Tips for Preparing For School

School already?!?!  Yes, it’s that time of year.  When I saw that first back to school commercial, the anxiety of preparing for school came upon me.  I knew that the transition from shorts to pants, from casual dress to uniform, from free-time to structured learning was approaching quickly.  It seemed as though I just transitioned the kids into summer activities and they were finally comfortable with the routine.  No matter, school and end of summer arrives whether we (and our children) are ready or not.  Life is much like this-transitions are always approaching and some are easy while some aren’t.

Never fear!  Here are some tried and true suggestions for your family.  Anxiety comes from not knowing what is coming ahead.  Giving your child control of anything possible is a good way to build confidence and decrease worry.

1) Lay out pants, dress shirts, or school uniforms at least three weeks before school.  Habits can take at least 21 days to be broken.  Allow your child to shop with you and make choices if possible about school attire.  Often times, uniform material is much more stiff and “pinchy feeling” than lighter summer clothing.  Make a schedule and encourage your child to wear school clothing for a brief time each day and gradually work up the time.  Be sure to offer a reward for a job well done!  Having another child such as a sibling or friend complete this activity with your child can be especially fun.

2) Do not wait until the last-minute to purchase school supplies.  Take your child to the store and allow him to make choices of color of notebooks, folders, brand of pencils, etc.  Any choice you are able to give your child encourages feelings that he’s in control of the situation.  This is important as so many aspects of school are beyond his control.

3) Ask your child to help you to label items.  This is a good way to practice writing his name.  Allow him to  choose the color of the marker.  Use of an “old-fashioned” label maker is a good way to increase hand strength.  Squeezing the tool can work those hand muscles.

4) Obtain the daily school schedule and post it on the refrigerator or a centrally located area.  Review the schedule daily and use words such as, “It’s 9:00 now.  When you are in school you will be in reading class with Mrs. Jane.”  Do this frequently throughout the day.

5) Begin to practice handwriting and keyboarding with your child. Have him help you to make the grocery list, daily schedule, or write cards to relatives.  Making handwriting fun is important to build confidence and strengthen those hand muscles in preparation for school.

6) Begin bedtime routines at least three weeks prior to school.  It won’t be easy so do not fret!  Gradually work up to the desired bedtime and make a written “wind-down” schedule of activities that are calming and the bed time routine.  Allow your child to help make the schedule and give rewards for every little success.  Use calming music, massage, and soothing scents in the bath to encourage the body and mind to relax.

7) Meet with your child’s teacher prior to the first day of school.  A trip to his classroom with a camera is an excellent preparation activity.  Allow him to take pictures of the classroom, desk, cubby/locker and make a scrapbook of his school and room.  We had a child who was extremely fearful of the fire alarm/drill in the classroom.  We permitted him to take pictures of the fire alarm and used the Sound-Eaze and/or School -Eaze CDs to listen to the sounds of fire alarms.  Giving him the heads-up of what sounds to expect was a good tool to decrease his anxiety of the un-known.                                                                                                                         Some schools have summer camps.  If the school permits it, allow your child to sit in on a camp day/class to get used to the noises and bustle of the classroom.  The more preparation you can give your child, the more likely he will be to make a successful transition into the classroom.

8) Encourage your child that he should try his best and that he does not have to be perfect!  Mistakes are the best way to show that your child is trying.  Review errors with him and encourage him to problem solve.  Many of my clients believe that their child is trying his best, but often get too busy with life’s events to take time to reward for the good qualities and times when children succeed.  We fill out repeated questionnaires asking what our child’s weaknesses are that we often forget about their strengths.

What activities does your family have to prepare for school?  Let us know!!

PS:  Don’t forget about our new book, “The Pocket Occupational Therapist” due out in the UK in November and the US in December 2012!!  Visit Jessica Kingsley Publisher’s site at http://www.jkp.com/catalogue/book/9781849059329, or www.pocketoccupationaltherapist.com for more information.

Organizing Home School/Virtual School Classrooms – Part 1

I homeschool my children and remember how daunting the task was of setting up our “classroom” last year.  My younger son has high functioning autism and the ADHD symptoms.  As I watched him run in constant motion around my home, I felt overwhelmed and fearful that I would not succeed.  I can imagine many parents of neurotypical children struggle with this also.  In the next weeks, I will write about what’s worked for us and welcome your comments and feedback.

