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Special Needs Child

Closing Viewpoints

Parent: Ben loves school and so do we. The educational team has been so supportive and open to helping Ben. We are really looking forward to next year.

Physical Therapist: Ben can keep up with his peers when walking through the hallways, but continues to need assistance in getting on and off the bus, opening doors, walking on uneven surfaces, and accessing outdoor play equipment. He is is often so excited to move from one classroom activity to the next that he trips over toys or slips on pieces of paper.

Special Educator: Ben has had a wonderful preschool year. He has been well accepted by his peers and has made lots of gains in his preacademic skills. Our challenges continue to be communication, fine-motor/self-care skills, and safety.

Occupational Therapist: Ben's desire for independence is coupled with a wonderful problem solving ability. I was able to facilitate his independence by having a flexible schedule so that I could be with him at different times during the school day. Simple adaptations to the environment or to equipment often allowed him to participate in activities without assistance. He continues to have significant difficulty in activities that require the use of two hands or in use of tools that require fine motor control.

Speech/Language Specialist: The augmentative communication device was a challenge for Ben to use here at school. Although he could access it and understand the process, it was too heavy for him to carry, therefore, it was not accessible when he wanted to use it to ask or answer questions or to express his own ideas. Ben has made gains in oral language and can now more easily be understood by the educational staff and some of his peers if he paces himself and speaks in four- or five-word phrases.