Ways to prepare my child with SPD for Kindergarten

[gatorsmom]

Greenbean will be starting full-day K next year with his twin sister. He is now in 3hour Pre-k, 4 mornings per week. His teacher now was his nanny for a year before she got the teaching job. She worked extensivly with the twins to prepare them for school before they started. We had conferences recently and she is concerned how ready he will be for K next year. I am meeting with his Psychologist next week again after a several month break and greenbean's OT is helping me come up with ideas. But I know there is nothing to compare with the experience of a mom who has BTDT. So I thought I'd ask here.

Greenbean is sensory seeking. He needs joint compressions, bear hugs, and lots of proprioceptive work to calm down. He should avoid lots of activity because it completely sets him off to be loud and wild. He hates bright lights, and too much noise.

He avoids writing on his papers at school I think because he presses too hard and makes a big mess and it upsets him. I think he has some OCD (which he would get from me) and that causes him anxiety.

Are there any tools you know of or use to help your child with SPD or anxiety or OCD with his school expereince? Tia!

[pastrygirl]

I didn't know my son had SPD when he started K, but I got him set up with the full school evaluation right away because we knew something was off. It was a few months before the IEP was drafted and signed, but he ended up with a 1:1 aide, OT 2x where the OT knew he had sensory issues so it wasn't "just" for handwriting, and provisions for sitting in a quiet spot as needed, etc.

Now in 1st, his aide recognized right away that he needed deep pressure/proprioceptive assistance, and his teacher talked about incorporating some of that into the day. I'm not sure if that ever happened, but he is having an incredible year so far. He's a changed kid, and I owe that to his teacher and aide for sure!

ETA: can he write on cardstock or poster board? They make provisions for the paper that Toby uses (2-lined like Handwriting w/o Tears). Also, some of the sensory stuff we've done is put more weight in his backpack, have him use the monkey bars on his way out to recess and then again before coming in, etc. he seems to need to work his upper body in order to stay somewhat level. But we discovered this after going to an SPD center. He sees an OT there weekly, but didn't start that til summer break after K. I wish I'd known about it sooner!

[snowbunnies300]

I would request that the school test him to see if he qualifies for services. He may not need a full time aide but he might need different accomodations such as being able to leave the room when he is starting to feel overwhelmed/excited.

DS2 has a 1:1 aide. He also has a spot in his room for him to go to where he is blocked off from the classroom when he needs to get away. He also gets sensory breaks.

For the handwriting look at WriteWeight Fine-Motor Weights https://store.schoolspecialty.com/OA_HTML/ibeCCtpItmDspRte.jsp?minisite=10206&item=88571&section=95903

To get the necessary sensory breaks he will more than likely need an IEP where it is written and he will get those breaks. I think they are the most necessary item for a child who has sensory issues. Abilitations has a ton of different weighted items that a child can wear to help with sensory too.

My sons have also seen good results using a chi machine at their therapy center. We have found it to be very calming for DS1 and he requests to use it at therapy. They also use a weighted blanket on him while he is using the machine to give even more sensory input http://www.chimachine4u.com/

[gatorsmom]

I

Now in 1st, his aide recognized right away that he needed deep pressure/proprioceptive assistance, and his teacher talked about incorporating some of that into the day. I'm not sure if that ever happened, but he is having an incredible year so far. He's a changed kid, and I owe that to his teacher and aide for sure!
!

Can you find out what they do and when? If they are using some techniques in the classroom, id LOVE to know what they are. Right now we arent doing anything differently in the classroom because other than allowing him to go sit in the quiet bean-bag corner as he needs, we just dont have many great ideas.,Greenbean goes to a private school which he loves and we love too. If I provide the equipment he needs and his doctor signs off on it, the school won't need an IEP. They will accommodate him in any way we tell them to. Unfortunately, I've found the Wisconsin system is very difficult to work with as far as qualifying for services. He has to have a specific learning disability before he will qualify. Minnesota was a fantastic system to work with.

Since we are not too far from the twin cities, I may research SPD centers there. We get OT therapy from a local, top-ranking hospital in the area but I find them a bit lacking on the newest research and therapies for this disorder. These are all fantastic ideas so far. Thank you!

[gatorsmom]

I would request that the school test him to see if he qualifies for services. He may not need a full time aide but he might need different accomodations such as being able to leave the room when he is starting to feel overwhelmed/excited.