Let’s start with the preparation.  We are huge fans of the social story in our home.  To begin, we took pictures of Joshua, his desk, books, paper, pencils, etc.  The book started out with, “My name is Joshua and I love to learn new things.  I like to play with letters, trains, elevators….”  So, we outlined Joshua’s strengths and favorite activities to bring his attention to the book.  Next, we used the pictures of school supplies and named each one for him. “Here are some things that I may use in school.”  Finally, we had him sit at his desk and wrote on that picture, “I am very happy and feel proud of myself that I am a big boy and can have school in my house.”

We read this throughout the weeks preceeding school.  He was ready and this year, wants to have his book near him for security.

For all of us, knowing what to expect allows us to feel more comfortable and prepared for what’s ahead.

Ready for school?

It’s that time of year when the kids are full of excitement, parents are working on getting the routine back up and running, and teachers are busy decorating their rooms and planning lessons!  I can still remember the song on a TV add for back to school days and the mixed feeling of dread and excitement it brought to me.

To our children with sensory integration dysfunction, the beginning of school can mean much more than anticipation and excitement.  It may signal the “fight or flight” response.  This means that something about school may cause the feeling of great anxiety.  It may be the smell of the room, noise of the school bell, a situation that happened last year, or the feeling of establishing a new comfort zone.   Our children may experience greater physical symptoms of anxiety and more “stimming” or self-regulatory behaviors surrounding school.  My older son has a marked increase in his verbal high-pitched noises throughout the day since my announcement of beginning our back to school bedtime routine on August first.

The most important thing we can do as parents of children with special needs is to help ease the transition of back to school.  Here’s the list that I’ve made as a result of years of personal experience coupled with the observation of the parents whose children have come to me for therapy:

1)  Try to schedule a visit to the school when all is quiet.  This is a super idea even for a typical child with anxiety about school.  While at your visit, allow your child to take pictures of the classroom, desks, the teacher, and any area where transition is required such as the gym or cafeteria.  If at all possible, find out who the teacher is and schedule ten minute meeting to take his/her picture with your child. 

  **The second step is to make a colorful binder with the pictures taken at school.  Involving your child is an essential step in this activity.  In the binder the classroom rules could be included.

Our School-Eaze CD contains many school sounds such as school bell, cafeteria noise, gym class, swim meet, and hallway noise/change classes.  The sounds are set to rhythms.  Allowing your child to control the volume of the sounds is important to help him/her to feel more in control. Visit www.route2greatness.com for more information.

2) Begin  the bed-time routine at least two weeks before school starts.  This should include making sure the backpack is by the door, clothes are set out, and any bed time prayers/devotions are said.  If at all possible, sleep routine should be set so that getting up early on the first day of school is not so difficult.

3) Pack the packpack with the familiar items and let your child play with them, making sure to replace them afterwards.  Label folders as appropriate and practice repeating phrases that your teacher would use.  “Students, please get out your pencil, markers, and the history folder please.”  This is also an excellent way to practice following single and multi-step commands.

4) Write the classroom routine down and review it daily.  This is an especially important step with older children who may be changing classrooms or utilizing lockers.  Our routine is spelled out with a schedule from getting up to getting out of the door, and then following a seperate school schedule.  If an entire schedule is completed, then a star is given at the top of that schedule by the supervising adult.  You may break tasks down as appropriate for your child, but reviewing the classroom schedule each day at least two weeks before school begins is important.

More ideas for homeschooling, transitions, activity charts to come!

Sounds and feelings

Imagine the sound of your mother’s voice.   What does the sound of popcorn make you feel?

Think of the sound of nails on a chalkboard.

Each sound evokes feelings within us.  Sounds are more than just a noise to us.  Human beings make sense of our world from sound.  In fact, there are nerves in our ears which are connected to areas in our brains which involve memory, emotion, fear, and our basic alertness levels (among many others).  This is why we form feelings that are attached to sounds we hear.  What I find truly amazing is that our body remembers sounds to help us to determine if something is safe or dangerous and then our body reacts in response.  When the auditory system develops appropriately, we learn to make responses that fit the sounds we hear.

Remember that children with autism and with sensory integration/processing dysfunctions have difficulty with forming a response to something that they sense.  When some children with autism hear sounds, they form an association.  For most of our children with hearing sensitivity, a loud sound has produced a fear reaction or, “fight or flight” response.  That may be percieved as dangerous to them.  So many of my clients fear fire alarms because they are loud and are usually scary.  They have difficulty realizing that the fire alarm is meant to protect them.  The same can be said for any sound that may cause an inappropriate reaction for our children.  We must try to work with them via a social story, empathy, and understanding to create a new or more positive memory of sound.  Please share your stories of fear of sound and what techniques you’ve used.