Twenty-One Senses

Helping families with sensory sensitive children navigate typical environments.

Category: Age

The Importance of Calm Spaces in the Classroom

by Rebecca KluegLeave a comment

Chicago Friends School

At Twenty-One Senses, we help schools, businesses, and families understand the importance of regulation, especially those with sensory needs. Post covid we are seeing many children struggle with regulation, emotions, and interactions in large groups. In short, most children are struggling with the adjustment of getting back into the classroom.

This has been a topic many educators are talking about, specifically how to develop self-awareness, self-control, and interpersonal skills (SEL) in classrooms. What they often overlook is how the environment affects those things. They haven’t been trained on what to watch for and how to help kids who are struggling to regulate based on environmental factors. Schools are working towards creating a space where the children learn how to identify their needs and emotions while providing a safe environment where children can get away from environmental triggers.

Recently, I was privileged to visit one such school. Chicago Friends School in Edgewater has created a learning environment that not only educates the students with core subjects such as math, science, and English but they also are very mindful of the child’s well-being from a regulation standpoint. As I met the staff and children, I couldn’t help noticing that all the children were very happy, and there was a sense of peace and nurture in every classroom.

Chicago Friends School has taken the time to create calm corners in every indoor space where the children will be throughout their day. Many parents understand each child is different and have unique needs. The calm corners at Chicago Friends School have very thoughtful and comforting items such as headsets, fidgets, blankets, bean bag chairs, vocabulary posters, and activities that help a child calm down, re-regulate, and better express their emotions. The best part of these calm corners is that they introduce a sense of privacy. Each classroom does this in a different way; however, they all have a common goal, to give the child privacy while they are feeling all of their emotions.

Calm corners are never a punishment but rather a resource each child can use. A teacher may remind their students that the calm corner is available, but it is ultimately up to the child whether they would like to use it.

Mental health is an important part of being your best self. Individuals flourish when you are understood and encouraged to take a moment to work through your anxiety, frustration, and emotions. Chicago Friends School is an exemplary example of what all schools should be doing in terms of supporting their students not only academically and from an SEL perspective but also how to support their students’ nervous systems (regulation engine). The small act of creating a space where students can be themselves in a safe space has an enormous impact on the lives of the students and their ability to learn.

Learn more about Chicago Friends School

Kids Storytime with Samantha and Friends

by Twenty-One Senses TeamLeave a comment

Check out this really cool new YouTube channel: Kids Storytime with Samantha and Friends! What makes this channel so great is its unique approach to storytelling and engagement: Samantha, a charismatic and cute-as-a-button 9-year-old reads shares her passion for reading and learning by reading to kids of all ages!

We all know the benefits of reading and being read to: increased vocabulary, improved listening and language skills, and social emotional connection and development. Not only does having a peer read to your children improve their comprehension and social connection, but it can also provide some added motivation to work on their own reading.

Make sure to check it out if you’re looking for a run way to spruce up storytime.  (And the bloopers at the end are not to be missed. So cute!)

Happy listening!

A note from Jennifer (Samatha’s mom):

Kids Storytime with Samantha and Friends was created during the beginning of COVID-19. I saw a need to make literacy captivating for children who might not find reading a joyful experience. 

My 9-year-old daughter loves to read and was often found as little as 3 years old pretending to record herself reading books. She now is involved in an amazing theater group and performing dance troupe. These two opportunities have expanded her talents when recording and acting. She honestly just loves to make people smile and laugh.

My husband is a professional photographer, but has work experience in the audio visual realm. He truly loves to make things look easy, but only produces the best result. He loves to really put all the smallest details into each book recording.

My background includes: special education and at-risk preschool teacher, developmental therapist, tutor, respite worker, and the best job of all: being a mom. 

With my love for getting children of all abilities exposed to literacy, I came up with an idea to start our YouTube channel. We have supported local authors as well as mainstream authors. It has been truly a blessing to see the families that I served and continue to serve feel fulfilled by the stories. 

We continue to seek more books for our channel and ways to make each video a bit of its own creation. Finally, please don’t forget our bloopers, because who doesn’t need a good laugh these days. 

Hope the book videos bring you joy as they have brought to so many children and their families. 

–Jennifer (Samantha’s mom!)

Back to School: Revisit Your IEP and 504

by Twenty-One Senses TeamLeave a comment

If you’re a special needs parent, you know how important it is to advocate for your child’s needs at the start of each school year. You probably already know that the partnership relationships you form with teachers and administrators in the fall will form the foundation of your child’s success throughout the year. Whether you’re gearing up for homeschool, distance learning, in-person classes, or some combination of the three, now is the time to take another look at your child’s IEP/504 and to ensure that your child’s entire support team-—including you—is aligned on expectations regarding academics, behavior, and teacher-parent communication.