DS2 has a 1:1 aide. He also has a spot in his room for him to go to where he is blocked off from the classroom when he needs to get away. He also gets sensory breaks.

For the handwriting look at WriteWeight Fine-Motor Weights https://store.schoolspecialty.com/OA_HTML/ibeCCtpItmDspRte.jsp?minisite=10206&item=88571&section=95903

To get the necessary sensory breaks he will more than likely need an IEP where it is written and he will get those breaks. I think they are the most necessary item for a child who has sensory issues. Abilitations has a ton of different weighted items that a child can wear to help with sensory too.

My sons have also seen good results using a chi machine at their therapy center. We have found it to be very calming for DS1 and he requests to use it at therapy. They also use a weighted blanket on him while he is using the machine to give even more sensory input http://www.chimachine4u.com/

The are fantastic ideas! Thank you so much!

[pastrygirl]

His teacher talked about getting the whole class to do a bear walk or crab walk, that kind of thing. Maybe even wall push-ups. That way Toby doesn't feel singled out, and it's fun for the whole class.

That stinks that your school isn't great about services. SPD itself doesn't qualify for services here, so they looked at the areas that his sensory needs actually impacted (writing, behavior, social). He qualified for the summer program next year, too. I'm so happy about that! He loves being in school more than anything else right now.

[gatorsmom]

His teacher talked about getting the whole class to do a bear walk or crab walk, that kind of thing. Maybe even wall push-ups. That way Toby doesn't feel singled out, and it's fun for the whole class.

That stinks that your school isn't great about services. SPD itself doesn't qualify for services here, so they looked at the areas that his sensory needs actually impacted (writing, behavior, social). He qualified for the summer program next year, too. I'm so happy about that! He loves being in school more than anything else right now.

Doing the bear walk in the morning or wall push ups sounds like a great idea! I'm going to ask Greenbean's teacher if she can incorporate that into the day at various intervals. Fortunately I know well and like his Kindergarten teacher next year. She is very accommodating and kind.

Do you know of any other things that Toby's teacher does through out the day to help him "organize"? Those kinds of activiites are exactly what helps Greenbean.

[Melbel]

A little off thread, but with the handwriting difficulties, OCD and SPD, it makes me wonder if PANDAS/PANS could be an issue.

I do not recall the history of onset of symptoms and any other symptoms, but thought I would throw it out there for you to research just in case.

http://www.ocfoundation.org/PANDAS/
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/about/direct...and-pans.shtml
http://pandasnetwork.org
http://www.pansawareness.org

[gatorsmom]

A little off thread, but with the handwriting difficulties, OCD and SPD, it makes me wonder if PANDAS/PANS could be an issue.

I do not recall the history of onset of symptoms and any other symptoms, but thought I would throw it out there for you to research just in case.

http://www.ocfoundation.org/PANDAS/
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/about/direct...and-pans.shtml
http://pandasnetwork.org
http://www.pansawareness.org

Actually, I've already been looking at these links when you posted them in that other thread. I was thinking some of these characteristics fit Greenbean too. I"m still reading, but so far I don't think there is a clear fit. Course, with these issues, nothing is clear so I'm not ruling it out. But Greenbean's sensory issues started showing themselves when he was 8 weeks old. He would cry for hours and the only way he'd be consoled was by being snuggled down in the Moby wrap OR swaddled tightly, canopy down, in the Graco Sweetpeace swing.

[pastrygirl]

I think a big part of helping him organize is letting him be in charge. They let him get his own supplies and give him some responsibility. From what I gather, the other kids will have their assignments and pencil boxes waiting for them.

[Melbel]

Actually, I've already been looking at these links when you posted them in that other thread. I was thinking some of these characteristics fit Greenbean too. I"m still reading, but so far I don't think there is a clear fit. Course, with these issues, nothing is clear so I'm not ruling it out. But Greenbean's sensory issues started showing themselves when he was 8 weeks old. He would cry for hours and the only way he'd be consoled was by being snuggled down in the Moby wrap OR swaddled tightly, canopy down, in the Graco Sweetpeace swing.

