It goes without saying that with the current COVID-19 crisis has changed learning for special education students. Some students have Zoom classes all day long and some get photocopied worksheets. Some love learning at home while others have trouble even sitting down in front of the computer. Here are a few ideas to consider during this unprecedented time.
1. It Is All Ok.
Learning remotely is hard for all students. Remote learning is even harder for students with disabilities. So whatever you are doing, it is ok. If your child is doing no work, it is ok. If your child will watch Zoom lessons, but do none of the schoolwork, it is ok. If your child will watch Zoom lessons and do some of the work, it is also ok. Whatever is happening in your house, it is ok. This is hard. Try to have a relaxed attitude about your child’s learning. Whatever they learn- great, whatever they don’t- we will take care of it when we get back to school.
2. Document Everything.
The best thing to do now is to document everything. Hope this doesn’t contradict my first point about being relaxed. But what I would like you to do is to keep a table/spreadsheet of the date of service, service, duration (time), and notes. I would include any individual emails, zooms, and phone calls. For instance, if you call the teacher asking for help with the math homework, add a line about that. Here is a quick log that I put together: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vT-YpTXCTCoVBAZagWazZI3KkL2iWG5YYfSPGt6PYvRXzuQYWN1Oh-Bkj6hFYzcBamfIjXoqQoof8je/pubhtml. Feel free to use this template or your own.
3. Ask for an IEP.
You can ask for an IEP to discuss remote learning. In that IEP you can discuss what is working for your child and what is not working for your child. If the district refuses to have an IEP, put your concerns in an email. In the email you should also make specific requests. For example, if the group speech therapy is not working for your child ask for individual speech therapy.
4. Think about School Returning.
One thing that I have heard a few times from parents is that they have gained new insights on how their child learns and what they need to learn. Those parents have shared that now they understand why their child has trouble in class or why they are not making any progress in speech. When you have a quiet moment to reflect, you can begin to think about how services might need to change when you return to school. Also, begin to think about what services your child might need to catch up when school begins. Think about what these services might look like and how your child will access them.
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