare different in different areas
(06:06):
but maybe grade on progress ofthat student.
When I was in a learningdisability classroom, all my
students made progress.
They might not be on gradelevel but at least they are
making progress and that to mewas my goal, that if they're on
A I want them on B or C and Ijust want to keep raising that
(06:30):
bar so they keep progressing andmaybe get their study guides in
color or in visuals, morevisuals for them.
So those are two differentmodifications that are
accommodations and modifications, a difference in those two, and
I think we just all needreminding.
(06:51):
Like I said, they can kind ofblend it a little bit when we're
trying to figure out okay, isthis a modification or is this
accommodation?
Adjust as needed.
You know, as you're going along, you'll be fine.
Okay, you know he's getting it,he's calming down, this is
working, so kind of adjust it.
Maybe I can up it a little bit.
Let's move on from this and seewhat he can do.
(07:11):
The next one no, any medicalissues, especially like it could
be.
Maybe they need time out or abreak, and not in a negative way
.
But okay, you worked for 20minutes.
You know why don't you go andcolor or something like that?
Or go draw something A lot ofour kids like to draw.
Maybe it's a bathroom issue too.
(07:34):
You need to know that and beaccommodating to them per if
they need to go to the bathroom.
My rule is I never say nobecause you know God, I'd rather
say yes and not have anaccident.
Also, their fine motor.
If there's a problem with finemotor control, don't you know,
beat yourself up trying tocorrect everything.
(07:54):
Not saying they can't practice,you know, but give them another
way to do it.
Maybe it's typing on theirassignments or something like
that.
Do they do better with auditoryor visual?
Are they visual learning?
And we need to know that withall our students.
Which way?
If you know they're going to bean interruption in your
classroom that day maybe you'rehaving a guest speaker or the
(08:16):
principal's coming in to observeyou, or something like that Let
the student know.
Okay, you should let all yourstudents know, but definitely
the kids that are on thespectrum, because they like
routine.
And if there's going to be adisruption in the room for that
day, then you need to let themknow, hey.
Or if you're going to knowyou're going to have a fire
(08:36):
drill, hey, we're going to gooutside or something.
But let them know and kind ofmaybe give them a clock or put
it on the board or something sothey can expect it and not have
that.
They may repeat and say we'regoing to have somebody, we're
going to have somebody.
Until it drives you kind ofcrazy, but at least you're
working with them to say, yes,yes, we're going to.
Now how are you going to planfor unexpected interruptions?
(09:01):
And they do happen a lot.
So what is the plan?
And work with that student andsay, okay, if somebody comes in,
we don't, you know, are notexpecting this is what you need
to do, and so maybe it's justput on a set of headphones or
something like that, somethingthat they can do that will calm
them down and not let them gettoo excited.
(09:25):
Okay, and then for parents giveparents your findings.
I know we do for our formal,but you know sometimes if
they're just doing a simplespelling test or reading or
whatever, or they did reallygood, keep that information
given to the parents.
Let them see that they're doinggood.
(09:46):
Maybe they got five right outof 10, you know which was.
It's a big goal.
So share that with the parents.
I know he missed five, but look, he got five correct this time.
So those little things areimportant to the parents and so
we need to share that with themand know the family.
(10:08):
Who's in the home.
Is it a single parent?
Is it two moms, two dads?
Is it just grandma and grandpa,aunt, uncle All kinds of
different families anymore.
So find out who's in the house.
I know that our younger kidssometimes teachers will have
them draw pictures and sometimesthat can kind of backfire on
you.
So maybe find out in adifferent way, like during the
(10:32):
meeting or something, to findout who's in the home, or look
at a previous IEP, also knowadditional family members, like
who else is coming in to helpcare for that child, who's
coming in after school, andthings like that, just so you
can be aware of what's going on.
Okay, so now this part is forthe parents.
First thing I want to say tothe parents is you are not the
(10:55):
enemy.
And to the teachers you're notthe enemy, you're a partner with
your teacher.
So that's the way it should be,that you two are partners,
because you both have a commongoal and that's better for this
child.
So you're not the enemy and theteacher's not the enemy either.
So she's trying to do her verybest and the teacher's not the
(11:17):
enemy either.
So she's trying to do her verybest.
Remember, she maybe only hasone para in maybe a room of too
many kids with too many issues,and she can only do so much.
So you need to support her inevery way that you possibly can.
And teachers, don't be afraidto have an advocate parent that
will speak up and it will fightfor what's right for your, for
(11:38):
their child in the room.
They can be an asset to you andget you things that you're not
able to do.
So embrace those advocateparents.
I always did and it was verybeneficial to me.
I learned a lot.
I got things that I normallycouldn't have got on my own, and
so you guys got to bepartnerships.
(11:59):
Be consistent in yourcommunication with the team.
This is to parents.
So and I want to express myselfhere I said be consistent.
I didn't mean be constant, sodon't be constantly asking, but
be consistent.
Like at the first of the monthyou're going to say, hey, how's
he doing?
(12:19):
You know I haven't seen anyprogress or reports or whatever
the situation may be, but justbe consistent in your
communication.
Now, younger kids we have theyhave at least here in Florida.
They have journal books that gohome and there's always notes
right alone in there.
Do a check, make sure you signit or something to keep that
(12:41):
communication open with thatteacher.
Or if there's a dentistappointment coming up, say he
will be out tomorrow because ofa dentist appointment.
Let that teacher know ahead oftime so it can help her with her
planning and put work away forthat student and ask questions.