What new accommodations need to be made to best support your child in this new environment? What old accommodations are irrelevant or impossible during COVID? How will you partner with the school staff to identify and address problems and celebrate successes? How can the school support you as a parent, and how can your parenting support the school? Below are a few tips and things to think about as you prepare for the start of the new year.

Be proactive.

  • Now more than ever, your child’s success requires a proactive stance. Don’t wait until school starts to come up with a plan, or the district might have already implemented concrete processes that are very difficult or impossible to change.
  • Create a document that lists your child’s strengths and weaknesses, how these have impacted her academic performance in the past (both at home and at school), and how you predict they will impact her performance in her new learning environment. Include any current accommodations, and re-assess the needs they are addressing in light of COVID. Be as specific and concrete as possible. The school’s staff should have already read the existing documentation, but that’s not always the case—think of this as a cheat sheet to get everyone back up to speed.
  • Schedule a pre-school meeting with your IEP/504 team, and don’t be afraid to track them down via email or phone if you’re told they’re not available until school starts. Talk openly about your expectations, questions, and concerns. You don’t need to walk into—or out of—the meeting with all the answers. However, it is important that.everyone on your child’s team is on the same page and following the same game-plan, even when that means acknowledging that some concerns remain unaddressed and that some answers will unfold over time.
  • Develop a good communication plan. As the parent, you should be forewarned of any changes to your child’s schedule, curriculum, or physical surroundings. Set up frequent check-ins with her teacher and IEP/504 team and talk about the best way to keep you informed so that you can better prepare and socialize these changes at home.
  • If your child is physically returning to school, request a tour of the building before her first day so you can start prepping her. Pay attention to changes in the classroom and the location of bathrooms. If possible, have her teacher accompany you on the tour.

 

Be flexible.

  • Accept that any existing plans and accommodations will probably need to change—in fact the whole idea of “success” or “optimal performance” might need to change, especially for special needs children. You and/or your child’s teachers may not be able to evaluate certain things remotely, like how well she’s able to focus in class or on Zoom, so be willing to exchange observations and insights with school staff and to adjust your goals as needed.
  • Schedule frequent check-ins with your child’s teacher to discuss what’s working and what needs to change. Make sure to give each plan of action enough time to tell if it’s truly working, and agree on what the markers of success are and what will cause the plan to shift.  (“We are agreeing now that we will all start the year by trying Plan A. If my daughter meets this Goal by this Date, then we will all continue Plan A. If not, then within one week we will all switch to try Plan B.”)
  • Consider novel solutions to old problems. There may be cases in which your school simply can’t support your child to the same, pre-COVID level. Be open to bringing in outside coaches or tutors, and don’t hesitate to reach out to other parents for advice. (Need some advice? Check out our new caregiver coaching service!)
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Be collaborative.

  • Remember, you are part of the educational team now—you’ve spent a lot of valuable time with your child in quarantine, and you have unique insight into her that no one else has. You have a voice and a vote in these decisions.
  • Also remember that your special relationship with your child means that your child may respond differently to teachers and peers than to parents and siblings—for better or for worse! This is normal, especially after everyone in your household has all been through an intense spring and summer together. Be emotionally prepared to observe these differences in behavior, and try not to take them personally. Acknowledge what you observe, share it with the team, and maintain your focus on identifying your child’s needs and on partnering effectively with the school to ensure those needs are met.
  • Don’t shy away from sharing your experiences and talking to your team about any specific strategies or solutions that have worked for you—and what hasn’t worked. At the same time, be honest when you don’t have an answer. You don’t always have to.
  • Keep in mind that districts and teachers are struggling with how to manage COVID, too. Give them the benefit of the doubt and trust that they all care about your child’s success and doing their jobs well.
  • That being said, teachers and admins are definitely overwhelmed. Approach things with a spirit of collaboration, but remember things will slip through the cracks and you will have to be tenacious.

E-Learning Resources for Children of All Ages

by Twenty-One Senses TeamLeave a comment

At Twenty-One Senses, our mission has always been to help families with sensory issues navigate typical childhood events, play spaces, and activities. However, we recognize the world is quickly changing and all families, not just those with special needs, are adjusting to a new way of life.

To better support social distancing measures intended to curb the spread of COVID-19, we will be pausing our regular programming to focus on e-learning resources for children of all ages and abilities. We’ll be adding to the list regularly, so check back often. Please share it on social media or with anyone you think might find it useful. Finally, let us know if you’ve found a great resource we should include.

We believe in the power of community, cooperation, and positivity in the face of adversity. While there are certainly challenges ahead, we can all use this moment to pause and reflect on the things that matter most: our families and our communities. 

Take care of yourselves and each other.

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