Even though I am working with Tony on his tolerance of the school environment and the behavioral skills requisite directly during the two hours he’s currently at the school itself, I am also needing to do other things outside of school to promote the best outcomes.
As his habilitative therapist, we are practicing skills such as walking in a line and answering attendance questions. As his mom, I recognize the school budgets are limited and that if my kiddo needs a body sock in that environment to help support his sensory needs, I have to make sure one we have paid for goes in with him so that it’s available.
For a kiddo whose needs require a level of support akin to what is being given with Tony, it takes a team to support a transition into the school environment. I personally am filling three of those team roles: mom, habilitative therapist, and one-to-one instructional aide. So, that means that by default I talk the most about what I am doing. But there are other team players involved, and the successes Tony is having are built upon the actions and supports of all of them.
His teacher Ms. L has been phenomenally supportive, and though I am not naming her directly on this blog, I want to give a shout out to the level of support she has given. When we discussed that Tony was confused by the rotating weekly specials schedule and that he had a strong preference for PE, she offered to obtain approval for him to attend PE every week as his special. Initially, I had declined that offer because I wanted him to work on maintaining the same schedule we had introduced. But in reflecting about it, I realized I had been given a choice to choose my specials in middle school and so many choices get taken away from individuals like Tony that I felt it was best to ask him what he wanted. So after talking to Tony about it and hearing the response he gave on his speech device (PE all the way), I shared that with her and she got PE for each special approved for him, though Tony often wants to still spend a few minutes in the other specials his class is going to because he’s become accustomed to going to them.
His BCBA, Ms. K, has also given so much assistance and feedback. She was an active participant in the IEP process, and she goes to his school to observe him monthly to provide me with input on how I can provide the best support possible for any behavioral concerns that pop up. Just this week she recommended some stress squeeze toys for Tony to give his hands something else to do that competes with a stimming behavior he has been doing for years that was harmless until he developed the flexibility recently to strike with enough force to bruise his shoulders. The reduction in his attempts to do this was immediate with the introduction of the stress squish toys, and that input from her is going to be especially beneficial in the school environment, where he’s currently more likely to engage in that stim because of all of the additional sensory processing he’s having to do.
Tony himself is part of this team, because he has to make choices to be brave and try new things, to do the tasks that are asked of him, and he gave his feedback certainly about what he wanted to do about his specials (he was so happy when Ms. L said she was going to get approval for him to do so that he gave her a side hug).
And then all of these pieces come back to me again. As his mom, I have to make sure Tony shows up to school and I talk to him about what will be happening in that environment. I have to make sure stress squish toys are purchased and available, and I support their teaching and use in all therapy environments (not just my hab sessions).
But as a team, we are doing it. Tony is doing it, and it is such a joy for me watching him grow into this environment.
