CHILDREN FIRST, THEN ABILITIES

see also: 

• Group Dynamics, MCLS 4-2009

For Autism, see also: Resources

                                Autism Speaks

                                OASIS Site

People First Language- websites:

Sensory Storytimes,

Sensory Storytimes, 2

Sensory Storytimes for Adults

The Sensory Storytime Network FB Group

By grouping different individuals under one large category—special needs—we risk pooling together children who are actually very diverse from one another, each with very specific needs. Labeling gives us a sense that the challenges are manageable. However, there are varying degrees of success with Outreach Programming for children who have special needs.  Have realistic expectations—sometimes it works & sometimes it doesn’t. Ask the teacher, parent or caregiver, what their expectations are for any programming. Expect the unexpected, and go with it. 

      TIPS:

•        Environmental--Changes in lighting, noise level, visual and auditory input, physical arrangement of room or equipment and accessibility of materials are considerations
•         Modification of instructional materials may need to be adapted for stability, handling, accessibility, visual clarity, distinctiveness, or size

•         Level of personal assistance may vary      

•        Concentrate on the children’s strengths & their assets 
•        Use cuing to regain a child’s attention
•        Give frequent & positive reinforcement 
•        Ignore minor inappropriate behaviors 
•        Use music (There are many song-story books; and songs to build motor skills—HEAD, SHOULDERS…HOKEY-POKEY)      
•        Provide activities with sensory experiences—play doh, collages 
•        Read aloud stories that have a predictable story line 
•        Use descriptive words 
•        Keep stories & group activities short to match attention spans 
•        Avoid over stimulation
•        Announce transitions ahead of time (Assign a specific task during transitions) 
•        Directions should be clear, brief, and simple (Give one or two at a time) 
•        Be matter-of-fact, firm and consistent
•        Give positive redirection—warning—removal 

(If Johnny hurts another child, turn you full attention to the child who has been hurt. Johnny should not get adult attention at that time. If abuse continues, you may have to  remove Johnny from the activity. A time-out is a non-aggressive tool to help Johnny learn behavior. Keep it short when he returns, don’t lecture or moralize. Help him get settled in a new activity.)  

(Jane McManus, Winton Branch)

• PUBYAC 11-13-2009:

Santa Cruz Public Libraries' Outreach Services has an ongoing partnership with Hope Services, which serves developmentally disabled children, adults, and seniors. Once a month, we visit 2 of their sites (one "regular" adults, one seniors) to present what began as a storytime but which has evolved into something closer to performance. The staff who do this program have a theatrical bent, and the response to hissing villains, strange noises, and music is positive reinforcement to our hammy side. We generally read (and act out) one story or section of a longer work, break for a stretch and to look at and discuss related books (the senior site checks out books; the regular site decided that they couldn't keep track of library items, so they just browse), and reconvene for a poem. We try to find a poem with a refrain, so that our audience can participate. Poems with sounds work well; and, of course, anything funny. Several of Shakespeare's songs have been huge hits despite the difficult vocabulary. Great writing really does overcome.

