Many parents have questions about the extent to which advanced communication technologies, such as Tablet PCs, can assist their children with disabilities learn more. Here’s an excerpt from a letter to a mother addressing school problems her son faces. I wonder what other teachers would add to my comments.
Oh my, you do make a great effort for your son! I agree, he sounds like a smart person, and a credit to your family. Next, let’s figure out how to help him accomplish what he seems to want to do.
So you know, I get fidgity playing electronic games and keyboarding for more than 45-50 minutes at a time. Your son can handle it longer than I can. These activities require fine muscle movements, and I’m a big muscle mover by preference. My mother would agree. 🙂
I haven’t forgotten your questions about which Tablet PC and which software he might find useful for completing classroom assignments. Let’s hold those Qs a bit longer. Let me suggest some steps without them, based on what I understand from the emails you forwarded.
1. So you know, since 1974, federal school law requires public schools to pay for and supply
lessons and materials for each student in any special education program to show learning progress. All public school educators know this requirement in order to obtain their credentials. You may have a legal case against the principal and district that refused required services to your son. If you want, I can address steps separately, but don’t hold out hope that they’ll do what’s required. For whatever reasons, some do not meet the spirit or letter of this requirement for accepting Federal funding in that school.
2. Please consider thinking about and describing your son to yourself and others with different words. For example, think and say, “He does not sit still in one chair for very long.” “He does not write promptly when requested.” “He does not copy from the chalkboard, but will from a paper next to him.”, etc. These describe what you and others see. These we can address directly and simply, promptly, and see progress.
3. Kudos to the teacher who uses stretches and other activities when she sees your son jittery and others slumping! When teaching, I used to stop instruction, have students exercise or file out the door quietly and then run to the furthest fence and back, line up quietly and file back into the classroom to continue the lesson. Suggest that each teacher try more scheduled exercise consistently with Benny; it’s not a “cure,” it’s a bridge, an accomodation.
More suggestions; so you know, every state certified classroom teacher knows about these techniques; they start with his existing behavior patterns and provide ways to adapt them to more acceptable ones:
3.1 Count things you and he want to see, hear, feel (with hands, etc.) happen. (“People respond to what you inspect before what you expect!”)
Your son posts these counts on a chart that he takes to school and can keep his own record. For example, count the number of seconds he sits still, in one chair, say every 5 minutes. Benny points a big blue cardboard arrow at that number. In the next 5 minutes, post that count. Point the arrow to the one closest to the behavior pattern you both want. It sounds too simple to work, but it does for many people. Good managers use it implicitly to manage even very bright adults. who sneer at the idea.
Things to count: it doesn’t matter what you count, as long as you count something and change what you count when the previous count no longer changes in the direction you want. For example, start with one of these, length of time sitting still, number of writing strokes, letters, etc. in a minute, then in seconds; number of correct addition problems, number of words read (out loud, silently) correctly, number of situps, push ups, squat jumps, basketball hoops, rope skips, you get the idea. Get used to counting and recording successes!
3.2 Make sure he has enough deep breathing exercise before and after school so he is physically tired, less “jittery”. Have you tried joga with him? Seriously.
3.3 Stop feeding him candies, sodas, and extra sugars (some argue against certain red dyes in foods), unless a medical doctor prescribes it. Ask his doctor what she thinks about uses of sugars, dyes in food, and if caffene will slow him down; some reports indicate it does some children until they hit pubescence.
3.4 The marking on the calendar, rewards, etc. are useful ideas, but appear to have limited use for adjusting your son’s behavior patterns. Shorten the time intervals between postings, probably to seconds to start, then to minutes. Perhaps to hours for a few activities, such as playing soccer, and days, such as for practicing the drums. (Music, dance, martial arts, theater acting, auto mechanics, BMX racing, growing plants, raising a pet, etc. lessons teach disciplined behavior patterns with instant results.)
3.5 For writing, ask your son to let you put your hand on top of his when he holds the pencil and to let you guide his hand while he writes on your request. (Parallel muscle movement.) Write his name, start with big letters until he takes muscle control. Count in blocks of five strokes, then ten strokes. Note the number of correct marks to attempts. Post the numbers of correct marks on request. Don’t worry about how long it takes at first or what it looks like and gradually morph it into appropriate forms and timing. Work first to shorten the time of request to response, then on morphing the marks into acceptable forms.
3.6 For reading, you read one, then two, then three words to him, then he repeats them out loud to you. Make it a game of soft response, loud response, shouting response, first on a regular schedule, then randomly. Count and post the number of correct words, and the length of time. Morph toward more words, shorter time, etc.
Start with a short elapsed time, say that he’ll attend successfully, a minute? two minutes? five minutes? Let his successful behavior pattern set the first schedule, then you extend it gradually to extend his attention time in reading, etc.
3.6 For arithmetic, read the numbers to him, he tells you what to write, then you lay on hands for him to write the answers, etc. as with writing and reading.
3.7 For art, lay on your hands to help him draw a happy face, simple stick figures, then more sophisticated ones, etc. Count, …
Well, what do you think? You’ve probably tried some of these steps and likely know all of them. I’m just trying to support you doing what you know. Above all, counting, consistency, and consequences manage everyone’s behavior patterns, mine, yours, your son’s, his teachers, et al.
Keep up the effort. Your son will appreciate it. Please let me know of your starting any of these ideas and of your son’s progress. We can make adjustments on-the-fly around these learning principles.
I’m looking forward to hearing from your son, maybe in an email, to let me know how he thinks these ideas work for him and what changes he and you make to increase his progress even further.
What would you add, teachers? Parents?