10:30 a.m. That's what time I go to Hannah's school daily, as of Monday, to help her focus at seatwork time.
When I picked Hannah up from school last Wednesday, all three of her teachers were standing at the door (not unusual) and reported that Hannah simply will not stay focused. Every sound turns her head, and there her eyes remain focused as she absentmindedly scribbles on her unseen seatwork assignment.
Her teachers have tried many things, as I've already written ad nauseum. She peered around the cardboard cubicle they erected around her. She was ambivalent to the weighted vest, though they've only tried it once. I'd like to try it again. With a 5-to-1 student-teacher ratio, they have the ability to--and do--redirect her constantly during seatwork. They've tried seating her separately from the group. Time out. Threatening to call Mom. I don't even remember all that they've tried.
Hannah can't tell me, but I can imagine what she experiences. I envision that she processes every sound equally, as if it were the voice of authority, the voice of a teacher or her mother. Her brain interprets the sound of the loud child across the room as equal in importance to the teacher at her table. The doorbell requires her attention as if it were her mother giving her instructions. Each of the hundreds of little sounds she hears in her three-hour span of class time are equal in pressure to that of an adult giving her a job to do. I would zone out, too.
The Big M--Medication--sits in the back of my mind and taunts me: You've tried everything. She's never going to get better. She'll flunk Kindergarten at this rate. Pick me. I can make it all better.
Logic swats the Big M aside: She has a brain defect, not a chemical imbalance. Medication is a band-aid, not a solution.
So, I've opted to attend her 10:30 seatwork session daily and help her focus. Today completed day three and so far I'm pleased with my decision. It's given me an opportunity to personally witness how Hannah handles a classroom setting, which is exactly as the teachers have described. Exactly as I've described. I don't know that I'm helping her to improve, only that I'm helping her to not worsen.
And avoiding the Big M one 10:30 a.m. session at a time.
6 comments:
It sounds to me like they didn't give that weighted vest much of a try at all. I would push for a REAL effort with that. Also, Rose did much better if she could have a chewy. You can buy them from the sp ed catalogs. I'm sure her Speech/Language Pathologist would know how to get them. What about noise blocking headphones, or even headphones that play music?
xoxox
I agree about the weighted vest and plan to try it again, along with one of those bouncy ball chairs. Hannah has two chewys: one to place around her neck & one for her wrist, but she won't leave them on...if we're talking about the same thing. The headphones are a great idea, especially if I had a way to talk into them. She doesn't always know how to complete the worksheet & needs help getting through it.
Once again: Thanks for the insight and ideas, Laurie!
xo here too.
I wish I had the option of going to my son's school instead of just the Big M. When he would do homework I would have to sit with him at the dining table and just keep a hand on him. If he got off task, I would tap his arm or leg and he could refocus. Meds have worked well with him, but if you can get good results with behavior modification, that's fabulous!
Praying for you and Hannah. I couldn't imagine what it would be like to not be able to tune out most of the noise around me. It must be frustrating for Hannah.
Love and Prayers!!
Megan
Tara: You are the second person who has inadvertently pointed out that I am lucky/blessed/whatever-you-want-to-call-it to have the opportunity and time to attend Hannah's class. Sometimes I forget to count my blessings in the midst of all of this.
Megan: Thanks for your thoughts and prayers. And thankyou thankyou thankyou for lending us Matt!!!
My son has SID due to Aspergers and Narcolepsy and responded well to the weighted vest but sometimes he couldn't tolerate it. Especially at first it was important that he only use it veru short periods like a couple minutes even.
He is very auditory defensive and has quite the same attention issue related to it likely being a sensory processing issue rather than attention span issue.
I hear your frustrations, just keep trying. What worked for my son one day failed the next, but he is 11 now and handling school much better. It can take time and a lot of thinking outside the box.
;0)
Ammey
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