An IEP is a document that parents and teachers work on together, creating up to 3 short term goals for the child to work on.
The goals are expected to be SMART, which means:
Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Relevant
Time Related.
In other words, the goals shouldn't be vague things like:
"Jimmy must improve his letter formation"
Rather, it would be:
"Jimmy must work on writing the letters a, e i, o and u over the next 8 weeks."
It is also a good idea for the IEP to include an idea of what help can be given and how often and also how progress will be measured.
The parent, teacher and child will sign the IEP and everyone gets a copy to keep. The child may be given a "Child Friendly" version.
Friday 28 June 2013
Monday 17 June 2013
Stimming
Not heard of stimming before?
Well, most of us do it!
If you tap your toes, drum your fingers on the table, bite nails or shuffle around when bored or nervous, then you are stimming!
Autistic people do it a lot. When my son was younger, he used to stim by tapping parts of his body with his hands. He did grow out of that behaviour, but sometimes does it if he is very angry or frustrated. Apparently, about 10% of people with autism stim.
This weekend, he started a new one. He started drumming the furniture with his hands. Sometimes he gets quite loud. I don't mind it too much, but it can get a bit disruptive if we are trying to watch TV, or if we are out and about in public.
There are lots of good articles on the internet about stimming. Here are a few of them:
http://autism.wikia.com/wiki/Stimming
About.com article
http://myspecialsweetpea.com/stimming.html
I am not overly worried about his stimming habits and if they help him calm down, then I don't have a problem with it.
Well, most of us do it!
If you tap your toes, drum your fingers on the table, bite nails or shuffle around when bored or nervous, then you are stimming!
Autistic people do it a lot. When my son was younger, he used to stim by tapping parts of his body with his hands. He did grow out of that behaviour, but sometimes does it if he is very angry or frustrated. Apparently, about 10% of people with autism stim.
This weekend, he started a new one. He started drumming the furniture with his hands. Sometimes he gets quite loud. I don't mind it too much, but it can get a bit disruptive if we are trying to watch TV, or if we are out and about in public.
There are lots of good articles on the internet about stimming. Here are a few of them:
http://autism.wikia.com/wiki/Stimming
About.com article
http://myspecialsweetpea.com/stimming.html
I am not overly worried about his stimming habits and if they help him calm down, then I don't have a problem with it.
Thursday 13 June 2013
Friends at School
Up until recently, my son was a loner and spent playtimes wandering around by himself. I was so concerned that I asked the Senco for help and she helped to set up a "buddy" system at school.
He is now interacting with the other kids really well. I mean REALLY well. He has become Mr popular all of a sudden.
Part of his meteoric rise in popularity is his love of Playstation games. he is obsessed with Skylanders and all the kids like to talk about it at school. Of course, my son is the expert, so now everyone want him to come over and bring his skylanders to their houses.
Now I have a new problem. The idea of him going to the other kids' houses.
On the one hand, I think it would be great. it would help his social skills no end.
On the other hand, I am going to have to explain to the other moms that his behaviour can be a bit unpredictable, he is prone to meltdowns and gets very anxious. Oh, and he is a very fussy eater.
Of course, there is the chance that the other moms will refuse completely and won't want the hassle. I suppose I always have the option of letting their kids come to my house instead.
He is now interacting with the other kids really well. I mean REALLY well. He has become Mr popular all of a sudden.
Part of his meteoric rise in popularity is his love of Playstation games. he is obsessed with Skylanders and all the kids like to talk about it at school. Of course, my son is the expert, so now everyone want him to come over and bring his skylanders to their houses.
Now I have a new problem. The idea of him going to the other kids' houses.
On the one hand, I think it would be great. it would help his social skills no end.
On the other hand, I am going to have to explain to the other moms that his behaviour can be a bit unpredictable, he is prone to meltdowns and gets very anxious. Oh, and he is a very fussy eater.
Of course, there is the chance that the other moms will refuse completely and won't want the hassle. I suppose I always have the option of letting their kids come to my house instead.
Tuesday 4 June 2013
Volunteering at School
Helping out at school is a great way for me to see my son in his "natural environment". I can see how well he interacts with the staff and other pupils. I have found it a real eye-opener.
The teacher asked me to help out in maths today because they were doing money again and my son really struggles with money.
In one task, he had to add 25p and 10p. He managed to add them up, but was then asked to find the coins to make a total of 35p. He grabbed a 20p piece but then looked puzzled, as there obviously was no 15p coin. He grabbed a 1p and a 5p and put them side by side. "15p" he said proudly.
He presumed that because there was a 1 on one coin and a 5 on the other coin, that it would total 15p if he put them next to each other.
I hope that we will be able to work on this together more in the coming weeks, as understanding money is such a vital life skill. At the moment, it is a complete mystery to him.
The teacher asked me to help out in maths today because they were doing money again and my son really struggles with money.
In one task, he had to add 25p and 10p. He managed to add them up, but was then asked to find the coins to make a total of 35p. He grabbed a 20p piece but then looked puzzled, as there obviously was no 15p coin. He grabbed a 1p and a 5p and put them side by side. "15p" he said proudly.
He presumed that because there was a 1 on one coin and a 5 on the other coin, that it would total 15p if he put them next to each other.
I hope that we will be able to work on this together more in the coming weeks, as understanding money is such a vital life skill. At the moment, it is a complete mystery to him.
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