It's a Fidget Time of Year

 It’s December. The Poem, The Night Before Christmas, says that “visions of sugar plums danced in their heads,” but it’s not just sweets that keep kids up at night, or amped up during the day. This month is filled with excitement – parties, school shows, presents, visits from relatives, or trips out of town – and let’s not forget, TIME OUT OF SCHOOL (again)! All kids are feeling a bit off their normal routine, and most can benefit by having access to fidget items. 

For some kids, giving them access to fidget items can not only calm an overstimulated brain, but help save a child who’s on the verge of a meltdown. Integrating ways for them to squeeze, squash and stretch can come as a pleasant distraction and a source of calm. The tactile stimulation can help engage the senses while giving proprioceptive input where it’s needed most.

Assess Your Own Working Environment

If you’re a parent who’s sitting at a desk right now, look around you. Chances are good that you either see things that could be considered fidget items or you’re using something as a fidget item without even realizing it. It’s not uncommon to dig through an office desk and find spinners, paper clips that bend in all types of different directions, pens and pencils that are good for tapping and clicking and desk lamps that have more than one brightness setting. Most humans engage in some type of self-stimulatory behavior, but we tend to not give it a name unless we happen to have a medical diagnosis, as bizarre as that sounds.

What to Look for in a Good Sensory Item

Fidget items should be unassuming gadgets that kids can use in school or wherever they go. The best ones are the ones that give a sense of calm and regulation. It definitely takes trial and error before you can expect to find the perfect toolkit of sensory integration items.

While you are creating this toolkit, keep the following benefits in mind:
1. Gathers the sensory system. These tools should provide enough sensory stimulation to meet the child’s needs for touch, movement, and pressure.

2. Redirects pent up energy. These items help channel excess energy, thereby preventing restless behavior. Kids get to release their energy on the items without disrupting those around them.

3. Creates a sense of calm. When many of us experience stress or anxiety, we tend to resort to sensory activities like pacing, shaking a crossed leg, twirling hair… All of these things help us to gather our system in order to function. Kids are no different.

4. Promotes focus. Because their internal sensory needs are being met, it’s easier for children to concentrate and complete the tasks at hand. Giving them ways to get their excess energy out while settling their mind and body makes for a little body that is more ready to learn.

5. Improves mood. Oftentimes when we get into a bad mood it’s because we are overthinking or perseverating on something that is upsetting. Engaging with a fidget item not only helps redirect our sensory system, but also our thoughts. Especially if your child happens to really like the activity around this fidget item, their entire mood can flip.

Fidget Ideas

A few items that can be used in the back seat of the car, as well as a classroom, are listed below. Be sure that the items that you consider are age appropriate. There is nothing cool about a 16 year old carrying around an item that’s meant for a four year old, so keep that in mind. If your child has an occupational therapist, talk to them, and get their advice on what would be best.

Poppers. These items are all the rage right now. You see them everywhere. Walk down any toy aisle in Walmart, Target or even your local convenience store and you’re likely to find some type of plastic popper.

Wacky Tracks. This keeps little hands busy because it is movable, and easy to hold. It can be kept in a classroom desk, or in the sensory station.

Water beads stress ball. I have to admit, I really love these. I attend a lot of conferences and it’s a smart company who gives them away at their table because I end up carrying it around, squishing it all day long 😊 and kids do too! But, make sure it’s strong enough to not break, or that the child is old enough to understand not to break it open.

Noise-cancelling headphones.  They say, “silence is golden” and for a child who gets overwhelmed by too much noise, this can be a goldmine that every sensory kit should include. In addition, many special ed classrooms include a student who makes loud sounds from time to time, and every child should have a way to maintain their own peace.

Wearable wrist spinner for older kids. I think this is VERY cool! I don’t know the brand, but this type of item can be discreet, easy to use and very attractive to other kids (friend magnet).

Tangle manipulative. These use to be so great for my son. He loved just flipping them around and making all kinds of shapes.

Kickbands for Classroom (or kitchen) chairs. If you’ve got a kid who’s always “antsy”, these bands that get wrapped around the legs of classroom desks are great. I’ve seen some classrooms where teachers placed them on all classroom desks (and those have been general education classrooms).

Wiggle Cushion. I can’t express how many kids I’ve seen helped by wiggle cushions. They can be purchased in the color of the classroom chair so that it’s not noticeable by others. The kids get input and are actually reinforced at the same time.

