Mothers of SPD kids, or anyone familiar, what would you do

amother

Taupe

Wed, Sep 09 2015, 3:13 pm

DD has SPD, the proprioceptive type. Her OT suggested bringing fidgets to school, and suggested that her teachers let her do "heavy work activity" during school, ie carrying heavy books, moving furniture if they need it etc. She also suggested a movement break if necessary.

DD sits well in school and acts pretty typical for a 5 year old. The issue is, that she is suppressing every once of her sensory needs in school, so that she wont act out, and when she gets home she totally looses it. Her OT knows this.

I briefed dd's teachers about the situation at the beginning of the year. She has 3 teachers, and the response that I got from all of them was the same. "DD is doing well in class, she doesn't seem to have any issues". "DD doesn't need her fidgets because they will distract her." "I sometimes have to call her name a few times to get her attention, or when we are reading from a book in class, she might be a page behind, but that's all I have noticed so far." "we do enough movement in kindergarten, so dd doesn't need an additional movement break". "if the issues are mainly occurring at home, then she should be using the fidgets there".

so basically they do not want to go along with anything that the ot said.

Also, dd has selective mutism, (she talks to her friends in school, but barely to her teachers), so the beginning of the year is very hard for her. she would not tell her teachers if she needed her fidgets or a break. I printed her pictures of the fidget box, and told her teachers that if she wants one, she will give them a picture. DD said she tried to do this, and the teachers didn't know what she was asking for.

Also, I told them that as she becomes more comfortable this year, they will probably notice more of her "behaviors" coming out, and its good to have these things in place, before that happens.

They are really not willing to listen to what I am saying because she appears to have no issues.

what would you do?

Should I have the OT speak to them? Speak with the special needs program at her school?

Im totally at a loss because the teachers seem so unwilling to help me on this.

FranticFrummie

Wed, Sep 09 2015, 3:44 pm

Does she have an IEP yet? Make sure that ALL of the accommodations are listed there, so that the teachers have to comply, whether they like it or not.

My DD went through the exact same thing with her schools. It was like pulling teeth getting anyone to listen to me or take me seriously. You have to be a really strong advocate, keep at them, and don't be afraid of being labeled "that mother". Trust me, they've already labeled you, so who cares anyway?

I found a great way to "sneak" in a fidget, was to take a large safety pin, put a few plastic pony beads on it, and then pin it to the edge of DD's clothing. She could fiddle with it under her desk, the mean kids couldn't steal it from her, and the teachers couldn't see her. Give it a try.

amother

Pumpkin

Wed, Sep 09 2015, 4:17 pm

amother wrote:

I'd definitely have the OT speak with them if s/he is willing to do so. Our son is about the same age and has the same issue. His OT offered to speak with his teacher, but fortunately, she is very understanding about this as she has experience with kids with SPD, specifically proprioceptive, so she was ok with the fidgets that we suggested. He knows that being disruptive is an absolute no-no, and that he can fulfill his needs in a quiet manner. He has a special "cushion" on his chair that he can wiggle on and some learning aids such as wikki stix, that he can keep his hands busy with while at the same time using them to shape the letters they learn in class. We also ordered him a Chewy P, which he apparently loves in OT, and I don't think that would be half as distracting to him as real food. He loves school but has difficulty when he can't move his hands and feet. He has incredible focus when he is involved in activities which allow him to move constantly, like chores and gardening. So that covers his hands, mouth, and bottom. As he's only one week in, we are still evaluating and seeing if that will be enough for him or if he needs something for his feet as well. When he is occupied, he is a dream. Good luck!