Scripts and Social Stories

Scripts

I often say that JC has "scripts" for various social situations and when these scripts aren't followed, his anxiety level rises and he often cannot function.
Think for a  minute if you went to a foreign country.  Rather than driving on the right side of the road, everyone drove on the left. And what if instead of eating at the table, you ate on the floor. And instead of sleeping in a hotel room you slept outside.  Twins would all be very unnerving.  ESPECIALLY if no one warned you about it.
JC relies on routines so heavily to give him the understanding of what to expect in situations. He then develops a script in his mind as to what that situation should look like (for us, things like: we drive on the right side of the road, we eat at a table, we sleep in a bed in a hotel).  And if that script changes (especially without notice) his expectations aren't met and he cannot adjust by himself.

I think of it like this:
JC lives in a box - his comfort zone.  He has all of his rules and scripts setup inside that box like wallpaper.  Sometimes he allows someone in there with him, but they have to also follow his scripts or he quickly kicks them out.  Occasionally he will venture outside of his box, but quickly retreats back inside the safety of that comfort zone when life gets overwhelming.   The walls of the box are always changing.  Sometimes, they are like clear plexi-glass.  He can look through to the outside world and sometimes interacts by meeting you half way.  And other times, the walls are made out of bricks and there is no getting in or out.  The majority of the time, I would say the walls are made out of sticks.  Strong, but able to be permeated with the right tools.  And just like we build our houses to protect us from the elements or rain, wind and sun - JC has built his box to protect himself from the unknown, the unexpected, and the unexplained elements of his world.

So how do we get through into JC's box?  Certainly not by knocking the walls down like the big bad wolf or trying to drag him out kicking and screaming.  We have to remember that this box serves a purpose for him.  So we work to be included in the box, then from the inside out we can gradually adjust the structure, add to or change the scripts and maybe chip away bit by bit at the rigid walls.

This is why we use visual aides and social stories.

What are Social Stories?

Social stories help explain what is expected in certain situations. They can be simple short stories (we use pictures along with them) that describe a social situation and give the child a "script" to follow when one is not readily available already.  For our example above, it would be like sending us to a foreign country with a guide book that says "we drive on the left side of the road, eat on the floor and sleep outside".  All of a sudden our experience isn't surrounded by anxiety and uncertainty.  We may not like it - its still outside of our comfort zone - but at least we know what to expect.

Social Stories contain certain types of sentences that describe social situations and explain in detail what is expected in those situations.

• Descriptive Sentences: these are statements of fact... e.g: "Sometimes I ask for a cookie"
• Perspective Sentences: these are statements that refer to or describe an individual’s internal state, their thoughts, feelings, beliefs, or physical condition…e.g. “I like cookies"
• Directive Sentences: these describe desired responses to social situations... e.g. "If Mommy says "no" I don't scream or cry"
• Affirmative Sentences: these often express a commonly shared value or opinion within a given culture…e.g. “I can wait or choose something else"

It seems simplistic but after hearing the story several times, the concept is engrained and when the situation arises, a simple reminder will help ease the anxiety of the situation.

In addition to molding behaviors, another important reason to use social stories is to provide preparation for the unknown. We went on vacation recently and used a social story so that JC would have a preview of what to expect so that all of the new sights and activities wouldn't overwhelm him. They are a useful tool, along with visual schedules and first/then cards to alleviate stress in day to day activities.

A First Look at the IEP Process

In a few months JC will start the process of developing an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) to transition him into preschool & beyond.  My head is spinning with questions and I want to be as prepared as possible going into this...
I am very happy to share with you a guest post from Alison W regarding what a parent needs to know about the IEP process.  Lots of useful information here!  Enjoy!

IEP Team Members

As a parent you are the first member of your child's IEP team. But there are other members who come and go depending on the needs of your child. As you child moves from Part C with an IFSP to Part B with an IEP the core team members may change.

The New Players on the Field

While there are array of people who will move onto and off of the IEP field, two players will probably do the largest amount of ball-carrying for students with special needs. They're the ones who will send you letters announcing scheduled meetings, and the ones who will hand you the 5,000 copies of the booklets on knowing your rights. They'll be responsible for evaluating your child on arrival in the system and periodically thereafter. One of these individuals will probably be assigned as your child's case manager. This team may change year from year without notice.

Special Education Teacher: The special education teacher is the person who will give your child tests that assess level of educational achievement and ability. The special education teacher may make observations during the meeting about the appropriate educational placement for your child. Should your child need special learning techniques, modifications and accommodations in the classroom, the special education teacher will be able to strategize those with you and the teacher, and help monitor progress. This teacher will be charged with outlining your child's educational progress and prognosis for the IEP, and with gathering opinions from all other teachers as appropriate. What you hear from the teacher at the meeting should be consistent with what you've been hearing throughout the year. If not, ask why. If you haven't been talking with the teacher throughout the year ... well, then I'll ask, why not? Don't be a stranger.

The Regular Education Teacher: From the school's point of view, nobody knows your child better than the teacher. So it's natural for the teacher to be involved in the planning of the IEP. Your child's regular education teacher will ALWAYS be at the meeting. That's good news for you if you've built a rapport with a teacher, or if a teacher has a particularly good feel for your child's abilities and needs.

Other players may include: Speech-Language Pathology, School Social Worker or School Psychologist, Physical Therapist (PT), and Occupational Therapist (OT) depending on your child’s needs. Remember services can only be added or taken away with your permission. Don’t be afraid to tell the team what you think should be done and why. They too, will tell you why these players may be needed or no longer needed.

