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We have about six weeks left of this school year, so I won't create that hassle for them this year, but I will ask about this for next year. Good suggestion - thanks. Who knows - maybe a few of them will be available digitally so that he can use either his computer or iPad to access them at home.

ABQ, does the IEP include any direct instruction in organizational skills, or only accommodations?

Our DS9's IEP includes direct instruction in organization. The special ed teacher checks on him at the beginning of the day to make sure he wrote everything from the board into his planner, and at the end of the day, she has him check the planner, think through what assignments he's doing tonight and what he needs to bring home. I can then do a lot of prompting at home as needed to make sure it all gets back, but I am trying hard to leave more and more of it to him; the goal is to fade the direct instruction by middle school. We see real improvement over time because of the instruction.

My feeling is that accommodations may continue to be necessary, but he won't get the skills unless someone teaches them to him and reinforces them. Maybe your DS is similar?

DeeDee

The books "Smart, But Scattered" and "Late, Lost, and Unprepared" have some helpful information and advice on developing executive function skills.

In our expereince, The Nurtured Heart Approach found in the "Transforming the Difficult Child Workbook" is a good approach to combine with some of the suggestions in the two books above so that your child regains a sense of himself as being lovable and capable. We haven't had much luck with using punitive measures as consequences in learning executive functioning. In our experience, the anxiety that goes along with fear of punishment just makes it harder to for our son to remember things and organize his thoughts and belongings. Rewards and praise for small improvements have been much more helpful. Electronics such as Outlook, phone calendars with alarms and note lists, printed daily schedules, and other ways of externalizing these memory and organizational functions have been essential.

I don't know much about DCD, but it does sound to me like some executive function problems are there. Kids with executive function problems aren't simply being lazy/forgetful, the part of their brain responsible for considering consequences and planning ahead is simply not as developed/mature as other children their age. In ADHD there's a common thing I've read referred to as the 60% rule. IE: If the child is 10, expect them to have the executive function of a 6 year old. I would try and see if you can have his IEP address these issues (some accommodations I've head of are having the teachers either review the child's assignment sheet, or email assignment info, allowing the child to email the teacher assignment or homework, allowing an extra day to turn in work, or to return to a locker to fetch it. That sort of thing.)

You are right. The higher the stress, the worse he's done.


I actually stole your quote and used it in the emails I sent out this morning. I think they need to be clear about the pressure and stress level they are creating - and that it is counter-productive.


No - and I've asked whether it is possible to have him meet with someone before and at the end of school to help him develop these skills and was told that no such resource exists.

aculady - thanks for the titles; I will find them and start reading them. It is so clear that it is not something he can "just pay attention" and do better.

epoh - he actually does have accommodations in his IEP to email assignments, have the teacher sign his agenda, but he doesn't have the return to his locker accommodation. I'll ask about that. It might lower his fear - and the load on his back. The assignments that end up being a problem are the ones he does in class or that are a worksheet that can't be emailed or projects that can't be emailed. Those are the ones that get lost or done incorrectly.

Is he given a stack of work at one time? I know that is typical in my son's 2nd grade classroom - the teacher will place 5-10 worksheets on a kids desk, then go over them. Some will be required, some not, but if my son were to sit down and see 10 work sheets on his desk he would promptly FREAK OUT. So one of things she does is only give him 2 things at once. She keeps the rest on her desk. His 'extra' work goes directly into his chair pocket.

I know your child is older, but perhaps something similar could help - one assignment at a time, that is turned directly in when finished, as opposed to holding onto several things for the duration of class.

Good luck to you. It seems like the teachers want to just race to summer this time of year!

I flipped through a book at the library the other day, Where's my stuff? http://www.amazon.com/Wheres-My-Stu...f=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1333650105&sr=8-10

It started off by having the kid identify his weakness and why it was a weakness, and then offered specific paths to address it. I recall one of the things in there was the issue of carrying the 25 pound backpack for fear of forgetting something.

Excuse me, but fiddlesticks. Needs are supposed to drive services. Not "availability." If there is an educational need arising from the disability, they are supposed to meet it. (Use the site search box on Wrightslaw to read the law about "functional" skills-- organization is absolutely something that can and should be taught under an IEP for a child with executive function delays.)

You could call a new IEP meeting, note that there's a huge amount of evidence (cite the countless emails from teachers and zeroes on assignments) that shows that these needs are not being met, and ask that appropriate resources be applied. If you work on it now, it will be in place by next fall, which seems to me like it would be a good thing.

They should be teaching him:
--how to use a planner to keep track of assignments and due dates
--how to make sure papers don't get lost (having and using a system)
--how to make sure papers get turned in
--at what parts of his day to use his system (cueing until it becomes rote)

The plan for our DS is direct instruction that fades to a checklist prompt that fades to his remembering to do it on his own. He's made real strides this year and is now writing in the planner on his own most of the time.

BTW this is the sort of negotiating task I prefer to delegate to our educational advocate, because it saps my energy to go back after they've said no and work it through. If that is an option for you, I recommend it.

However, my feeling is that it is totally worth making the argument and getting them to teach these skills. As he goes through school, expectations will rise, and without teaching the gap between him and peers will become larger, and the thousand cuts more acute.

DeeDee