With IEP meetings, last minute evaluations, holidays, fieldtrips, and statewide testing, great therapy planning often gets pushed to the lower rung of importance. Rather than lament over the difficulty to provide services, EMBRACE THE CHAOS!
The month of May offers us a way to step out of our own shoes and experiment with different therapy styles. We can get introduced to new therapy, new data collection strategies, and be the first to pack up our closet instead of the last. Here are some great tips:
Eyes on the Prize:
Lay out everything that you have due by the end of this month. Progress notes? Letters to parents? Choose one or two children each day and use your therapy sessions to collect data for your progress notes.
Medicaid Means Mocha:
Medicaid for me means this huge mocha that is sold up the street with raspberries in it. It is my reward for sitting down to do my least favorite task. Reward yourself for your efforts for the things you like least.
Covet thy Neighbor’s Therapy Plan:
There is a ton of material on the internet for therapy. Find out what your teacher is focusing on this week (astronauts) and pair it with the students grade level in google (astronauts+vocabulary/coloring pages/fiction). My favorite that was recently shared with me is Enchanted Learning.
One of These Students Looks Just Like the Other:
What to do with those evals that magically appear in our inbox this month. Hmm… How can we accurately assess a child in a reduced timeframe? If consent is signed, bring the child to a therapy session with children whose disabilities match the teacher’s concerns. They can’t understand the student? Put him in your artic group. Comparing him to the students that he might eventually join is a great indicator for disability. If he “fits in” you might have a new addition to the caseload. If he is an instant “teacher’s helper,” you might have a DNQ on your hands.
Get the sun block and floatee ready. We just have a short way to go!
