WWYD? 1rst grader with sensory processing issues

[PPeanut]

Not sure how I should handle this.

Background (This may get long please forgive me)
My son is 7 1/2 and in first grade. He received private OT for about 1 1/2 when he was a preschooler. He is successful in school (academically) and doesn't have an IEP.

His sensory issues seemed to have gotten worse this year. Every time I talked to the teacher, she would tell me "he's doing beautifully". I finally approached the guidance counselor and talked to someone on the child study team because the sensory issues seemed to be affecting him socially. They had on OT observe him and all agree that he is not eligible for special services or a formal IEP eval through the school because his learning is not significantly impaired. But the OT did see the issues and said they are starting to make him seem "different from the other kids" and will likely become more of a problem in the future. They agreed the OT would give the teacher and I tips on how to help ds and I thought that was that.

Now, here is the WWYD?

DS came home from school telling me school was good "until the blue stretchy thing was put on my desk". With more discussion, it sounds like some kind of theraband used to connect his desk and his chair. Does anyone know anything about something like this. Also, he said he didn't like it because it made him feel "lonely" as we discussed further, he didn't like feeling different from others in the class.

My problem is that no on told me about it. I realize that as our kids get older, we will have less and less control, but couldn't this be considered an OT invervention and shouldn't it have been discussed with me? I was really flying blind trying to discuss and explain it to ds.

Who should I talk to about this? I called the guidance counselor and she basically abdicated all responsibility. Said I should talk to the teacher. What should I say? Should I just approach her at pick up today? ask for a formal meeting? As I type this I realize I am more irritated than I realized.

Thanks for any help and sorry this got so long.

Carol Anne

OK, so the school is not going

[LandB]

Oy! I would be irritated too, esp because the teacher's been telling you nothing except that he's doing beautifully . . . and now all of a sudden he needed this intervention!

Yes, it's definitely an intervention and no, they should *not* have done it without talking with you! In fact I'd be surprised if they are allowed to do this sort of the thing without the proper paperwork -- but anyway . . . .

I would approach the teacher at pick-up only to say "could we talk further about this?" Pick-up is not the place for the real discussion, though. Perhaps you can ask that in the meantime it come off of his desk because he is upset and confused by it. Then by all means, have a formal meeting involving the guidance counselor too. Obviously this teacher has concerns that she has not been communicating, and obviously she thinks that your ds has needs that she has not been addressing.

ugh! good luck!

Lisa

[Guest]

So the school knows he has sensory integration to deal with?

I'm trying to figure out how they know that. Regardless, a theraband sounds like an ot intervention and you should have been informed.

[PPeanut]

Sorry I wasn't clear Ashley. I told them his sensory issues were getting worse at home and I had noticed they were affecting him socially. I asked for an OT to observe him because I felt the teacher may be missing something. When the OT observed, she did see definite issues.

Thanks for all the input. I will have to ask the teacher for a meeting. last time I did that she couldn't come up with a time and said she would call me that night but never did. sigh... This is supposed to be a great responsive teacher who everyone loves.

[jeninnc]

It sounds like the OT made some suggestions. I would definately talk to the teacher about it - approach her informally but ask for a formal meeting. That way you can find out what suggestions were made!

Hang in there. I have a 1st grader with sensory issues too. At first she didn't mind the classroom interventions, but now she is not liking being set apart.

[Guest]

What kind of interventions does your 1st grader have in school for sensory stuff? Do they work? I have a 1st grader with pretty pronounced sensory issues in school but the school doesn't know a thing about it. We're doing some intensive OT this summer and if he doesn't improve significantly we may look into a different school for the fall. We'll see. Just wondering what others do.

[SaraV]

Sounds a lot like my DS...

Although his sensory issues aren't a huge social thing right now - I know they do affect things, because he's very sensory seeking and tends to touch and make funny noises. Right now, his peers *like* funny noises, so it works out well.... eventually, it will become annoying to them.

His teacher this year has been great - very up on sensory issues (brought up the question before I told her anything) and consulted with the school OT about things she could do in the classroom. His issues have clearly never risen to the level of disability, they're not preventing him from functioning in the classroom, learning new things, or having friends. But with the increased time sitting in desks and doing book work in 2nd grade, they were beginning to impact *others* - he can be distracting.

So he has a cushion on his seat to bounce on, and a number of other things.

However - I can't emphasize this enough - all of this was with my prior knowledge and consent, and input, and discussion. She and the OT both called to inform me of what they wanted to try and why they wanted to try it. And when they eventually decided they thought a full OT evaluation was probably in order, that was all well-documented and very well communicated as well.

(As it turns out, his sensory issues came up as existing but mild and not part of a larger "set" of sensory issues. If we do get OT it will almost certainly be for the visual motor issues.).

[Kathie]

Not cool...talk to the teacher...

I teach first grade andhave had sensory kidsinmy class several years. Never would this be done without parent consent.