If you don't understandsomething, just ask a question
and say that you know I'm notunderstanding this.
(13:01):
What's going on.
Can you help me a little bitwith them and then ask to learn
or observe school services soyou can kind of know what's
happening, like maybe sit in ona speech session and talk to
that speech teacher beforehandand say, you know, I just need
to learn a little bit.
I want to know what I can maybehelp at home.
(13:23):
I'd like to sit back and watchif it's not too disruptive.
Also, ot and PT all those findout what they're doing.
Then you can do it at home.
Maybe it's tossing a ball orthrowing a ball or, you know,
catching a ball.
All right, know your rights, ofcourse, that's very important
(13:44):
and advocate parents, do theyknow inside and outside, and
please understand your teacher'sposition.
They are the middleman and Iknow that there's been bad
teachers out there and there areburnout teachers out there.
I get that and it's kind ofhard for them.
But maybe if there's a burnoutteacher or she's having a bad
(14:05):
day or whatever, you can helpbring her up and and give her a
new lease on life kind of thing,cause we need that too, you
know, and you know when I talkedabout communication, you know,
don't be afraid to say hey too,you know, and you know when I
talked about communication, youknow, don't be afraid to say hey
, you know, thanks for the goodjob you've been doing.
I really appreciate it.
Uh, or maybe just hey, can wemeet and chat about this
(14:25):
situation or that and uh, keepthose lines of communication.
Maybe we uh give them a giftcard to uh buy a coffee or
something once in a while, notsomething, something you have to
do every week or anything likethat, but just once in a while
to just kind of bring up theirspirits.
I know I've gotten notes fromparents before and it's just
really like, okay, you know, Ican do this and it makes a
(14:49):
difference, it really does.
Okay now, parents, to kind ofhelp your child.
That will help the child and itwill help the teacher too, and
things that we should be doingon our own.
We used to, a long time ago,have to do these things, but not
anymore.
So have your child make choicesat home.
Do you want spaghetti orhamburgers tonight?
(15:10):
Do you want the blue pin or thered pin?
Just little things to help themlearn to make a choice.
Establish weekly chores Now.
I used to do this as a homeworkassignment.
I had a homework page that Igot off Teachers Pay Teachers
and it would have what they read, so Monday through Sunday what
they read.
(15:31):
That the parent would have tofill that out and then it would
have the weekly chore that theywould do Maybe it was dust the
table or set the table orsomething like that and then it
would say, did you like thatchore?
And they would write yes, I did, or no, I didn't, or the parent
would help them and that's fine.
Those are okay as long as theyread and as long as they did the
(15:53):
chore.
That's all I cared about.
And then it would be some otheractivities that were going on
through the week that wereacademic and some that were just
at home.
So those are some.
Also, teach your childrenhygiene.
Wash their hands after they goto the bathroom.
Wash their hands before theyeat.
Go to the bathroom Able toclean themselves.
(16:17):
Those are extremely importantbecause they take up a big part
of the day.
If you're constantly trying topotty train but you know
sometimes there's issues that wedo have to potty train if
they're younger kids but try toteach them as much as you can
and do community outings like goto the park or shopping,
(16:40):
library or eating out.
Do those things weekly if youcan, at least Shopping.
I do want to talk a little bitabout Don't have your child
think that they can havesomething every time they go
shopping.
And let them know we're buyinggroceries, make a list, take
pictures or whatever.
Get the newspapers and you know, say these are the things we're
buying groceries, make a list,take pictures or whatever.
Get the newspapers and you know, say these are the things we're
(17:03):
buying and we're not buyingcandy and you're not getting a
gift.
And let them know ahead of timethey throw a tantrum.
They throw a tantrum, oh well,move on, you know.
But you need to teach them andtell them.
If you can't behave, then youcan't go grocery shopping with
me.
So those are some things thatcan kind of help.
Also, social skills, like maybego to day camp or art or music,
(17:28):
uh, sports, uh things.
And they have like swimmingclasses.
They have stuff where thatparents can get somebody to
teach a kid to swim that knowshow to deal with autistic kids.
Do family events, and I knowpart of you are saying, yeah,
but you know, and then he getsoverstimulated.
But try to work, you don't haveto stay forever, but just go
(17:51):
for a little while and do littlethings at a time so they can
get used to the sounds and thepeople and the talking and the
chatter.
I know that they can becomeoverstimulated, but try to do
small things at first.
Okay, so anyway, that is aboutall I have for today.
I hope you guys are doing well.
(18:12):
If there's something you'd likeme to discuss, you can drop me
a line.
If you'd like, I, through the,I have an email somewhere, fan
email, so that you can drop me aline.
It's supposed to be on there,so you have to kind of check it
out.
So, anyway, have a good day andI will talk to you real soon.
(18:32):
Bye-bye.
Popular Podcasts
Are You A Charlotte?
In 1997, actress Kristin Davis’ life was forever changed when she took on the role of Charlotte York in Sex and the City. As we watched Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte navigate relationships in NYC, the show helped push once unacceptable conversation topics out of the shadows and altered the narrative around women and sex. We all saw ourselves in them as they searched for fulfillment in life, sex and friendships. Now, Kristin Davis wants to connect with you, the fans, and share untold stories and all the behind the scenes. Together, with Kristin and special guests, what will begin with Sex and the City will evolve into talks about themes that are still so relevant today. "Are you a Charlotte?" is much more than just rewatching this beloved show, it brings the past and the present together as we talk with heart, humor and of course some optimism.
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com