My fellow teacher had neatly sorted and labeled the worksheets based on the accommodations-general, large print, highlights, etc.

“I can’t afford to waste time. I carry my highlighters, worksheets, textbooks, whatever materials I use for the following week to every staff meeting. I multi task-take notes of the meeting on one side and high light instructions on the work sheets, color code writing spaces for students with attention problems, cut and paste visual cues for the two who need it…how on earth will I finish my work if I don’t use my time wisely?” she asked.

Pre sized text books and notebooks can make it difficult to adapt the materials used in class. But there is always room for change. Creativity and imagination goes a long way in adapting the materials for the needs of all your students.

Can students use binders instead of notebooks? They can use wide spaced lined paper with room for large handwriting.

Can you print out an enlarged copy of the chapter? The pages will be less stimulating visually.

If there is too much information on the page, do you teach the student to use a blank paper to cover portions not being read/worked on?



If the instructions/questions are elaborate, do you highlight key information?

Do you provide audiotapes of the lesson? The student can come prepared for class. If you don’t have the time, can a peer tutor record the lesson?

Do you provide copies of any slides/papers used?

How do you communicate your expectations? Is it only through verbal directives or do you have samples/models of the end product?

Is it all auditory (lectures) or do you use multiple modalities? Music, props and specimen (fossils, photographs, costumes…), can change the pace of the class and increase attention without behavioral intervention.

Do you use index cards for the student to note down the main points of the lesson (or the sequence of steps to a project)?

Do you pre teach vocabulary and concepts giving the student enough background to ensure class participation?

Ms.S

Essays, Dance, Drama...Assignment Accommodations...

Kindergarteners and pre schoolers love homework. They feel so 'grown up.' Teachers in these classes hear the "all by myself" sentences-"I wrote this, I made this, I drew this..." all day long. How can we sustain this interest as the students move to higher classes?

Remember your class has students with the whole range of abilities-the all rounder, the middle of the road kid and one who struggles with a psychiatric disorder. How about all projects, presentations and other assignments? How can you make those manageable for the student?

Do you give advance notice of assignments? Are the time lines clear? For example, take a project which gets 25% of the grade. Do you set it up so that the general outline is due on a certain date? Do you then build up the sequence of submissions and presentations-in two weeks, four weeks, etc?

Do you provide your students with a variety of assignments-outside the usual writing kind? For example, can they make a video, or other visual presentations, can they build something relevant to the topic, or enact a play?

If it is a writing assignment, can the student type instead of writing (or vice versa)? Some students have poor writing skills because of unsteady hands or are unable to sit for long periods of time.

Do you use technology to its full potential? Can the students email you their assignments?

If your student is absent due to illnesses or hospitalization, do you continue to provide class work? Sometimes this really helps the student stay focused in place of stressing about the illness. It helps the student stay on par with his peers when he/she returns to class.

Do you provide extra time or delay the deadlines based on the student’s needs?

Ms.S

Instructional Accommodations...

"A good teacher should have two sets of skills-a sound knowldege base and the ability to pass this knowledge on to the students. Our tenth standard maths teacher knew his subject well-it was obvious to everyone. But the only kids who followed his teaching were the class toppers...he just assumed that everyone understood the subject. The rest of us couldn't keep up with his pace or his explanantions. And this was Maths-where it is all about understanding and solving problems-not one of those sbjects with long winding lectures!" a young woman sighed her frustration at a school function.

Does your teaching reflect your understanding of the student’s needs?

Is your student permitted to take breaks (to reduce anxiety or stress caused by pressure or restlessness) while teaching is in progress?

Do your lesson plans and materials reflect your students’ learning styles?



Do you use visual props to support the auditory lectures? Visual learners can use these as references, to help with comprehension, memory and recall.

Are the lessons broken down into smaller sections, alleviating mental fatigue in the students? In higher classes, most students have to be able to focus for longer periods. Pre arranged breaks help those who can't attend for that duration

Do students have access to course syllabus and outline of the day’s lesson ahead of time? Reading up the subject matter gives the student time to process information, identify questions, clear doubts, etc and also reduces the anxiety of attending class.