Goodluck!

Kathie

Not sure how I should handle this.

Background (This may get long please forgive me)
My son is 7 1/2 and in first grade. He received private OT for about 1 1/2 when he was a preschooler. He is successful in school (academically) and doesn't have an IEP.

His sensory issues seemed to have gotten worse this year. Every time I talked to the teacher, she would tell me "he's doing beautifully". I finally approached the guidance counselor and talked to someone on the child study team because the sensory issues seemed to be affecting him socially. They had on OT observe him and all agree that he is not eligible for special services or a formal IEP eval through the school because his learning is not significantly impaired. But the OT did see the issues and said they are starting to make him seem "different from the other kids" and will likely become more of a problem in the future. They agreed the OT would give the teacher and I tips on how to help ds and I thought that was that.

Now, here is the WWYD?

DS came home from school telling me school was good "until the blue stretchy thing was put on my desk". With more discussion, it sounds like some kind of theraband used to connect his desk and his chair. Does anyone know anything about something like this. Also, he said he didn't like it because it made him feel "lonely" as we discussed further, he didn't like feeling different from others in the class.

My problem is that no on told me about it. I realize that as our kids get older, we will have less and less control, but couldn't this be considered an OT invervention and shouldn't it have been discussed with me? I was really flying blind trying to discuss and explain it to ds.

Who should I talk to about this? I called the guidance counselor and she basically abdicated all responsibility. Said I should talk to the teacher. What should I say? Should I just approach her at pick up today? ask for a formal meeting? As I type this I realize I am more irritated than I realized.

Thanks for any help and sorry this got so long.

Carol Anne

OK, so the school is not going

[PPeanut]

Thanks ladies. All your input really helped me think clearly yesterday.

I talked to the teacher and my son and feel much better about it.

At pick up, I was able to ask her if I could see it. A friend watched my kids on the playground and we went back to the classroom which gave us a chance to really talk. It is a theraband that is wrapped around the legs of his desk a few inches off the floor. Apparently he has been fidgeting a lot in his chair. The teacher said he was obviously very angry about it when he came in yesterday morning, but she just let him be and he worked it out. Soon, he was playing with the band with his feet and not fidgeting in his chair. She said it was amazing to see the difference and that he really seemed to love it. I also told her ds's concern about feeling different and she was very concerned and told me that if he said anything negative about it when we got home to let her know right away and she would remove it. When I asked him about it, he said he liked it. Maybe I'll get one to put around the table where he does his homework.

She also said the OT suggested chewing gum and was that ok with me. YAY!!! That was something I mentioned to the kindergarten teacher last year, but it seemed it wouldn't be allowed without a 504. I told the teacher it really seemed to help and that most days at homework time, each boy gets a piece of gum. I told her I would send some in with him after the holiday.

She said she is trying to get things in place for him that she can share with his second grade teacher so he can start off well next year. I just asked that if she or the OT tries anything else that one of them shoot me a note or an email and let me know so that I can help Jonathan understand it. She agreed that she would.

I feel much better. I do think that it should have been communicated with me sooner. Preferably before they did it, but definitely right afterwards, but I'm ok with not having a whole written plan in place for it. I am documenting the conversations and know what to pursue next year if we have to get a formal plan in place.

Thanks again for all the help!

[jeninnc]

What kind of interventions does your 1st grader have in school for sensory stuff? Do they work? I have a 1st grader with pretty pronounced sensory issues in school but the school doesn't know a thing about it. We're doing some intensive OT this summer and if he doesn't improve significantly we may look into a different school for the fall. We'll see. Just wondering what others do.

Lacey has a lap pad for fidgiting, special pencil grips, modifications to her seat/desk to ensure a proper fit.

She has a great teacher this year, and if she sees that Lacey is off kilter sensory-wise, she will help correct with motion or just by giving her the space she needs.

[Guest]

Thank you for the response. And these things work, I assume? Do you have a sensory-wise OT in your school? Your teacher sounds either knowledgeable or receptive, or better yet - both! We're doing some intensive OT this summer and we'll see where we are...thank you for the info. I appreciate your response.

[jeninnc]

Thank you for the response. And these things work, I assume? Do you have a sensory-wise OT in your school? Your teacher sounds either knowledgeable or receptive, or better yet - both! We're doing some intensive OT this summer and we'll see where we are...thank you for the info. I appreciate your response.

No, there is no sensory based OT at school. It's a huge improvement when Lacey uses the implements given.

I got lucky. Extremely. Lacey's teacher carpools with Ellie's pre-K teacher (45 min each way) and they are good friends. They've been doing it for years and Ellie's teacher has shared a lot of knowledge, so Lacey's teacher is very informed. Mrs T. also gets the AU kids in first grade as well - she will have Ellie, so she knows a bit more then your average 1st grade teacher. We had a 1/6 chance of having her as a teacher, so my stars aligned that day, I think.