First Grade: Little Things That Have Helped

These are some non-IEP things that I'd like to keep track of for next school year. It's the kind of thing that's easily forgotten.

* Having a 1:1 with one of the adults on his team early Monday morning. For a while he met with the social worker, now he has an OT session. While the social work sessions aren't his favorite, since he has to talk about his feelings before he gets to play with the toys, it helped him get emotionally organized for the week. And he loves his OT this year, so having their session to look forward to -- and spending that time with someone really focusing on him and his ideas -- helped him get his week off to a good start.

* At his desk, a written schedule of his pullout sessions. This was a huge help in reducing his outbursts in the classroom when a therapist would come in to take another child and DB would be disappointed that it was not his turn.

* At home, a written list of the "specials" for each day of the week. These were everything from his social-skills pullout and therapy sessions to art, music, and gym. He doesn't look at it every day but on those days when he wants to know, it's really helpful.

* Rubber-bandy thing across the front legs of his chair. I don't know anything about this but have noticed it on his chair. I imagine he fidgets with it and also gets some leg-muscle movement while sitting at his desk. (Hmm, maybe if I do it at home he'll stop rocking back in the chair?)

* Since this year's matron did not allow eating on the bus (which is entirely in her right to do), having the option to eat breakfast in the classroom.

* His "Get Out of Breakfast Free" card so that on the days he eats breakfast at home, he controls whether he eats again.

* Water at his desk all day. Actually I think this IS on his IEP.

* Written directions for how to clean his desk. Plus his "condo" -- a box next to his desk -- that holds all the various flotsam like toys and prizes and important rocks from the playground.

Once second grade begins, I'd like to ask the teachers if a laminated list of how to unpack/pack his backpack might be in order. Most everything gets done most of the time, but I figure each year the teachers do less and less of the packing-up of folders (and less prompting), right? And already this year, I've seen the same 4-6 books come home night after night; he knows he's supposed to bring books from his "book baggie" home, he simply doesn't do that extra thought-step of replacing or removing the ones he's already read.