I was not sure if you saw the other thread. :) Considering our completely unexpected path, and the countless stories about children I have read about through my own research, I am much more compelled to dig for underlying causes, rather than simply accept labels and treat symptoms. I am also much more willing to research on my own rather than trust the doctors to know or care enough to figure out the tough cases. I just feel horrible for all the kids that I read about who suffered for years before discovering they had a chronic underlying infection (Lyme, strep, Bartonella, mycoplasma, candida etc.) causing a myriad of problems (autism, ADHD, SPD, anxiety, autoimmune dysfunction, etc.). Although the testing is not precise, and there is so much overlap in symptoms, IME, it is at least worth consideration (particularly if there is a blood draw for other things). There was a list of suggested tests in one of the PANDAS links. I would definitely consider an immunology workup and a Lyme Western Blot as well (all of the symptoms are also consistent with Lyme too; OCD is a little less clear, but anxiety is definitely present with Lyme). I along with DS and DD2 had patterns in our blood work showing immune dysfunction long before we discovered Lyme was at play (low WBC and other values which is counter-intuitive for a bacterial infection; it actually showed that the body was losing more WBC than it could generate and an overwhelmed immune system). It may sound like I think EVERYONE has Lyme or another infection. To the contrary, I think that it needs to at least be considered and ruled out in many cases (to the extent that you can with current tests). :group hug:

FWIW, DS has major organizational challenges (beyond the norm for his age), problems with handwriting, and SPD.

[brittone2]

Can his OT provide sensory diet suggestions that could be incorporated into the classroom? I would use the existing OT's input and suggestions. Sometimes they'll even consult with the teacher about incorporating those ideas into the classroom. He'll be in private, right? So no OT at school?

That's why I would use the existing OT to chat with the teacher about meeting his sensory needs. Does the OT have any experience in schools? If so, she should be able to make some suggestions to the teacher and should be familiar with common classroom accommodations for kids with SPD.

Move N Sit cushion, sensory diet/breaks, fidget toy,

[gatorsmom]

Can his OT provide sensory diet suggestions that could be incorporated into the classroom? I would use the existing OT's input and suggestions. Sometimes they'll even consult with the teacher about incorporating those ideas into the classroom. He'll be in private, right? So no OT at school?

That's why I would use the existing OT to chat with the teacher about meeting his sensory needs. Does the OT have any experience in schools? If so, she should be able to make some suggestions to the teacher and should be familiar with common classroom accommodations for kids with SPD.

Move N Sit cushion, sensory diet/breaks, fidget toy,

Yep he'll be in a very small private school. They have been very accomodating so far with any issues I discuss with them for any of the kids. But they have no funding of any kind other than the money they raise so the school staff is really a skeleton crew. Which means no specialists of any kind. Over the next few weeks I'm going to focus heavily on getting his team assembled to get him ready in every way I can. His regular OT is on maternity leave until February and we are loving her replacement, Joe. He has been VERY helpful so far. But I'm going to start putting more pressure on all the people working with him to work together to find solutions. So far, I feel they make just random suggestions here and there fir thing for me to try. But I don't see any concerted effort to get him ready. Sigh. We had it so good in Minnesota. The EI program was fantastic there. They would have orchestrated all of this for us and come up with a plan how to handle this. Wisconsin is so backward. :(

[Melbel]

PANDAS/PANS and Lyme presentation streaming LIVE now. Free.

http://new.livestream.com/accounts/2016089/events/1688460

[Melbel]

I just came across this detailed PANS symptom scale that I thought you may find helpful. It described PANS and what constitutes OCD symptoms differently and in a way that I better understood.

https://word.office.live.com/wv/WordView.aspx?FBsrc=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com %2Fdownload%2Ffile_preview.php%3Fid%3D176811249122 801%26metadata&access_token=1451921825%3AAVIhRpnQ6vSFJ-r3En5N7uyyMIDZPyp_LesenqmWsaQK3A&title=PANS+Scale.doc

[pastrygirl]

I found out yesterday that the aide is taking Toby for walks throughout the day, carrying his backpack which has a 2lb weight in it. Or it used to. He took it out and I keep forgetting to put it back in. I hadn't realized they were using it for heavy work throughout the day, but they said it works really well for getting him focused.

