I will suggest weighted vests and get some ankle weights. I am going to see what she has to say first. I am going to research what I can do for him and get lots of advice.
thanks again.
Staff need to get you do not have to be still to learn. I think they need to try to teach with more multisensory materials. Ex. auditory/interactive/hands on activities. We all are not visual learner's! Some physical activity or stretching activity between transitions. I wish all kids had the main courses in the morning and more breaks like we all did in school. Most K's now are all day. I say go for the weighted stuff. I don't think that they can make you go to a half day just because it isn't convenient for them. How is he going to learn to sit still if he isn't taught to? Payne went to school for full days starting at 3 years old...they gave him different activities when he was hyper. They worked around him...not him around them.
My daughter has a hard time sitting still too. Her OT said weighted vest and ankle weights worked well in therapy. I just bought ankle weights for her and tried them out yesterday. She wore them during lunch and it was the first time she ever sat still at the table, it was amazing. I found the ankle weights, 1lb each, at my local sports goods store for . You could try them and see if they help your son.
I dropped him off this morning and his teacher said she wanted to meet with me on Wed. afternoon. To discuss Alex and what we can do for him.
I am going to ask that he be evaluated by their autism specialist. His IEP has little goals in it because we were going to make new goals after he started kindergarten. I could not anticpate his needs. I am glad he is having some issues because in preschool- he held it together so well that he was a model student and they questioned him needing help.
Alex gets pt, ot, and speech. I am nervous about this meeting. I am afraid she just wants him to go into half day and give up on my son. Thanks for your advice. I will have to ask her how he does in the morning versus the afternoon. If it is like I think- he is wiggly all the time. I am glad that we can make adjustments for him. He does have severe sensory seeking issues.
If the trouble sitting is due to sensory-seeking, then a bumpy seat might help. I use the disc-o-sit for my son sometimes, and it does seem to help. However, I feel that all the wiggling would be disruptive for the classmate who sits next to him, so it's not something he uses at school every day.
Trouble sitting can also be due to low muscle-tone, and I've heard that a chair that gives proper support can work wonders on attentional issues. Has your son ever been seen by a physical therapist?
If the trouble sitting and paying attention is due to the long days, I would think he'd do noticeably better at the beginning of the day. This was the case with my son, and the teacher accommodated this by giving him his reading and math lessons first thing in the morning.
The school days here in Norway are surprisingly short, and yet were exhausting for my son. When my son was in first grade, he could handle 4 hour days. When he was in third grade, he could handle 5 hour days.
If the long days aren't causing any behavioral or mental health problems, I'd wait and give it a fair chance. It sounds like the teacher is accommodating, and that's a big plus.
Good luck with everything.
Btw, here's childbrain's ADHD symptom questionnaire:
http://www.childbrain.com/adhdq12.shtml
My son just started kindergarten. I had put him in full day because I was nervous of how fast they do transitions in the half day. My son does not transition well BUT....hi hun
no you did not do wrong putting him in school full time
but he will time to watch and see what the other children do in order to understand
going full time and going part time are very differant
and full days he will be seeing and doing things he did not do just part time.
the school should be doing floortime with him for a while
my aspie at first would only go near the door of the cl;ass room
then the edge of the carpey then finnaly after two years he sat with not next to the other children.
if yor child is not intrested in anything the teachers are doing he will walk away who would not lol
ask the teacher if she ca put some things in subjects at school
for example
if he like thomas as mine do maths can be taught
ife he like dinosaurs again maths and biology can be learnt
obsessions can be a very good learning tool i use my childrens obsessions all te time love shell
Hi ,I would keep trying him with the longer days,Maybe it is a transition thing ,my son takes weeks ,or longer, to get used to a new situation ,I would give him a little more time.
Good luck,Linda
What sorts of supports are on his IEP?I think schools have to be ready for the kids this isn't the child's fault; it's part of changing the program to meet his needs. Maybe he's a very kinesthetic learner perhaps getting him to do as much hands on as possible like for counting moving an abacus. Incorporating sensory breaks into the day like 10 jumping jacks before expecting him to sit and read a story or doing a sitting activity. The teacher could get all the kids to do it and they'd alll liley listen better. Letting him hold fidget toys for quieter group activities.
I think the mentality has to be how can he be successful at circle... that may mean adding an action song or a short excercise routine. How can he be successful at printing that may mean using brightly colored paper or using paper over something bumpy, or like characters to get his attention.
It may also mean the teacher needs extra support to direct and supervise him with a classroom aide. I would look at an aide as a solution first before pulling him out or medicating him.