Chelsea is in 1st grade now! Such a big girl!!! One thing I always wondered, but was never able to find out, was what kind of schedules other kids had, when they were diagnosed with a disability similar to Chelsea's. So, still not knowing many others, but being happy with what Chelsea gets, here is what she does during the day:
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| I swiped this picture from google. |
8:00-8:55 General Ed inclusion (academic) with 1:1
8:55-10:15 Special Ed class, independent work
10:15-10:45 1:1 Time with special ed teacher
10:45-11:00 Sensory Break
11:00-11:40 Fine Motor/ OT work
11:40-12:45 Lunch and recess with gen. ed. class
12:45-1:45 Small Group activities/ speech therapy
1:45-2:00 Reset work/ clean desk
2:00-2:30 Bathroom and snack break
2:30-3:25 Specials with 1:1 in general ed class
3:25-3:40 Pack up, potty, go home
Now to break it down a little more:
Speech Therapy
Chelsea receives about 2 hours of speech therapy/ week. Mostly 1:1, a little of group. In the last state we lived, group speech therapy was HORRIBLE, so I resisted it with every fiber of my being when we moved to Texas. But here, I actually really like it! So she does some of that in addition to her 1:1 with the SLP.
General Education Inclusion
This is something I really pushed for with Chelsea, for several reasons. 1) I want her to interact with typically functioning peers. 2) Typical kids who grow up familiar with kids with disabilities will be more accepting as they age. 3) It challenges Chelsea in a different way than in her special ed classroom
Special Education Classroom
Here, I am a firm believer in that the teacher you get determines your child's success. Chelsea has had 1 awful special ed teacher and didn't make ANY progress that year. She also had 3 phenomenal teachers that really got her to excel. The teacher she has now is by far my favorite. This incredible woman has taught her so much and shows all her kids unconditional love while maintaining extremely high expectations.
Independent Work
Again, this was something that I was against at first. 'How dare they put my child in a corner and not be right there teaching her?' I thought when we first moved here. BUT- it has been SO GOOD for Chelsea! She has plenty of time to learn new concepts, and independent work is time when she completes pages/ projects that she feels successful at, and doing so is teaching her skills that she will need later in life in a job.
Lunch and Snack Time
Have I mentioned how much I love Chelsea's special ed teacher? She is so good at making sure kids develop skills for a successful life, and meals are a big part of that! She expects kids to open their lunches, eat, and clean up after themselves, all by themselves! I have noticed Chelsea getting tidier at home, and more helpful with meal clean-up.
Specials
What they call music, theatre, library, gym, etc. I like that Chelsea has a 1:1- the aides are very helpful when needed, and know when to let Chelsea figure it out by herself.