Pencil pushers. These are cool because they go right onto the pencil or pen, so your child won’t need to go digging around for a fidget while they’re working on a classroom assignment. Plus, it’s pretty inconspicuous to use in a general education classroom.

While you’re out or online holiday shopping, grabbing a few of these might help make things a bit easier during this chaotic and overstimulating holiday season. AND they might be a huge benefit when it’s time to go back into the old routine post-holiday break!

PS – If your child has sensory needs, and they attend public school, your school should be ordering them – not you. Find the ones that you think might work best and call your school to request additions to their sensory toolbox. These can also be added to the Special Considerations section of their IEP.

Not All Accommodations Are Allowed on Standardized Testing

 Each year when you have your child’s annual IEP meeting, there’s a place that you need to sign that you understand that not all accommodations that your child might have on their IEP are allowable during standardized testing. Did you know that? This reminds me of Procedural Safeguards. Every year you sign a paper that says that you understand your Procedural Safeguards, but quite often when I ask a parent about that, they tell me that they didn’t sign it, when in reality, they did. It is extremely important that you know and understand what you are signing during these meetings.

Accommodations Not Allowed for Statewide Testing

Standardized testing is meant to see how children measure up against the so-called “norm”. Most of us within the disability community despise that thought because we realize, probably better than most, that everyone is different, and everyone has a different learning style and a different pace at which they learn. So, while this testing may seem ridiculous, it is the tool that the system uses to measure progress, or lack thereof. While most children with disabilities receive special education, at some level, they are often the same ones that score below expectations of children at their grade level, and this is not simply because they have a disability. Oftentimes it’s related to subpar instruction that they receive and how their abilities are not equally considered with their disabilities. There’s a saying that children should be taught in the way that they learn, but sadly, that doesn’t seem to be the predominant experience by children with special needs

If you want to see a list of accommodations that are allowed, you can go to this link. For this week’s informational e-mail, I wanted to share some of the things that are NOT allowed on standardized tests because I have actually seen quite a few children lately whose schools don’t even seem aware of the non-allowable accommodations. This means that parents cannot solely depend upon their schools to implement what’s found in the IEP and need to gain as much info as possible to keep a step ahead.

When a student uses an accommodation that is not allowed, the test results may be declared invalid by the state if it is found out (FDOE, 2017a; 2017b). Examples include the following:

• Oral presentation by a test administrator or text-to-speech for passages in statewide standardized assessments reading and writing items
• Signed presentation for passages in statewide standardized assessments reading and writing items
• Use of devices to check spelling or grammar
• Use of a calculator for computation in grades 3-6 statewide standardized assessments in mathematics
• Use of multiplication charts or tables
• Use of manipulative materials except when approved for use with braille materials
• Use of assistive devices that violate the purpose of the test
• Unlimited time to complete a test session
• Peer assistance

This list is not all inclusive, but it focuses on the ones that tend to get people into trouble if they’re not aware of them. These are allowed within the classroom setting during teaching times, but are not allowable on standardized testing. In a nutshell, when a student is taking a reading test, they have to read the passage. The point of that assessment is to determine if the student can actually read the words and figure out what those words mean. No one can read the passage to the child as an allowable accommodation. That is why it is so vitally important that children learn how to read. To be clear, children don’t learn how to read in order to take a test. Children learn how to read so they can gain information from the written word. If that is not happening with your child – if they are not learning how to read – contact your school and ask for the literacy coach to conduct a reading assessment to determine why they’re not reading and to make recommendations for a curriculum that best meets their learning style.

One More Thing

There is something called a Unique Accommodation. According to the Dept of Education, Students with severe deficits in decoding that result in “nonreaders” as defined by the FLDOE as:
▪ Based on the child’s response to already attempted services and accommodations.
▪ Documented evidence, after exhausting all less intense services, that the student can only demonstrate their reading and writing knowledge with this unique accommodation. The successful use of this unique accommodation must be shown in the classroom prior to being considered for use on any state assessment.

The Eligibility Requirements Are:

• Documented severe deficit in decoding
• Current IEP
• Evidence-based intervention in Tier 1 and Tier 2 DAILY instruction to access printed text
• Data to support the student’s effective use of a reader, audio recordings or text to speech through a reading accommodation assessment
• Shows proficient scores in daily instruction (formative and summative assessments) when the audible accommodation is used

This “unique” accommodation might sound good, but it’s not to be considered until after every effort has been put forth to help your child learn to read for themselves.

I hope this has been helpful. Please share with others who may benefit from this type of information.