Team Efforts

In my line of work, I have had to learn that managing the most difficult Special Educational Needs is a team effort.   This goes for physical, cognitive or behavioural problems.
As a parent it is important to find a team suitable for your child's needs.  Make sure that each team member is one you are comfortable with and that the team members are all in communication with one another.  The key role players should all center around the child, and the school should be at the core of the liaison between all parties, as, often, the teachers are the most able to see which interventions are having any effects (positive or negative).  However, you, as parents, are just as important team members, and should never feel that you cannot ask for regular feedback.
One of the children I currently work with has a multidisciplinary team where the majority of those involved see him less than once a week.  I see him four times a week, so I link with the rest of the team as much as possible with feedback about any concerns I have,, or any positive developments.
But how do you know which team players are ideal for your child?  Well, that all depends on the area of need.  At the core should be the class teacher/s, parents and the school principal.  From here, circumstances should dictate whether there should be input from occupational therapists, speech therapists, physiotherapists, doctors, psychologists and even Social Services.
As the school usually deals with most of these, and has a great deal of contact with the child,, I would expect the school to be the pivotal point in liaising with all the other parties.  However, you, as parent, can choose to take on this role, and should be as involved as possible in any interventions that may be suggested.
And at the heart of all this team effort, it is vital to remember that the whole team wants the best for the child concerned.

Star wars....

I have been teaching the solar system to one of my students.  His ASD means that he has spatial awareness issues, tactile issues and fine motor problems. An activity that worked well in helping with all these issues and provided a multisensory platform for studying the solar system has been making a model using plasticine. He has had to get used to the texture, scale the planets correctly and manipulate the clay to get the right shape and colours.