Be sure that all team members are present. While you can call an IEP meeting any time you wish, sometimes the annual review is the only one you need. Attendance is important!

Don’t forget you are the most important member of the IEP team. Yeah, you, the parent! You are the most important member of your child's IEP team, far and away. You are the expert on your child, and your child is the reason all those people are sitting there. You are the only one to have seen your child in multiple settings, in multiple school years, in multiple moods. You are the only one who has talked to the doctors and the specialists. You are the only one who has traced your child's development from early days until right now. And you are the only one who will still be involved in your child's care years from now, when the decisions made at this table will bear fruit.

The IEP

What’s an Individualized Education Program (IEP)?

Each public school child who receives special education and related services must have an Individualized Education Program (IEP). IEP creates an opportunity for teachers, parents, school administrators, related services personnel, and students (when appropriate) to work together to improve educational results for children with disabilities.  IEPs are required under Part B of IDEA and cover ages 3 to 21.  The IEP focuses on how to help students be successful in the education setting. Sound educational decision-making includes observations by people who know the child well and objective information from various tests and assessments.

The IEP includes information about the child's present levels of performance on various tests and measures and how they are functioning in an educational setting compared to their peers. The IEP also includes information about goals and objectives for the child, specifically how educational problems will be addressed. The IEP should also include ways for parents and educators to measure the child's progress toward the goals and objectives.

What should be in my child's IEP?

The IEP should accurately describe your child's learning problems and how these problems are going to be dealt with. One of the best and clearest ways to describe your child's unique problems is to include information from the evaluations. The IEP document should contain a statement of the child's present levels of educational performance. If your child has reading problems, the IEP should include reading subtest scores. If your child has problems in math calculation, the IEP should include the math calculation subtest scores.

Goals and objectives

The IEP should also include a statement of measurable annual goals, including benchmarks and short- term objectives. The goals and objectives should be related to your child's needs that result from the disability and should enable your child to be involved in and progress in the general curriculum. The goals and objectives should meet other educational needs that result from your child's disability. Goals are written for 364 days because at day 365 is when your next meeting will be.

The IEP goals should focus on reducing or eliminating the child's problems. The short term objectives should provide you and the teacher with ways to measure educational progress. They should be written to close the educational, behavioral, or speech/language gap-getting your child to their same aged peers. Are reading decoding skills being mastered? How do you know this? An IEP should include ways for you and the teacher to objectively measure your child's progress or lack of progress (regression) in the special education program.

Data Based

Everything in an IEP is driven by DATA. This is important because it is how you and the team will know if the goal has been mastered or not. If you don’t understand how they will know this ask. Data is needed to know 1) where they are when compared to their peer group (same aged peers not grade level); 2) if they are making progress.  If your child is not learning and making progress – with progress measured objectively – the IEP should be revised.

The Meeting

Bring your ideas about goals and objectives. Don’t be afraid to speak up about what you think. All of the people at the table at your child's IEP meeting are going to have ideas about what your child should be learning in the upcoming year.  You have every right to speak up about the goals and objectives (and placement) they write into your child's IEP for the year, and schools will WANT to hear your thoughts and ideas.  If you don’t understand what’s being shared-TELL the team. The IEP team will do their best to schedule it when everyone can make it. This is many cases is before or after school. Please show up to your child's IEP meeting! It's important!

So first, your state code is thick, and you're never going to be able to read it all but take some time and read your parent rights and responsibilities BEFORE the meeting.  Ask your IEP team if you have questions about your rights.

All schools prepare a "draft copy" of your child's IEP. You have the right to see it before the meeting! Request a copy! This draft should ONLY include reports with data. Nothing else! Everything else is talked about at the meeting.  (As a special education teacher, I make changes right there during the meeting on my draft copy.) You also have input in classroom accommodations, modifications, and services.  As a Case Manager, I take the last couple of minutes before closing the meeting to summarize what was said, any changes and any agreements. I also tell parents that I will send home a “final” copy of the IEP within 7 business days. Why seven? This gives parents time to think about what was talked about and ask for a meeting to readdress something they forgot or to add or change pieces. Deadlines are different from state to state on when final copies have to be to parents-mine is 10 business days.

An IEP is NEVER final. It is a living document--that can be changed as any point in time by any member of the IEP team. This means three weeks after the meeting, a new one can be created or six months from the meeting. You don’t have to go a whole year with it. Your child’s success in the general education classroom in VERY important. if they aren’t making it-something needs change. Don’t be afraid to ask for a meeting if you think something isn’t working.

What is Least Restrictive Environment? (aka LRE)

The IEP team will recommend services in the least restrictive environment (LRE) appropriate to your child’s needs. This means that the team will consider how your child can be educated with children who do not have disabilities, to the maximum extent possible. If means that services can be provided in the general education classroom, pull out to a resource room, or to a center based placement.  Children fluidly move through their least restrictive environment depending on what they NEED to be successful. This can change throughout a year or your child’s education. As an example: they might start out with all the services being provided out of the classroom and as they master the skills move to services being provided both in and out of the classroom. Teams tend to be more conservative and services are provided outside of the class to start with so the student experience success verse being in the class and experience failure.

My name is Alison Whiteley. I write for Toad-ally Exceptional Learners Blog. Thanks so much to JCs Mom for having me guest blog. It’s been so much fun. The freebie has information on transition and ideas for what you can do to help get the school year off to a great start. If you would like to know more about me please visit my blog.

 

Link to freebie: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B_h6TZs4mLsFdHVmSDdsd0hVbTg/edit?usp=sharing