Try This Tuesday #5: Preparing for Kindergarten

What a fabulous idea! Hope that it helps him be settled and prepared and that kindergarten goes well!

You're a great mom and that was a great idea!

Here is a Transition Checklist that is always added to my son's IEP.

The Transition Checklist is in the book: Asperger Syndrome and Adolescence: Practical Solutions for School Success by Brenda Smith Myles, 2001, p. 128 and 129.

Check all that applies to your child and put in the IEP.

*You might want to add the following to the Transition Checklist if your child needs them.

Under Transition Planning Meeting:

1. Determine who will provide assistance for student when the bus arrives as school, particularly on the first day and to the bus at the end of the day.
2. Determine who will provide assistance with AM preparation, changing of classes, lunch, afternoon packing before getting on the bus in middle school.
3. Determine who will provide student with a visual schedule for the day as well as one for the morning and afternoon procedures.
4. ALL teachers will be given a copy of Accommodations and Modifications that are in the IEP.

Under Training for School Personnel:

1. Schedule several observations and done at different times of the day by an Asperger Syndrome Specialist for help with strategies and modifications in the classroom when needed. A meeting after observations will be given to discuss strategies and modifications with teachers and parents.

Under Student Orientation:

1. Obtain books for home use.
2. Place to store books in classroom.
3. Obtain agenda book to put in student’s binder.
4. Obtain school supplies list.
5. Obtain locker by home base and put bicycle lock on it. Practice with lock.
6. Bus procedures written up and explained to student.
7. Student will meet school personnel whom they can approach during the lunch period when encountering problems.
8. Show student where his assigned seat in the lunchroom will be (a quiet table).
9. Obtain gym locker near adult supervision and put bicycle lock on it. Practice with lock.
10. Practice dressing out for P.E. (obtain gym clothes)
11. Student will meet safe person and visit home base.
12. The Travel Pass and the procedure of it’s use explained, written up, and given to student before school starts. (Have time limit on use).
13. Obtain bus driver’s name, bus number, and what time pick up and drop off is. Be sure bus driver knows that student is to sit directly behind him. Provide the bus driver information on the specific behavioral and emotional concerns of student.

What a great idea and beautiful job you did on the book!

Thanks, PsychMamma & Julie!

Amazing Grace, thank you so much for sharing the checklist. I will definitely address these at our next team meeting and incorporate them into the IEP for 1st grade as well! What a great resource.

I love your digital scrapbook! What a great way to get him familiar and comfortable with going to school!

Trish-
I just added the link to the book from Goggle Search on my post so you can see the Transition List.

I was surprised that it was there to see and there it was!!!!

Now that is a high tech solution to social stories!

We also make very careful preparations before the start of the new school term, visit, check doors, make social stories with lots of pictures [especially of doors!]

Then there is the tick down chart for every 'less' day.

I hope it all goes swimmingly.
Best wishes

I really like the scrapbook. The use of the small inset picture for the bathroom is a nice touch; I would think it would really help him remember that there is a bathroom there.

Hope your evening goes well as Michael gets to explore again, yet with all those kids and parents around!

I am so amazed with the innovative ways you come up with to deal with special situations. If the parents of so called 'normal' kids did the same, they would probably be better prepared for new situations too. As adults we forget how terrifying it can be to start at a new school, or even a new class, or any other new situation.

Trish – I LOVE the scrapbook, great job on that! This is such a great idea, I know our boys always get so overstimulated with school registration. This year they did ok until we got to the cafeteria and then they all just lost it — too many people, they don't do well with crowds. Not fun. Maybe next year we should try scheduling a separate time to go, that's a really good idea. Thanks, and good luck w/ the start of school!

This is a wonderful idea. My SPD son also starts Kindergarten this year. I'll be trying this out for him!

Starting early to prepare for kindergarten does not mean learning kindergarten skills in preschool, but rather, it involves making sure children have preschool skills such as being able to retell a simple story and being able to recognize the letters in their name when they enter kindergarten.
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Adam

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