Do you communicate your expectations on classroom participation? Is the final grade based on individual sections (classroom participation, assignments/projects, tests, etc)? Do your students have this information in writing?

Do you summarize at the end of the lesson, highlighting the important points? Students with learning or psychiatric disorders have a difficult time identifying main points from all the information presented. Not only are you targeting the academic skill, you are also teaching them study skills.

Do you give feedback on students’ performance in private? This reduces any embarrassment for the student.

Can your student use a tape recorder to record the lesson? This allows the student to focus on the lesson. He or she can always refer to the recording later for classroom notes.

Alternately, can a peer be assigned as the note taker? The student can copy or make a photocopy of the first student’s notes. This saves a lot of tension and time.

Does the student’s schedule need to be modified? Factors like side effects of medication can make a whole day at school difficult. Can you modify the timetable to help your student?

Are there alternate methods of presenting information to the student-websites, books on tape, etc?

Ms. S

Organizing the Classroom Environment...

I used to have one of those posters that said, "I've lost my mind....it is all on my desk!" with a picture of a messy desk. For a poster, it was just fine. But desks like that are extensions of a messy classroom. A disorganized and busy class is painful for all students-with or without behavioral/learning problems.



Assign some time to organize your classroom, every day or every week, depending on your routine. This makes your job easy and benefits your students immensely. They acquire the necessary academic skills and organizational strategies simultaneously.

Look around your room and ask yourself:

Is the timetable posted in full view of the students? For younger classes, do you use pictures to show the routine?

Is there a clear wall space for all the important notices/messages for the students?

Do you post important information about assignment deadlines and upcoming tests?

Do you use this space frequently so that your students know they can find the information on this wall/board? Do you clear the old papers/information regularly?

Where do the students pick up papers and information sheets? Do you distribute them individually or do they have to pick them up from an assigned spot (student mailbox, shelf space)?

Is there a designated, quite area where student can read or do their work without too many distractions?

Ms. S

Teachers beware: Students comments abound on facebook, orkut alumni sites :)

Accommodating students’ needs in the classroom

In the old school of thought, the question was why should we make accommodations for one student? Shouldn’t he try to learn the ways of the world? Is he always going to have accommodations? Won’t the other students consider this favoritism or start to misbehave to get the same kind of attention/accommodation?

Well, it is scientifically established that there is a reason for the student needing adaptations and accommodations. As for other students, the teacher’s example instills respect and understanding, rather than competition and ridicule. As the student learns coping skills, he will create new pathways to accommodate his needs.

I read about a young man with schizophrenia who had severe sleep issues. When he started his own computer business from home, he decided to work in the evenings because it worked better with his body’s rhythm. His wife went for a regular nine to five job and got the kids ready for school in the mornings and he took care of them when they got back.

Seating Accommodations:

1. Is the student at the front? Is the board clearly visible from the seat? Is the teacher easily accessible for help?

2. Can the student get to the door quickly, to take short breaks, without disturbing/distracting the others?

3. Is the student’s area neat and orderly? This will reduce distractions.

4. Is the student seated next to a positive role model? Your direct teaching of study skills (like organization, prioritizing) will be reinforced as the student observes and follows the peer model. An approachable, friendly peer will be able to help clarify doubts quickly in a non threatening manner.

5. Give directions while standing near the student.

6. Can the student easily access personal effects like water bottle/snack box (in case of dry mouth or hunger pangs due to medication)?

Ms.S

You find out that one of your students has been diagnosed with a mental illness.

There are several behavioral issues to take into consideration. You are willing to learn more to help the student. Where do you start?

Find answers to these questions first:

Student’s diagnosis and medication

What is the diagnosis? What are the specific behaviors associated with the condition?
ADHD has attention as the main component, while OCD has anxiety related compulsions and rituals. Bipolar disorder comes with behaviors at the opposite ends-depression and mania-where does your student fall within that range? What are the associated behaviors with all these conditions?