[gatorsmom]

I just came across this detailed PANS symptom scale that I thought you may find helpful. It described PANS and what constitutes OCD symptoms differently and in a way that I better understood.

https://word.office.live.com/wv/WordView.aspx?FBsrc=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com %2Fdownload%2Ffile_preview.php%3Fid%3D176811249122 801%26metadata&access_token=1451921825%3AAVIhRpnQ6vSFJ-r3En5N7uyyMIDZPyp_LesenqmWsaQK3A&title=PANS+Scale.doc

Thank you for all the info. I thought hard about what you said upthread about investigating the causes for his SPD and not just how to relieve the symptoms. I thought about it for a week or more. Greenbean displayed his SPD symptoms at 6weeks. So I guess I always assumed he was born with this. But I admitted to myself that you are right- if there was an underlying condition it needs to be looked into. So, last week, I met with our OT, our Child psychologist and our very experienced and highly regarded Pediatrician. I asked all of them about this. Of course, the ped was who I most wanted to discuss this with. He thought all my concerns on this were totallly valid and was willing to do the testing. HOwever, he said in his opinion and experience of seeing many, many kids with SPD or SID or the many labels it has been given, we won't find anything by doing invasive testing. He said that each time we meet he has been listening for other symptoms, trying to rule out other diseases that could have caused this. He just doesn't think there is any symptoms or signs that something else is at play here. He said we should always be ready to revisit the idea of doing thorough testing if things change or new symptoms or clues present themself. But at this stage, he thinks we would really get no new information. I feel comfortable with this.

anyway, I thought I'd give that update and thank you for presenting the idea. Ive become so used to Greenbean behaving this way that your comment really made me stop and think. I'm glad it did. :)

[gatorsmom]

I found out yesterday that the aide is taking Toby for walks throughout the day, carrying his backpack which has a 2lb weight in it. Or it used to. He took it out and I keep forgetting to put it back in. I hadn't realized they were using it for heavy work throughout the day, but they said it works really well for getting him focused.

This is really good info. It would be a simple, easy thing to integrate into his classroom schedule.

[Melbel]

Thank you for all the info. I thought hard about what you said upthread about investigating the causes for his SPD and not just how to relieve the symptoms. I thought about it for a week or more. Greenbean displayed his SPD symptoms at 6weeks. So I guess I always assumed he was born with this. But I admitted to myself that you are right- if there was an underlying condition it needs to be looked into. So, last week, I met with our OT, our Child psychologist and our very experienced and highly regarded Pediatrician. I asked all of them about this. Of course, the ped was who I most wanted to discuss this with. He thought all my concerns on this were totallly valid and was willing to do the testing. HOwever, he said in his opinion and experience of seeing many, many kids with SPD or SID or the many labels it has been given, we won't find anything by doing invasive testing. He said that each time we meet he has been listening for other symptoms, trying to rule out other diseases that could have caused this. He just doesn't think there is any symptoms or signs that something else is at play here. He said we should always be ready to revisit the idea of doing thorough testing if things change or new symptoms or clues present themself. But at this stage, he thinks we would really get no new information. I feel comfortable with this.

anyway, I thought I'd give that update and thank you for presenting the idea. Ive become so used to Greenbean behaving this way that your comment really made me stop and think. I'm glad it did. :)

I am happy to be of help through our experience. Our pediatrician shot us down too, unfortunately. IME, even those doctors with some knowledge re. Lyme/PANDAS, they have not kept up with the evolving research and the nuances of the disease(s). I have seen in my own children (DS before his crash and both my DDs) that the symptoms can be SO incredibly subtle (where Lyme was not remotely on our radars; the kids had various ailments, but appeared to be thriving). It does sound like your pediatrician has an open mind, thankfully. If Greenbean is having a blood draw for other reasons, I think it is a no brainer. There may not be an underlying infection, but what if? I just wish I had pushed harder with our own pediatrician (who was SHOCKED that my girls were positive for Lyme, even though she had Lyme training during her residency in the NE). :grouphug:

[hillview]

DS2 (5) is in prek at a montessori school. he also has some sensory and possible AHDH challenges. The teachers provide him with time to do exercises, they've provided him with a chair during circle time (he sits better in a chair vs on the floor), a specialist there has also offered some modifications for him. DS1 had some handwriting challenges 2 years ago and the school provided him with a slant board and pencil grips.

Also if you go to a good OT, for eval you can get a write up of suggested modifications. We did this with both kids.

HTH