• PUBYAC 05-21-2010:
• Small size is imperative. I would say absolutely no more than 12, but a cap of 8 would be better. Keep preschool times in mind when scheduling if during the week.
• Give parents enough time to give the kids lunch. For many of these kids, transition is difficult, so they need a little extra time to get it together.  
• The room - ideally, the less clutter, the better. I remember taking my older son to Mother Goose and all these chairs were lined up around the room. All he wanted to do was climb up and down them, much to the disapproval of the other parents and the teacher.
• For the kids, if you are putting them in a circle, use little kids chairs instead of the floor. Kids do better when they are sitting with their feet on the floor. If little chairs are unavailable, use carpet squares or some way to identify that this space is "mine". If this is a several week event, you could do an easy craft where you could make a fabric square - maybe pieces of felt and you sponge paint pictures on it and then paint their name on it. Then you keep them for each week or the kids just bring them every time. Keeping them yourself is sometimes better bc sometimes moms forget - they have a lot more important things to remember than sit-upon squares. Their lives are hectic so anything you can do to help, no matter how small, is appreciated! Sitting still at this age is hard no matter what, so keep the sitting part short and maybe only for story time. 
• Find books where kids can interact. At four, my younger son is just starting to really enjoy books. He loves Mercer Mayer and his favorite book is "Me too!" The story is predicable and he loves to be the one to say "me too!" A book like that that gets the kids involved would be a real winner. 
• Since this would be a small group for SN kids, when the parents sign up, ask them what their kids likes/dislikes are, what sensory issues they have (Jimmy doesn't like loud noise, Susie doesn't like to be touched, Larry likes to sing all the time, etc.) Since it is such a small group, this may help you. It will avoid Jimmy screaming if you start playing music really loud.  
• Give parents a schedule or a good description so they can explain to their kids what to expect, how many kids will be there and the name of the teacher. These kids do not like surprises!  
• If you can, I recommend giving every child a largish bean bag to keep on their lap. This is used by OTs for wiggly kids and kids with ADHD. The weight calms the nervous system and helps the child to concentrate. 
• Open the room up to the class a little ahead of time to let them acclimate themselves to their surroundings. Place a group toy in the center for them to play with - like Duplos, or some sort of building/ pretend play item that they all can play with together. This will help them get used to each other. Give a five and a one minute warning before it's time to put it away.In fact giving warning before you change activities is also essential. It goes back to the "no surprises" thing. I think a movement and music could be a good thing. 
• Kids like songs with motions. My younger son just started at a special preschool and has come home singing and motioning. He sings a caterpillar song, (I'm a little caterpillar, crawl with me), he just learned "5 green and speckled frogs" and a few others that have hand motions or movement.  When my older son was 3 and at a "regular" preschool, The music teacher was a retired elementary music teacher, and as difficult as the class was for him, he came home singing and sang in the tub. When he switched to a school for children with special needs, they had a music therapist. She used a microphone and taught Jimmy Buffet. My son didn't sing for 14 months under her tutelage. Once he started Kindergarten at the elementary school in our school district and learned "kids songs" again, he started singing again. It was wonderful. Kid songs are great!  
• If this class is a multiple-week class (which you may have some success with, since kids like consistency) do some things the same and include some of the same songs each week. My younger son's class sings a good bye song at the end of the day.  
• Want to be a real winner? Give the kids and moms some open play time in the room afterward to get to know each other. Bring some toys in for the kids, but not too many. Why in the room and not in the children’s dept.? Because then moms can talk to each other, swap stories and get to know each other in a safe environment where they can actually talk and not have to run after their children who are bolting to the front door. One of the hardest parts of being a parent of an SN child is the isolation. It's hard to meet other parents like this. At integrated preschool, it's hard to know who is and who isn't SN and there is still some prejudice. It's okay for them to go to school with them, but they don't want to have play dates. Finding play date friends is hard and this class may facilitate this. You will have some really appreciative parents! 
• When the class is over, ask the parents for feedback. Not right away and not in front of everyone else, but maybe call them in a week and ask them to give honest feedback. Since the diagnosed Autism rates are climbing, there is going to continue to be a need for this type of program and the sooner you get the kinks out, the more successful you will be in the future!  
• Small things became big things for us when we would go to the library. Like moms bringing goldfish and leaving the bag where other kids could see. My younger son would be fixated on it and couldn't focus on anything else. With his food sensitivity, he couldn't even eat goldfish and it made me mad that the mother was so insensitive, never mind that food isn't even allowed in the library anyway. 
• Our old public library's community room was always hot so they frequently opened the door to the outside (that led directly to the parking lot). It was a fight to keep my child inside and out of danger. Again, like the climbing on chairs incident, it was one more stressful and embarrassing issue I wanted to avoid. It became not worth it to go to the library and I found the library to be very unfriendly. 
• I commend every librarian who is sensitive to the needs of these kids and bravo to all who want to help! From a parent of one of these children, THANK YOU! "