Does the student take medication? What are the side effects?
Some medications are sleep inducing while others are stimulants. Side effects like severe shaky hand movements will impact the student’s writing/completing assignments in class. A dry throat can be taken care of by having the water bottle nearby. Find out about the severe/rare side effects too. You never know when that knowledge will come useful.

How good is the student’s attention span? Can he/she sustain attention through the day or is the morning better than the afternoon?
Medication, food, and exercise can have a strong impact on atention.

Has the student eaten a proper meal (breakfast and lunch)?
Children on psychotropic drugs can get very hungry or lose their appetite depending on the medication and their diagnosis. Think about how short tempered and tired you get when you are hungry.

Has the student had a good night’s sleep?
A poor night’s sleep can affect ability to attend, organize, socialize or control impulsivity.

As a teacher you may not be able to do anything about any of these specifics but you can definitely accommodate the student’s needs, modify your instruction, and manage behaviors in the classroom.

Ms.S

“Some nights, my son goes missing from home,”

...said the mother.“I know he meets people who break laws. My husband and I have followed him and brought him back home. We’ve tried to reason with him but to no avail. Whenever we stop him, he becomes violent-breaks any object within reach and gets physically aggressive with us.”

I was waiting for my friend to finish with her outreach program and couldn’t help but overhear this parent’s concern.

Engaging in unlawful activities without any regard for consequences, violent behavior either towards self or others, intense anger, and, extreme impulsivity and volatility in responses are warning signs of underlying problems.

Teachers, be aware of any significant events in the student’s life. Is there any trauma-emotional or physical? Is there a significant family problem-divorce or illness or death? Is there any change in the socio-economic status? Parents losing their jobs or separating means less money-a lot of things which the child takes for granted are no longer accessible.

Is there a hereditary component to the behavior? Do either of the parents have the same behavioral problems?

Is there any physical or sexual abuse? Was the student exposed to any violence in the family or in society? If and when these issues were brought to adults’ attention, were they supportive? Children’s self esteem is influenced by how the adults around them responded to the situation.

How about poverty? Or just plain old neglect? In one of the schools I visited, two primary class teachers were very concerned about a student. He came from a middle class family but was often left alone at home without food while the parents went out for the evening! The teachers nurtured him and made sure his primary needs were met.

Ms. S


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““Be careful! They are following you. They want to find out where you live,”

...the voice warned me. Now that I knew what was going on I checked behind me, and saw lots of people walking. I didn’t know how many of them were following me, so I took side roads. I twisted through small lanes, ducking and waiting for footsteps to pass. I didn’t go home until I was absolutely sure that I had lost them. I didn’t want them to know where I lived you see. What should have been a ten minute walk home became an hour long.

I have heard voices from the time I was eleven. At first I thought it was so much fun to hear things that no one else knew about. Soon the voices began to say things which weren’t funny or cute. As things got scarier and scarier (‘jump in front of the car,’ ‘that girl is laughing at you’) I told my mom. She began to read up on what was happening to me and we found two things
• Lots of people heard voices and
• Hearing voices scared them as much as it scared us

The voices also caused me to confuse reality-mostly, I knew what I heard was not true. Every now and then I’d have a doubt…like the time above, when I tried to shake off the people following me. And then there was the irrational fear…aaaaaaaaaargh!

I do hate my medicines but the first time I took an anti psychotic drug, do you know what I enjoyed the most? The silence!”

This young woman was diagnosed with a mood disorder in her late teens, but she experienced these symptoms at much earlier age. Many people generally pooh-pooh the idea of children having mental illness. She mentioned people confronting her mother with comments like, “What is all this nonsense? She is making things up and you are giving credence to it.”

Any time a child comes up with inexplicable fears or relates information which seems bizarre or disconnected with reality, adults should pay attention. Even if it is a ruse to gain attention (as people like to point out), what makes the child ask for attention in this manner? It may not be a mood disorder or psychotic disorder, but there is obviously an emotional need.

Ms.S

OCD? Your Immune System Could Be to Blame - ScienceNOW

OCD? Your Immune System Could Be to Blame - ScienceNOW

Interesting:) Don't miss the comments. They disagree and/or challenge the article.

Ms.S