Somewhere between the opening day of school and an undetermined moment in late September and October, many students with an IEP or 504 Plan, lose that shiny perspective of the new school year. And the wheels slowly fall off the wagon. For most, it’s a slippery slope like process. However, for some, it presents itself with a full on crash or a train wreck like set of circumstances. I say this for I have seen so many kids, great kids, try their very best to hold it together during the opening days of school and right before our eyes, their efforts cannot hold the balance between the square peg and the round hole; which is the experience many special needs kids find themselves in when it comes down to it. Simply, we are asking our kids to “fit in” as the learning process takes on very rigid definitions of learning and behavioral expectations. Within good instructional practices we call this “differentiation”. Then again, this is not always the way the instructional / learning process works for many kids. In fact, with the pressures of Common Core Curriculum, Teacher Evaluation Systems, and scripted learning found within today’s text books, the process of learning may be too restrictive for many of our kids. As a result, those who are holding it together with every ounce of energy, may begin to show signs of fatigue and burn-out as early as late September and October. Here are a few signs your child may be experiencing this as well:
Anxiety: Increased worry about school and related activities including loss of sleep, frustration in other areas of his/her life requiring patience and self control, or conversations featuring avoidance such as not wanting to go to school or signs of unknown illness and aches.
Behavior: Increased attention related activities at school including distractibility, recess time conflicts, or general avoidance related to classroom performance are a few of the typical “flight or fight” responses some kids begin to demonstrate when the honeymoon is over.
If this resonates for you as you look at your son or daughter, now is the time to begin conversations with your child’s teacher(s) and explore ways you can work in partnership in support of your child. My working definition of this process is best described as follows: behavior is communication. Our kids are telling us something about how they feel as their actions and behaviors shift when the honeymoon begins to wane. If the conversation requires more support, there is always a team process at each school specifically designed for you and your child. Autumn is a wonderful time of the year. However, it doesn’t always play out well for some of our children if there is a disconnect within the school experience and Autumn looks more like “fall”. Best to you and yours!